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What advice would you give to your younger self? Share with Legal & General - NOW CLOSED

(624 Posts)
EllieGransnet (GNHQ) Mon 04-Feb-19 14:42:13

We’ve all been asked this question at some point. Our answers can vary from ‘I wish I’d taken more risks’ or ‘I would have stopped caring about what people think’, to ‘I wish I’d had more fun’ or ‘I wish I’d travelled the world more’. But if you really think about it, what practical advice would you have really benefited from when you were younger? What would you have told your younger self? What would you have done differently? A recent survey carried out across Mumsnet and Gransnet revealed that some Gransnet users consciously put off financial decisions. Is going further with your finances something you might have given more consideration to, with the benefit of hindsight? Whatever advice you’d like to give to your younger self, Legal & General would love to know.

Here’s what Legal & General have to say: “On our savings journey, a nudge in the right direction can make the world of difference when it comes to our financial futures. It’s starting off early, saving little and often over a longer period, that can really pay off*. Although it’s never too late to start saving, what tips and guidance would have motivated you to do more with your money and just get started?”

Would you have taken more risks when you were younger? Is there any information you wish you would have known back then, such as how to save into your pension, how to invest your money or even how to save your money from an earlier age? Would you like to tell your younger self to be more confident in the decisions you make? Or perhaps you wish you’d spent more time with friends and family?

Whatever the advice you would like to give to your younger self, post them on the thread below and everyone who does will be entered into a prize draw where one GNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).*

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw
GNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

*Open 4/02/19 to 25/02/19. To enter please post on the thread below. One entry per person. One prize to be won: £300 voucher of winner’s choice (from a list). Winner chosen by random draw performed by computer process.

*The value of your investments can fall as well as rise and any income from them is not guaranteed. Legal & General Unit Trust Managers Limited.

ha2el Wed 13-Feb-19 13:41:34

Smile more, and stop being self conscious.

Wimpet Wed 13-Feb-19 13:36:48

Have a great time till your 30 then start thinking pensions

queenie68 Wed 13-Feb-19 10:56:31

Believe in yourself and if you have a dream go for it and if you want to save and buy when everyone else is partying and putting the dampener on your ideas just ignore them you'll be owning a place when they're piddling their money away

grannie62 Wed 13-Feb-19 09:57:41

Your parents and teachers are not gods.

Lolamia91 Wed 13-Feb-19 08:53:52

Stop worrying about everyone else so much! Focus on you sometimes.

Silverfox57 Wed 13-Feb-19 06:08:18

Don't try to conform - its okay to be different, and think seriously about getting into anything you can't get out of easily.

DimensionAEB Wed 13-Feb-19 01:26:36

I would tell myself to study more at school and take better care of my health!

hespi Tue 12-Feb-19 22:38:13

never too early to begin with a pension plan

gaspode Tue 12-Feb-19 22:08:02

To take each and every opportunity and run with it - who knows where you'll end up!

theprincess2011 Tue 12-Feb-19 21:17:08

Always trust in your heart and not in your head.

bets1e Tue 12-Feb-19 20:53:37

I wish I'd followed my mum's advice which was to believe in myself because I could do anything. I didn't because I lacked confidence. So my advice to my younger self would have been believe in yourself and follow your dreams.

dessa Tue 12-Feb-19 19:31:20

When you are young you are more care-free and feel that everything in time would get into right places. Actually there is a few things I would do differently. One of them is to get a good education so I could get a better job prospects. It would be a lot easier provide for my family instead of living on tight budget. This is so important to give my children decent start in their lives and make sure they have some savings.
Definitely I should stand for myself more and follow my decisions.

pegros Tue 12-Feb-19 18:41:45

Trust your instinct. You know more than you think, but yiu know nothing!

whitecliff62 Tue 12-Feb-19 17:10:23

I did start a pension when I started work but I wish I put more into it so start high and finish on a high

LynneH Tue 12-Feb-19 17:04:51

You only regret the things you didn’t do, so - as long as it’s legal - try everything at least once. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to do it again

elizzie54 Tue 12-Feb-19 16:56:29

Be true to yourself ....... don't try to please others all the time! Confidence is the key!

Ilovecheese Tue 12-Feb-19 16:14:21

Always moisturise your chin, just because it looks greasy when you are young, does not mean it will not wrinkle later!

badgermum Tue 12-Feb-19 16:06:40

I wish I'd travelled more and not worried about what other people thought of me, as now I tell people to do what makes them happy.

mtp123 Tue 12-Feb-19 16:00:25

There are lots of things in life to worry about but make sure you never have to worry about being short of money! Start early and learn to put some aside every month with a reputable company. Also have a rainy day fund in an easy to access account just in case of an emergency. That way you will sleep easier and know you have done your best.

ceejayen Tue 12-Feb-19 15:42:13

I wish I had taken more advice as to a career and had followed a desire to be a vet

suecook Tue 12-Feb-19 15:23:16

Start a pension as soon as you start working, not when you are 40 years old like me, you would be so much better off when you retire if you did.

EdithP Tue 12-Feb-19 14:33:55

Grow up!

peronel Tue 12-Feb-19 14:05:57

Try not to worry so much - and NEVER work because time with your children is worth so much more than you will ever get paid!

olivia280177 Tue 12-Feb-19 13:54:21

Stay on the property ladder!! I wish I had fought harder to stay on it when my ex husband and I split up.

Breeze81 Tue 12-Feb-19 11:36:49

I'd tell my younger self not to spend my whole 20 and a lot of my 30's wasting so much money on drink and drugs.