“Start budgeting, saving and investing as soon as you can,” Bola Sokunbi, the founder of Clever Girl Finance, told HuffPost. “The easiest place to start is with your employer’s retirement savings option if you have one. If your employer offers a retirement savings match, take it. When you are young, you can take full advantage of compounding, dividends and appreciation.”
Get into the habit of saving by living below your means and “paying yourself first” ― i.e., routing money into your savings account every pay cycle. Think intentionally about the kinds of spending values you want to live by.
“Learn more about 401K and traditional or Roth IRA, and once you can start investing via your employer, do so ― the earlier you invest, the better,” said Brian Steiner, executive director of the life insurance and financial planning nonprofit Life Happens.
