For young professionals, this is the sign you have been asking for to start planning out your financials. Where do you want to be in the next 10 years of your life? Do you see yourself stuck in the office with piled up workloads and still not earning enough just because having one pay source couldn't give you as much as having more? Or are you somewhere doing what you love to do, relaxingly venturing on new business knowing that you are earning enough with two to four more income streams doing the work for you?
For my colleagues in their late 30’s, this is for you too. If you had your money sleeping in your bank accounts, or somewhere in your hidden piggy banks at home for years now, it's time to make use of it. Let's stop missing out on opportunities to grow our money like we did years ago by putting our money in the bank with almost nothing in terms of growth.
Whichever you are of the two above, it all boils down to the fact that you have to be ready for the future.

How do we prepare then? Make more money! How will we do it? Work 24/7? No.
You won't make more money by working a complete 24 hours in a day. Well, you might but it won't be enough to cover for your bills once you get sick by abusing your capacity. You are not preparing, you are rather killing yourself.

According to financial economist Lewis Mandell, we go out of school unprepared for making financial decisions especially for long term commitments. Our younger selves are more inclined to the traditional way of conserving our hard earned money, through savings. It is safe to say that a few years back, we had little to no access to information, such as financial information, which could have aided us for the lack of financial literacy programs configured in our schools and educational institutions.
We are also easily susceptible to the subjective norms that may highly influence the way we deal with planning ahead for the coming years. Social psychologist Icek Ajzen in his Theory of Planned Behavior, pointed out that an individual’s intention to perform an action is stronger if it's favorable to the subjective norm. Growing up in a society that does not normalize planning ahead like getting yourself or the older family members’ health insurance, or buying your own house and lot to move out the soonest, it's understandable why we struggle to do so.
Now going back, are you financially prepared for your future endeavors? How ready are you to go on with your life and face the next coming years?

This generation is technology driven. We have access to more information now more than ever, and many institutions and businesses advocate for innovation, making user-friendly platforms for easy access to investment information. The “I didn't know about that” reason is today invalid. You didn’t know because you didn’t look for it enough, or perhaps, this article hasn’t reached you yet. Lucky you now! I’m going to give you the brief WHY you should invest; not tomorrow, not in the next three years, but today. After reading through this article, we will change how you look at investment and dare you make a step closer to how you want your life in the next ten years.
Why am I discussing investment when what I want is for you to be prepared for the future? Let’s put it this way, years from now, your current salary will grow, yes? And so will your expenses. Correct? Yes. But will your earnings be enough to accommodate changes in lifestyle, unexpected deaths, unexpected hospitalization, marriage, children’s education, family vacations, etc.? If no, this is why you should invest.
