How To Build Wealth In Your 20s

Don’t wait till mid-life before you start taking wealth-building seriously. If your aim is to retire early, one of the easiest ways to achieve that is to build wealth in your 20s.

Your 20s are the best years to set yourself up financially with minimal risk or downsides because you are constantly learning from your mistakes and applying them to whatever financial decision you make. Your financial adventures in this period are also important to help you discover your money personality.

Building wealth in your 20s doesn’t have to be complicated; at the same time, it is not going to be a get-rich-quick thing. This article intends to show you that using your 20s strategically without trying to make quick money can put you on a fast but responsible track to wealth.

Let’s dive in.

8 Best Ways to Build Wealth In Your 20s

1. Job experiences

See, the only way you can escape having wealth without working is if you’re a trust fund baby. You need to work to put money in your pocket and your 20s are the best time to try as many opportunities as possible. You won’t love all of them but your earnings will rise over time. Every opportunity you get increases your earning potential and gives you new skill sets to climb up your professional ladder.

2. Multiple streams of income

While you are gathering job experiences, getting one that pays ALL your bills might not be easy. To be honest, even if you find one, a single salary is not advisable. Start a side hustle. Freelance, tutor, or start an online business. Do whatever honest thing you have to do to create an additional income stream that doesn’t need your presence always.

3. Live on a budget

Living on a budget is one of the major steps to building early wealth. You can implement strategies such as the 50/30/20 rule and 70/20/20 rule, among others. Following these strategies will teach you to live within your means without overspending just because you have another paycheck coming in. Building wealth in your 20s involves living below your means.

4. Investments

Most investments do not require millions of naira to start. You can start small and increase as you grow your income. Also, with compounding, you earn more over time when you invest sooner rather than wait till later in life.

Learn more about investing in mutual funds on Cowrywise.

5. Cut down debt

One of the most common causes of debt is financing something you can’t afford to pay for outrightly, especially if it’s not going to make you more money. Sometimes, you may be in an unkind situation where you actually can’t avoid loans or debts, but paying them off as soon as possible will stop you from piling up more debts. Consider using the 20/10 rule to help you manage your debts and make sound spending decisions.

6. Be financially literate

You can’t make more money without understanding money. So having the knowledge and “street-smartness” to be able to make and manage money effectively is necessary to build wealth in your 20s. Read books, and articles, do your research, follow the Cowrywise blog and other reliable financial resources to help you on your journey to financial independence.

7. Build a retirement fund

You can’t be close to retirement before you start thinking of having a retirement fund. It would almost be too late to amount to anything substantial by then. However, if you start stashing a portion of your money regularly towards retirement, you can imagine what it would be in the next two or three decades. Starting small is always a good idea; one day, you might realise you are comfortable enough to retire way before you hit the usual retirement age.

Learn more about how to start planning for retirement.

8. Network with like-minds

Meeting people who share similar financial ideologies as you is another great way to build wealth. These connections link you with more opportunities. You help each other grow, get mentoring, and make smarter money decisions. You can find them at meetups, conferences, forums, or on social media.

Things to avoid on your journey to building wealth in your 20s

Not taking risks
Thinking small
Lifestyle inflation
No savings
Get-rich-quick schemes

Bottom Line

As you embark on each of the above, there will be more lessons to learn along the way. Try to follow the steps for at least a decade. You will be in your 30s by then and will realize you are ahead of your peers who started later than you. It might be hard to stay consistent, especially if you are not earning a lot yet. However, having these as a habit early helps you to easily continue the practice when you are more financially comfortable.

Learned something from this piece? Please share with us in the comments.

How To Build Wealth In Your 20s