In your thirties, you are establishing the financial habits which will last for the rest of your life. Choose carefully! You might think that it was tough to save and invest in your twenties. Well, I wish I could say things get easier in your thirties, but there are going to be new demands and expenses. You might still have student loans, but will be adding in a mortgage and car payments. Besides your own expenses, you may have a young family and all the joys and bills of day care, pre-school, and then clubs, sports, and music lessons. Your time and your money can disappear very quickly!
It’s important that you don’t delay your financial planning for another year. One year can turn into five or ten before you know it. I know it is easy to feel overwhelmed with all the financial pressures you face. Although there is a lot to do, we can help you get through the process and take the steps to create financial security and eventually, financial independence.
1. Catch Up. Most people in their thirties still need to do some of the key steps we discussed for your twenties: establishing an emergency fund, managing debt, tracking net worth, starting investing, and getting term life insurance.
See: Financial Planning in Your Twenties
2. Increase Savings. As your career progresses, you may find you are being promoted from entry-level to higher paid positions. You might change employers, relocate, or even pursue a new, more lucrative career. From 30 to 39, you might see a significant increase in your income. The question is: When you get a raise, will you spend it or save it? If you can get in the habit of increasing your saving and investing, you can generate a significant amount of investment capital in your thirties.
The challenge is that you will see so many friends who are buying a bigger house, leasing two luxury cars, taking lavish vacations, or buying a boat or a lake house. You have to resist the temptation to “Keep up with the Joneses”. They may be taking on a vast amount of debt to fund their lifestyle and are not being responsible with their money. Just because a bank will give you a credit card or loan, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to spend the money.
3. Put Your Investing on Auto-Pilot. What works is squirreling away money consistently. Set up the accounts you need: 401(k), Roth IRA, 529 Plan, Health Savings Account (HSA), etc. Pay yourself first and set up monthly automatic contributions to each account. Don’t worry if you have to start small, you can always increase your amounts later. If you don’t make contributions automatic, you probably aren’t going to have an extra $5,500 lying around at the end of the year to fund your IRA.
See: How Much Should You Contribute to Your 401(k)?
4. 15-Year Mortgage. If you begin your house search process with the pre-approval for a 15-year mortgage, you can save a fortune in interest over the life of the loan. Of course, you also have the opportunity to own your house free and clear in just 15 years. Even if you move after 10 years, you will have significantly more equity if you started with a 15 year rather than a 30 year loan.
See: The 15-Year Mortgage: Myth and Reality
5. Start a 529 College Savings Plan. The sooner you can starting saving for your kids’ college, the more time you can enjoy the benefits of compounding. And since a chief benefit of 529 Plans is tax-free growth, you get more benefit by starting at age 6 than at age 16. An early start is helpful.
See: How Much Will It Cost to Send Your Kids to College?
6. Establish an Estate Plan. No one wants to think about their own mortality, but this is an important step that you need to take. If you have minor children, you really do not want to leave decisions about what happens to your children (and the money to support them) in the hands of a Judge who doesn’t know you. Courts are bound by rules that may lead to outcomes that you would not have wanted. I can refer you to an attorney who can complete this process with you. The cost for most plans will be only $750.
