Boomers get made fun of for their cheesy humor and outdated opinions, but there’s no arguing that with age, comes wisdom. The older generation has a lot to offer when it comes to giving advice for 20-year-olds.
When asked, “What’s something a 20-year-old should know?” people had a lot to say.
This is the essential advice from boomers that Gen Z probably won’t take seriously anyway:
1. Keep your credit score intact
“For the love of God, do not just pay the minimum amount on your credit card bill,” one person firmly responded.
Another individual added, “NOTHING is ever ‘on sale’ if you’re buying it on a card you can’t afford to pay off at the end of the month.”
One responder offered additional credit card advice for 20 year olds explaining “A solid cash-back card with no annual fee can extend your dollar further. Make your payments on time and negotiate a lower APR every 6 months.”
2. Good friendships take effort
“Make an honest effort to actively maintain the friendships you care about. If you only do what’s convenient those friendships inevitably drift away from you, and it’s far harder to renew them than it is to maintain them.”
Another commenter agreed, saying “All kinds of people will appear in your life and the older you get the more those people will matter, keep nice people around not kind ones.”
3. Go with the flow
“Don’t worry about achieving everything at once. Opportunities arise when it’s time.” A short but important piece of advice for 20-year-olds.
4. Build your emergency fund by saving each month
“Set up an auto-transfer for whatever you can afford to come out of your main account right after each paycheck. Pretend that money doesn’t exist and save it for emergency use only. The piece of mind you get from having cash on hand in a pinch is a huge boost to your mental health.”
One individual offered another practical solution to this writing, “For any job you do, pay yourself a portion of what you make. Let’s say you make $100. Pay yourself $15 (as spending money), pay your savings $15, $20 goes to necessities and $50 for bills. Don’t fall into that trap of thinking you make the exact amount you get paid.”
See also: How to Save for a House While Renting
5. Don’t get lazy about cleaning up
“Wash your dishes. Even if you just got done eating. Don’t let that become a thing you forget.”
See also: How to Declutter Fast: Organization and Storage Tips for Your Home
6. Avoid being a people pleaser
“I wish 20-year-old me knew that they didn’t have to people please to make friends. Good people don’t use you.
“(I) had the most friends when my life was falling apart. People liked to use me as a comparison.
“(I) now have better friends, fewer but better, and I’ve stopped the majority of my people-pleasing ways.”
7. Invest early and understand compound interest
“A dollar saved when you’re 25 could be worth $10 when you’re 65. A dollar saved when you’re 35 could be only worth $6 at 65. Invest early. It’s easier to scale back later than attempt to play catch up.”
See also: 7 Budgeting and Saving Hacks
8. Stay self-aware, not narcissistic
“Don’t act like you’re the main character. Be respectful,” said one commenter offering advice for 20-year-olds.
Another added on, saying “You are not invincible.”
9. Think through your choice of degree
“Don’t major in history, philosophy, or sociology unless you intend on going to grad school and possibly getting a doctorate as well.”
10. Being in a relationship won’t fix your happiness
“Don’t get into a relationship just for the sake of being in a relationship. There are lots of people that stay in relationships that they don’t enjoy just because they’re more scared of being single than being in a bad relationship.”
11. Stay active and make healthy choices
“Be moderately healthy and exercise at least 3 days a week. Your 30s will cry in appreciation. Do the same in your 30s, and you’ll be on cruise control physically.”
Another user agreed, chiming in, “What you do in your teens and 20s will last you well into your 40s and 50s. Exercise, go to the gym, be active, take a class. It’s a million times harder to fix yourself when you’re older and are set in bad habits. Your inner dialogue will want to try, but at the slightest uncomfortable feeling, you’ll give up.”
This article was written and syndicated by What the Fab.
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Elise Armitage is an entrepreneur and founder of What The Fab, a travel + lifestyle blog based in California. At the beginning of 2019, Elise left her corporate job at Google to chase her dreams: being an entrepreneur and helping women find fabulous in the everyday. Since then, she’s launched her SEO course Six-Figure SEO, where she teaches bloggers how to create a passive revenue stream from their website using SEO. Featured in publications like Forbes, Elle, HerMoney, and Real Simple, Elise is a firm believer that you can be of both substance and style.
