Certified Financial Planner Louis Barajas identifies five mistakes by decade: at 25, not investing early; at 35, lacking a financial plan; at 45, letting lifestyle spending rise with income; at 55, not knowing your retirement number or Social Security timing; at 65, thinking planning is done. Procrastination is the biggest error of all.
Now here are the biggest financial mistakes I've seen at every age. I'm Louis Barajas, Certified Financial Planner, and I'm most— after 40 years of helping families build wealth, here's what I've seen. At age 25, the biggest mistake is not starting to save and invest early enough. Time is your superpower. At age 35, the biggest mistake is living without a plan. By now, life is complex. Hope is not a strategy. And remember that the people who fail to plan plan to fail. At age 45, it's lifestyle creep. Income goes up, and so does the house, the cars, and the payments. At age 55, it's not knowing your number— how much you need, when you should claim Social Security, whether investments match your goals. And at age 65, it's thinking that planning is over. Now it's about protecting your health, creating purpose, enjoying family, and making your money last. And listen, the biggest mistake of all isn't making one of these— it's waiting another year to fix it. What age are you? Tell me in the comments.
