A Financial Love Letter to Your 20s

Hi Reader,

Welcome to The Money Series and if you are new here, thank you for signing up. Personal Finance can feel ambiguous and overwhelming, but I am here to help simplify the journey.

There’s something quietly powerful about your 20s.

It’s the decade where most people land their first real job, start earning their own money, make their first decisions, and begin tasting true independence. It’s also the decade where your financial habits start forming, often unconsciously. And those habits? They compound. Slowly. Quietly.

Two people can start their 20s with the same degree, same salary, and even similar dreams but end up in completely different financial situations by 35. Not because one was luckier, or more gifted. Often, it’s simply because one person took their 20s seriously and the other treated it like a practice lap.

So if you’re in your 20s (or early 30s), this is for you.

Here are the big things that will make your future self look back and say, “Thank you.”

✅ Save and Invest Habitually (even if it’s small). The magic of your 20s isn’t how much you earn, it’s how much time you have. Compounding doesn’t reward the smartest investor. It rewards the earliest. Start with what you can: 5%, 10%, even $50 a month. The goal is not volume, it’s consistency.

✅ Build Your Financial Foundation. A simple budget or spending plan. Build your emergency fund. Track your spending actively. Understand the basics of investing. Choose an index fund and stay invested.

✅ Maximize the Stock Market Early. When you are young, the stock market is your greatest wealth-building friend because the stock market rewards time more than it does talent. Starting in your 20s implies that you get decades of compounding, you can afford to take more risk, and you build investing confidence.

✅ Surround Yourself With People Who Want to Get Better With Money. Your environment is more powerful than your willpower. Talk about growth opportunities, investments, assets often with people in your circle. Talk about networth, paycheck growth, promotions, side gigs, businesses, etc. Your financial life is social, choose wisely.

✅ Know Your Money Dial and Explore It. You shouldn’t spend your 20s depriving yourself. Instead, figure out the things you genuinely love spending on, then save intentionally so you can enjoy them without guilt. Whether it’s travel, food, or convenience, be specific. Turn the dial up slowly. Upgrade the things that matter. Then, cut down on the things that don’t.

✅ Learn Skills That Increase Your Earning Power. Skills that makes you harder to replace. Hard and soft skills; Communication. Negotiation. Public-speaking. Sales. A few skills that can improve your value in the marketplace.

✅ Avoid the Comparison Game. Your 20s are the easiest decade to feel “behind.” Someone is getting promoted. Someone is buying property. Someone is earning in dollars. Someone is marrying into wealth. Someone is moving abroad. Someone is starting a business. Good for them. As you celebrate them, remember that your pace is fine and you’re not late.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in your 20s is thinking you have time and deciding to WAIT before getting it right financially. This decade is the starting point and starting points matter. If you lay the right habits now, your 30s, 40s, and 50s become easier, calmer, and richer in every sense of the word. You don’t have to do everything at once. Pick one thing. Start small. Stay consistent.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Reflect on This:

• What’s one financial habit you want to build (or rebuild) before the year ends?

Till next week, I am rooting for you, money-ly!

Dee

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