There is no other time in history where it is easier and quicker to become a millionaire during one’s lifetime. The news is filled with self-made thirty-something (or even younger) millionaires who developed software programs, invented something useful, or started successful businesses. It all starts a comprehensive financial plan.
And the greatest thing is that you can learn from their lives and replicate their successes in your own life. So if you intend to be a millennial millionaire and enjoy your 30s in retirement heaven, this article provides different tips and lessons that anyone can follow to achieve just that.
Create a personal financial plan
The first, and perhaps most important, lesson that any millennial should learn is how to create a personal financial plan. This plan allows you to assess your current financial status and plot out a course of action.
To create a personal financial plan, you may rely on different sample financial plans online so that you can get an idea of what to include in your plan. Or you can always create one on your own.
Just remember that the basic questions that need to be answered in a financial plan will include the degree of risk you are willing to take, your financial and personal goals, and how you intend to achieve them.
Start saving for retirement as early as possible
After filling out a financial plan, you will already have a brief idea of what you want and need to do in your life in order to financially succeed in your 30s. The most obvious next step is to start saving money.
Educate yourself on the different savings options that banks in your area offer. This can be easily done online. Ask your parents, teachers, relatives, friends, and colleagues for any bank that they prefer to use. Also, find out why they like their banks and how you can take advantage of the same savings plan that their respective banks and financial advisors offer.
Aside from saving your earnings in a bank. If you are employed, you may also save money by making contributions to a retirement savings plan. In the United States, the most famous one is the 401(k) program. With most retirement savings plans, employee contributions will be matched up to a certain percentage by your employer.
Take advantage of this savings plan as early as possible and max out your contributions. By doing this, you are setting yourself up for a comfortable retirement in your thirties.
Invest your money
The traditional retirement age in many countries is between 60 to 66. This allows individuals more time to save money and for their money to earn compound interest over time. However, if you want to retire in your 30s, you need to make sure that your saved earnings get the highest possible interest rates.
That is why, aside from saving money in the bank, you need to invest some of your earnings into other savings mechanisms like bonds, stocks, mutual funds, and insurance plans. Talk with your bank representative or financial advisor so that they can help you choose the right investment vehicle.
Automate your savings and investment contributions
This next tip may sound too simplistic but it can greatly help you stay on track towards your retirement goals. We are talking about the need to automate your monthly savings and investment contributions.
Most banks and financial institutions allow their clients to set up automatic deductions. So if this feature is available to you, make sure to take advantage of it.
Setting up automatic bill payments and investment contributions will help decrease the temptation to spend more money – it’s hard to spend money that never makes it into your hands.
Learn a new skill
Let’s admit it, becoming a millionaire in your thirties can be hard – especially if you limited earning opportunities. That is why, if you intend to fast-track your earnings, we suggest learning a new skill or developing a side hustle.
Make sure that you choose a skill that you absolutely love and enjoy doing. If there is a common characteristic among millennials who have become self-made millionaires, it is that they have pursued something that they actually like doing. And if you need a little inspiration, checkout these entrepreneur quotes.
So if you wish to follow in their footsteps, begin looking into different classes online and in your local community center. Examples of skills you may learn are coding, graphic design, learning a new language, commercial driving, and even cooking.
Remember, you do not have to always stick to the first sample financial plan that you created for yourself. Feel free to modify this plan along the way and learn to be open to different ways on how to maximize your earnings.
Once you get into the habit of doing these things automatically, it will get easier and easier. Just like financial interest compounds, so does the power of good habits.
Retirement will no longer be a faraway dream if you heed the different pieces of advice listed above. Use them to motivate and propel your life into a truly rich and fulfilling thirty-something retired lifestyle.
Focus on the goal
Saving up for a million or more within the next ten or so years can be daunting at first. The entire process can seem even more arduous when there are a lot more things that we can buy or experience now and simultaneously give us instant gratification.
But if you have learned anything from creating a personal financial plan, you may have already seen how fleeting these things can be. That is why at the start of your journey to financial freedom in your 30s, be ready to put on blinders and only focus on what you are aiming for: becoming a thirty-something millionaire.
Yes, it is not easy. Prepare to practice delayed gratification on a whole new level for at least the next few years or so. And if everything goes according to plan, you will retire and be comfortably rich by your thirties. Isn’t that an epic goal!?!?
Remember, you do not have to always stick to the first sample financial plan that you created for yourself. Feel free to modify this plan along the way and learn to be open to different ways to maximize your earnings and savings.
