What financial advice would you give to your younger self?

• Get a part-time job before age 15 and put half of every paycheck into your savings account.
• Saving even an extra dollar a week can change your financial future.
• Never underestimate the power of compound interest. Start early and keep contributing.
• Always have an emergency fund.
• Start saving/investing early.
• Live on half your income and save the other half (or as close to that as possible).
• Save as much money as you can before having a baby.
• Set up your account to automatically deposit money into a savings and/or investment account each month so you don’t have to remember.

expenditure:

• If you don’t have cash, don’t use a credit card.
• You will throw away most of what you have accumulated. Don’t buy anything!
• Please think twice before clicking to buy!
• Buying luxury clothes, accessories and vehicles is such a waste of money.
• Create a budget and stick to it.

invest:

• Start investing early. No matter what, never stop contributing to your investment account.
• Open an IRA at age 18 and automatically deposit $10 each month until you can manage more money.
• Find a good financial advisor.
• Don’t cash out your investment accounts even if you feel it’s the only way to pay your bills.
• Start saving for your child’s college early with a 529 account.
• Investment properties and rentals – they keep increasing in value.

debt:

• Go to public school. Private liberal arts colleges are not worth the student loans.
• Don’t finance anything but your house. Credit cards and car payments are just a waste of money.
• Pay extra on your mortgage each month – it goes right into the principal, and you’ll pay it off much faster.
• Put your credit cards away—maybe even cut them up.
• Don’t get school loans—they’re not worth it.
• Stay out of debt. period!

other:

• Live simply! Just because you have money doesn’t mean you have to spend it.
• Take good care of your health. Medical care is expensive.
• Don’t let your emotions control you.
• No one cares what car you drive. Buy something cheaper to get you from point A to point B.
• Don’t worry about “keeping up with the competition – they may be in debt!”
• Take Dave Ramsey’s course.
• Don’t over celebrate Christmas (or birthdays or other holidays). Just be together and have fun.
• If you make a bad financial decision, make sure you learn something from the experience as well.
• Make sure you enjoy the money while you have it (within reason). You don’t need to save every penny for “someday” because “someday” may never come, and you can’t take your money with you when you leave.
• Learn as much as you can about investments, certificates of deposit, stocks, mutual funds, etc.
• Don’t buy a house with friends or siblings (or anyone you don’t plan to live with for a long time).
• Pay your tithes faithfully no matter what.

You may also like:

• If you had to lower your monthly costs, what would you give up or do differently?
• 45+ Things You Might Forget to Budget for
• How do I stick to a budget if my income is unstable?
• How do I budget for variable expenses?
• 55+ Simple Tips to Save Money at Home
• What to do when you’re tired of frugaling
• 35 things you don’t need to buy

Lots of great advice here! Is there anything else you would like to add? I’d love to hear it!