Most people fall into one of two categories. They are either savers or spenders. Savings are often prioritized for the future to secure retirement and financial security. Spenders prioritize their everyday desires and requirements while maintaining a sound financial situation with the idea of covering their retirement obligations in the future with better income or innovative solutions.
Both of these ideas have advantages and disadvantages.
People who joined the FIRE movement (financial independence/retire early) now say they wish they hadn’t. Only one-third of American seniors have enough funds to live on, while 63% live paycheck to paycheck.
But as a typical individual, which is the better option for you? Saving money or spending it?
Let’s evaluate both choices and make a decision.
What is living a good life?
You’ve probably heard someone declare at some point in their life that they don’t care about money or if they have a stable financial future. Don’t undervalue the significance of leading a successful financial life.
People often claim that happiness is beyond the reach of money. But it can also provide you and the protection and safety of your loved ones, making your life happier.
Humans require money to pay for all the necessities of existence, including food, shelter, medical expenses, and quality education. To pay for these items, you don’t need to be rich or have a lot of money, but you will need some money until you pass away.
Understanding personal finance is crucial since money is required to buy the necessary supplies and services to survive. Living a good financial life means managing your finances responsibly and using your income to maintain a happy life.
Benefits of living a good life
You can exchange your work for goods you value because money exists.
Living a solid financial life while spending money has several significant advantages:
It gives you a vision
- Understanding your current status is the first step toward a successful financial life. This covers your present behaviors and financial statements like your cash flow statement (how much money is coming in as opposed to how much is going out) and net worth statement (what you own and owe). Clarifying your current situation will enable you to determine what is feasible and how to achieve your goals.
It liberates you
- You can live anywhere you choose, take care of your necessities, and participate in your hobbies when you have enough money. With the freedom of spending money, you may not only get what you want, but also can get out of financial issues swiftly. With a decent amount of cash, you may consolidate credit cards, pay back payday loans, pay off your personal loan or mortgage, get a car, support kids for education and many more things. You’ll experience even more freedom since you’ll be able to spend your time as you like if you achieve financial independence and have enough money to support yourself without working.
It empowers you to take care of your requirements
- You can launch a business, construct your dream home, cover the expenses of starting a family or achieve other objectives you think will improve your quality of life if you have money.
It ensures your security and safety
- You won’t ever have to worry about having a roof over your head, enough to eat, or being able to see a doctor when you’re sick if you have enough money in the bank. You won’t be able to afford everything you desire because of this, but you will be able to lead a secure middle-class life.
Downsides of living a good financial life
Of course, there are also undeniable drawbacks to leading a lavish lifestyle, such as:
Multiple issues from a love of money or an obsession with it
- You might engage in unethical or even criminal behavior, such as theft or defrauding others, if you continuously attempt to get as much money as possible. If you place excessive importance on money or material possessions, it could also cause issues for you and your family. You probably won’t be happy if you have money but no one to live with or anything to do.
Money can cause conflicts
- There may be a lot of conflict in your life if you and your spouse or other family members can’t agree on what should be done with the money.
One of the main reasons why American couples divorce is money. Most of these drawbacks have more to do with how people interact with money and their attitudes about it than money itself. You may approach earning and saving money responsibly without letting it interfere with your daily life.
Now we will discuss saving for retirement and its benefits.
What is saving for retirement
Even though retirement may not be on your mind, it’s crucial to start saving now. It will be simpler to achieve your financial objectives and make investments for the future.
According to studies, only 7% of young professionals plan to save money each month. But many of us don’t know that developing a practice of saving money has several advantages and aids in maintaining the purchasing power of your funds.
When it comes to retirement planning, there are three crucial factors to consider:
- Forming the behavior of saving money
- Saving to maintain the purchasing power of your money
- Releasing capital for investment
Although having a sizable retirement fund will give you confidence, saving money is only the first step in creating a financially rewarding future. Saving for retirement does not imply developing wealth at this time; instead, it means setting aside money for future wealth-creating endeavors that will protect the value of your arduous retirement savings.
Keep in mind that retirement planning takes time. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Starting now, you can put your money to work for you so that you outlive your retirement savings and your wealth, not the other way around.
Benefits of saving for retirement
Get financial elasticity
If you wait until later in your career to start saving for retirement, you’ll need to save much more of your income before retiring. When controlling your ongoing spending, saving $100 monthly instead of $1,000 can make a significant difference. And the importance of compound interest cannot be emphasized enough!
Have access to a retirement plan provided by your employer? Utilize it as quickly as you can. If you don’t contribute to the plan, you’re wasting free money for your retirement, as most employers will match payments up to a specific proportion.
Take the benefits of compound interest
The most significant advantage of retirement investment is probably compound interest. Even though no specific rate of return is guaranteed, starting your retirement savings sooner in your work will result in more money with a lower capital investment than if you wait until later in your career. Compound interest is the process through which an amount of money increases significantly due to interest that keeps adding to itself over time.
You will have $1050 at the end of the year if you invest $1,000 in an account that grows at a rate of 5% annually, for instance. You’ll receive a 5% return on $1050 the following year, which after two years will equal $1102.50.
Have access to assets with higher risks and rewards
You have access to a more diverse portfolio if you invest early. You have the opportunity to invest in higher-risk, higher-reward opportunities. Investment possibilities with a high potential return might give you a more significant financial safety net when you retire. Early retirement investment also raises the likelihood that your investments will survive market turbulence.
Build strong protection against inflation
We’ve been hearing the word “inflation” a lot lately, and it’s vital to understand how it affects your capacity to retire comfortably. It’s a fact of life that we all must deal with and take into account when making retirement plans. People have a better chance of having their retirement funds keep up with inflation if they start investing in them earlier in their careers.
Don’t rely on Social Security benefits
Because of increased longevity among a rapidly aging population that is also rising, coupled with slower population growth, more and more Americans will continue to rely on Social Security benefits. In the long run, Social Security will not be financially sustainable since it will give out more than it takes in.
Social Security benefits are frequently considered when people prepare their finances for retirement. It is essential to plan for the potential that Social Security won’t be an option given the program’s uncertain future.
Get support for extended life expectancies
The average lifespan of people has increased. The longer you live, the more money you’ll probably need to retire and take care of yourself when you cannot work.
Additionally, the expense of your medical treatment will probably rise as you age. Despite having the option to use Medicare coverage, you will still need to budget for out-of-pocket costs. You need to start saving for retirement as soon as possible because healthcare costs are rising every year.
Keep a balance between the both – Is it possible?
Even though you can’t buy happiness, having independence, stability, and the ability to follow your aspirations can make you happy. Work hard, earn money, and develop financial literacy to achieve this. By investing your money, you may make it work for you and increase your output, and eventually, you should have enough to retire.
The truth is that you are not required to choose a side. Striking a balance between spending extravagantly and living as if there is no tomorrow is optimal. These quick methods will help you locate that “sweet spot.”
Make sure you earn enough
Make sure you have enough money to decide whether to spend or save. You can only spend on necessities if you don’t have a sizable salary. There won’t be any extra money for consumption or retirement savings.
If you’ve reduced your spending to the absolute minimum but are still having difficulties making ends meet, it might be time to take a closer look at your pay. Take a part-time or freelance job if you’re saving for a big purchase or want to contribute more to your retirement account and avoid sabotaging your retirement.
Identify where you stand
Although it might be step one, consider this to be step zero. Determine where you fit on the saver/spender spectrum by looking at your current way of life and income. This will help you map out your future course.
Then, you might find it helpful to contrast your spending and saving patterns with your income range. With your income, do you spend more on your home, groceries, travel, or pleasures than the average household? Check how much money you have left to consider it as savings.
Over the previous 63 years, the rate of personal savings in the United States has averaged 8.95%. At the moment, it’s about 3.1%.
Your personal finances are probably better than most of your friends if you’re saving more than this. If not, it can indicate that you’re moving away from being a “saver” and toward being a “spender.”
Put priorities first
You might spot some patterns and trends as you review your spending. You might never dine out, but you take a costly vacation every few months. Maybe you are always keen to buy the latest gadgets and tools.
It is advised that you should prioritize your necessities first such as groceries, insurance premiums, payday loan payments or consolidate credit cards.
- Do you intend to lead the same way after retirement?
- Or do you want to live frugally and explore the world after your work life is over?
- Even so, do you have plans to retire now?
A majority of people are still working into their 70s and 80s because they love the social interaction, the organized atmosphere, and the effort to keep their minds active and engaged. If you fall into this category, you have a much-reduced need to save money right now.
However, even if you expect to work well until retirement age, you’ll need to be prepared for things to go wrong with your plan.
Be adaptable and make changes
No one here possesses a crystal ball. Your situation, as well as the general economy, can be incredibly uncertain.
Remember that few economists anticipated the current surge in inflation and a sharp increase in interest rates. Even though there is a global health crisis and record-breaking inflation, anything can happen. A medical emergency could destroy your job and wealth at any time.
Therefore, your retirement and savings goals need to be adaptable, regardless of whether you consider yourself a spender or a saver. The finest plans leave room for the unexpected.
