10 Ultimate Financial Rules you should follow in your 20s

1. Realize your 20’s will end. Honestly? That’s good news. What you do in your first decade as an adult will hugely impact the course of your life. Done wrong, you’ll be slugging through mud. Done right you’ll turbo boost your financial future.
2. Choose your spouse, carefully. I know, doesn’t seem like a financial rule. Yet, the reality? This will probably have more to do with your financial success than anything else. Especially, if you get divorced. With the right spouse the two of you can build a financial future together.
3. Choose your friends, carefully. Hang with those going nowhere and you’ll go along for the ride. Hang with those who are moving up and you will too. The first group, frankly, is sometimes more fun. Especially in your 20’s. But the other group is a lot more fun later. And wealthier.
4. Build good health now. Accomplishing real financial success comes with stress, hard work and time commitment. No way around it. If you follow the average American health strategy you won’t have the energy. But with good health you can. And it’s just a lot more fun.
5. Save. Every paycheck. Most people think, “I’ll start saving right after . . . .” Fill in the blanks. Suddenly they wake up at 50 and wonder, “What the hell happened? I really need to start saving now.” Only, it’s probably too late. A little saved, over a long time, brings huge rewards.
6. No financing. Ever. For anything. Except your house. And even then be careful. No credit card debt, payday loans, car leases. More people blow themselves up by this than anything else. Buy what you can afford and afford what you buy. It will transform your financial future.
7. Invest. Wisely. I often watch two investment reactions in younger people. Chasing the latest hot fad or being so afraid they leave it in cash. Neither works. Invest for reasonable growth. Diversify. Add to it every month good times or not. Then you’ll eventually have good times.
8. Increase your value. Do you want more money? Become more financially valuable. Stop waiting for someone to discover you. Educate yourself to become worth more financially. Those waiting for someone to discover them wait a long time. Become outstanding instead.
9. Make your luck. Many view the financially successful as lucky. So the key to them is to wait hoping for luck. Most financially successful people created their own luck. They take reasonable risks, work hard, make mistakes, learn and never give up. And then they get lucky.
10. No magic boxes. The only one getting wealthy following the latest get rich quick scheme is the guy peddling it. I’ve said many times about building wealth, “Fast, easy and sure. Pick two. Three is a magic box. And magic boxes don’t exist.”

Your 20’s won’t totally determine your future. But it will impact it tremendously.