Ramit Sethi shows how a $30K wedding delays retirement by three years, while investing that money instead grows to $261K and buys three extra years off work. The real lesson isn't to skip the wedding, but to spend intentionally on what matters to you, guilt-free.
Wedding versus honeymoon. Robert and Rachel spent $30K on their wedding, which is the average. 32 years later, that couple needs to work for 3 more years to reach their retirement goal. Okay. Sam and Stephanie elope and invest $30K. The investment has grown to $261,000 and they take a 3-year honeymoon. Come on, man. It's fair. The math is correct. But I do think there are people who follow this advice that Jeremy recommends and they take it to an extreme because this is essentially teaching people the primary relationship that you should you have with money is saying no. I mean, what could be more important than a few key things in your life? Like, what is the money for? I don't mind illustrating the power of compound interest. I think this is a clever way to do it. But I do think there are so many messages around money that make people feel guilty for spending, especially around weddings. I don't want you to feel guilty. I actually want you to feel really good about spending, whether it's $200, $5,000, $500,000.
