Young, Paid, and Clueless

The “Good Life” That Will Blow Your Golden Years

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The other day, some of my college mates and I gathered for a tea party. As we reminisced about how life had turned out, we couldn’t help but laugh at how clueless we had been in the first few years after college. The world had finally loosened its grip on us — no more assignments, no more exams, and no more surviving on instant noodles (or so we thought).

Here’s some perspective: You land an amazing job. You receive your first paycheck, and for the first time, you have real, spendable money. Phew.

No mortgages. No kids. No serious responsibilities. Just you, a growing bank account, and carefree weekends that stretch into blurry nights.

You tell yourself, I’ll think about the future soon.

But sooner comes faster than expected.

The Illusion

At first, it feels like you’ve made it.

It’s an illusion that convinces you you’ve arrived. You can go on dinner dates without checking your bank balance, travel spontaneously, and afford random Amazon purchases. At this point, you believe this is the life you’ve worked hard for throughout your school years.

With this mindset, there’s no urgency to learn about investing or planning for the future — it feels so far…