Things I Wish I Knew 10 Years Ago

Ten years ago, I was seventeen. It’s safe to say I’ve learned a lot over the past 10 years. For this blog post, I decided to go around and ask my co-workers an important lesson they learned over the past decade. From men and women of all different ages and walks of life, here is what they had to say.

1. “Don’t take life to serious” -R. Mattingly

2. “Give yourself a break.” -B. Nielsen

3. “Be more outspoken.” -K. Vaughn

4. “Shut your mouth!” -C. Brown

5. “Don’t settle, be proactive and don’t get comfortable.” -B. Gilbert

6. “Get up and get going every morning (even before you have kids).” -H. Way

7. “You can get back money, but you can’t get back time.” -A. Whiteside

8. “Life is short, treasure every moment.” -B. Bay

9. “More family, less partying.” -A. Pendleton

10. “I wish I knew how much money I was wasting 10 years ago. Instead of building up my savings or paying down my student loan debt, I used that money to shop for clothes, go out to dinner or grab drinks with friends. I often think, if I had just stayed in one weekend a month and put that money into my savings, I could have better set myself up for success.” -K. Shane

11. “Start a retirement fund immediately and stop spending your money foolishly. Invest it, grow it, and don’t throw it away on things not needed. Also, it’s easier to gain weight than it is to stay in shape. Create healthy habits now. Oh, and don’t take your eight hours of sleep for granted. That will change when you have kids.” -M. Koenig

12. “Invest wisely in yourself. Don’t drop $100,000 on a degree that will earn you $35,000 a year. That student loan debt doesn’t go away. Know your return of investment beforehand.” -Savanna

Some of these reflections really blew me away. I’ll be keeping this advice in my pocket for the next decade. What is something you learned that you’d love to pass along? Let us know in the comments!

Until next time,

Savanna

#financialplanning