They say it’s better late than never, but thinking over the things I’ve done (or not done) in my adult life, there are some lessons I wished I had learned sooner.
I wish I had prepared more for retirement. When I was younger I felt I needed the money more for “today” so I missed out on contributing to my company pension plan and maxing out my employee savings plan and RRSP.
I wish I hadn’t racked up credit card debt to the tune of about $30,000 with multiple cards. It took a long time to pay them off and interest rates were high. Now, if I don’t have the cash, I don’t buy. I have only one credit card and it is paid in full each month.
I wish I hadn’t done business with a friend. I chose a realtor friend to sell my house and I felt he didn’t do all he could to advertise or have showings. He had reduced his commission for me, and it’s hard to tell a friend you don’t like his service. As a result, when my house finally sold I had only a month to purchase a new house and had to “settle” for not my best choice.
I wish I had taken more risks – both personal and financial. As a single wage earner I was always worried that I’d end up with no back up savings for emergency situations. I missed out on a lot of family memories by not spending on fun things we could have done. I also missed out on greater financial growth by keeping my money “safe”.
I wish I wouldn’t have let financial “experts” talk me into purchasing certain products that were not right for me. I lost money by thinking they knew better and not trusting my gut feelings and my own instincts.
I wish I had finished my university education. I feel that I missed out on a lot of career opportunities by not having a degree, even though I was well qualified with my work experience.
We all say that if we could go back in time, we would do some things differently. Are there any things you regret or wish you had learned earlier?
