10 Things That Are Hurting Your Financial Future

One second from now is a place we have never been to. The future could bring tragedy or happiness.

We don’t tend to think about the future very much, especially with all the distractions in modern society. It’s time to change that, though. You can control your future if you start making changes in the Present.

Looking back on my life, I wish I had thought more about the future when I was younger. Most of the time I spent from birth to age 20 was spent wandering through the days without much planning for how I actually wanted things to turn out.

Sure, I had ideas of how I wanted things to be in the future, but I didn’t consider how I would bring those ideas to reality.

Here are ten things that will hurt your financial future if you don’t do them.

1. Not Having a Plan

It would help if you had a plan for your future.

Having a plan will give you something to work towards and give you a better sense of purpose. If you meet someone who has a plan for their life, they will be focused and driven to get things done. Think about where you want to end up financially and what it will take to get there.

If you don’t have a financial plan, now is the time to make one. Start tracking your spending and look for areas where you can cut back. Having a budget has been one of the most useful things for my finances.

2. Being Stuck in the Past

It’s good to reflect on things now and then, but you shouldn’t dwell too long in the past. It’s a dangerous place to stay, and you can’t change it anyways. It’s time to let go of any resentment. Forgiving yourself for your past mistakes will free your mind to make the Present and future a better place.

Keep your past mistakes in mind, so you don’t repeat them, but don’t let them bring you down. Everyone makes mistakes, and the people that continue to get back up after they’ve been knocked down are the ones who succeed.

3. Not Acting on the Things You Can Do in the Present

“A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away…to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing.” —Yoda

Stop putting things off that you could be working on today. Please don’t set your goals too high that they are too far out of reach. You don’t have to complete a monumental task every day.

It’s the continuation of doing many small things each day that will result in significant gains in your life. Achieving small wins more frequently will keep you motivated to continue moving forward on whatever it is that you’re doing.

4. Spending Everything You Make

It seems like common sense but for a lot of people saving just a little bit of money is impossible in their eyes. Even if it’s only a dollar a day, you need to start somewhere.

Developing the habit of saving a portion of your earnings will bring you considerable wealth throughout your life.

5. Not Investing Your Money

Not investing is almost as bad as spending all your money. If you aren’t supporting any of your savings, your money is just sitting there and isn’t going to grow much at all. Investing comes with some risk, but the risk is necessary to see results.

The stock market will bring an average of about 7% (before inflation), and that’s a lot better than the 0-2% your money will gain sitting in a savings account.

6. Spending Too Much in Investment Fees

If you are investing, you need to make sure you aren’t paying too much in investing fees. Anything above 0.25% is too much in my book. I invest in the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Admiral Shares fund, and the fee is 0.04%.

It may seem silly to worry about 0.01% of a fee, but that extra bit can seriously eat away at your investment returns over time.

7. Not Investing in Yourself

Becoming complacent is one of the worst things you can do for your future. We should all strive to be lifelong learners and become wiser every day. Read as many books and learn as many new skills as you can.

The more competent you are, the more opportunities will open up for you. If you want a raise or promotion, you need to be developing yourself as a better worker. Being able to do more at work will skyrocket you to the top of your organization.

8. Not Taking Care of Your Health

If you aren’t taking care of your mental and physical health, your life will suffer from it. It would help if you felt good in order to make positive steps toward your goals. Being healthier will make you more attractive, and attractive people are blessed with more opportunities.

The better you feel, the happier you will be. You’ll live longer too, so you will have more time to enjoy the future you’re working so hard to make better.

9. Not Making New Relationships

The people you associate with have a significant impact on your life. The old cliché “It’s not what you know but who you know” is, unfortunately, true for the most part. Meeting new people who align with your goals and will be good influences could be one of the quickest ways to progress towards your goals.

 There are most likely many people out there that are better than you are at the thing you’re working on.  Find someone who you can ask questions and learn from and be ready to be amazed by what you learn.

10. Not Starting a Side Hustle

The number of things you can do nowadays to make money on the side is limitless. Diversifying your income streams is essential for multiple reasons.

You won’t be as worried about losing your job if you have a side hustle, which will let you relax more at work. Being more relaxed will make you a better worker and could even be what you needed to do to get a better position.

Having side income will also help you save more and cover any unexpected expenses that come up. I need to make a post just for side hustles because there are too many perks to list here.

The Bottom Line

If you can implement these ten things into your life, the results could be massive! Take action now, and start building a better future. It certainly won’t hurt anything to give it a shot!