Many people have said that with age comes wisdom. To try to get some of that wisdom to the younger generations, Redditor Sandusky1313 asked, "Boomers of Reddit, what's one piece of advice you'd give to a 20-year-old?" Here's what people said.
1. "Always be aware of what assets you are losing and what assets you are gaining. At twenty, the primary asset you are losing is your youth, so use it to its fullest."
2. "In 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now, how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked."
3. "Take care of your teeth. Take care of your teeth. Take care of your teeth. Take care of your teeth."
4. "I would say you don't really know what you want in life until you are 40, your 20s are for making mistakes, your 30s are for figuring out what you want to do, 40s you can actually do what you want to do, 50s you're good at what you do, and you get paid."
5. "Stop thinking you know everything and start thinking that you don't know shit."
6. "Learn about compounding interest. Start investing your money."
7. "Give yourself a break. Take your time"
8. "If you can put off buying a car for a few years, start an IRA with that money instead."
9. "Listen to your gut. Nobody has ever said life got better when they ignored their instincts."
10. "Wear sunscreen, for the love of God. And save/invest a little bit of all the money you earn in a place where you can’t easily touch it. Your future self will be so much more content if you do. I promise."
11. "Start saving for your retirement, NOW!"
12. "Save your money! You don't need a new car, newest phone or that latte every day. The more you save now, the earlier you can retire or work a low-paying job you love!"
13. "Go to college. It will give you a huge advantage in life."
14. "Accept the fact that, although the bad things that happen to you are not necessarily your fault, you could almost always have made a decision that would have resulted in a different outcome. Way too many “adults” running around out here who think all the problems with their lives are someone else’s fault."
15. "When you first move out, you're not supposed to be able to provide yourself the same standard of living you had at your parents' place. Waiting until you can robs you of valuable experience and stunts your transition into adulthood, or even prevents it."
16. "Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it freely."
17. "Every paycheck, put 15% in a saving acct. No matter what. If you can't, stop spending so much money on takeout and coffee. When you save $6000, go to Fidelity and start an IRA. Talk to your agent about how much money to automatically have taken from your paycheck from then on. If you do this NOW, you won't have to worry about retirement. You could truly have a couple million dollars waiting for you if you work on it starting NOW."
18. "Avoid the booze and drugs as much as you can. I was a big-time party animal in high school and my early 20s. Then got married to a sober girl. Was married and sober for 10 years. I’m 57 now, and everyone tells me I look 10 years younger. Just saying, it definitely ages you."
19. "Don’t give up"
20. "A car literally gets you places with varying degrees of fun and comfort, compared to a home, which gives you freedom from a whole lot more. Mortgages suck, but they are better than paying a thousand for Bluetooth."
21. "Open a ROTH IRA. Also, take some funny money that you can afford to lose and take some wild chances. You might hit it big on the next Bitcoin or Amazon."
22. "Work hard (I mean invest yourself in your profession/skill/learning) and be true to your values"
23. "Accept that you will get old, but know that you don't have to act old."
If there are any older people here, feel free to drop your wisdom for younger generations in the comments or in the anonymous form below!
Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.
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