---
title: Advice Financial Experts Would Give Their Younger Selves About Saving Money
description: Financial experts Jeann Chatzky and David Bach revealed the money saving tips they wish they had known 30 years ago
---

[First Federal Bank Blog ](https://blog.ffbf.com)

# [Advice Financial Experts Would Give Their Younger Selves About Saving Money](https://blog.ffbf.com/advice-financial-experts-would-give-their-younger-selves-about-saving-money)

 Written by [First Federal Bank](https://blog.ffbf.com/author/first-federal-bank) | February 25, 2026 3:00:02 PM Z

If you could [go back in time](https://blog.ffbf.com/what-i-wish-i-could-teach-my-younger-self-about-money) and have a conversation with your younger self about money, what would you say? Are there things you wish you had known? That you would do differently? In a recent podcast, financial experts Jeann Chatzky and David Bach revealed the money saving tips they wish they had known 30 years ago:

***Automate Everything***

*If there’s one money-saving tip both Jean and David swear by, it’s automation.*

*Whether it’s transferring a portion of every paycheck to savings, paying down your mortgage automatically, or investing through your 401(k), the fewer decisions you have to make, the better.*

*“**You have to pay yourself first, at least one hour a day of your income,**”** David says. **“**So the average American needs to save at least 12 and a half percent of their gross income.**”*

***Start Earlier ***

*Both experts admit they didn’t start saving or investing aggressively until their 30s, and they wish they hadn’t waited.*

*“**When I was young, I wanted to get rich quick,**”** David says. **“**I was trading stocks, and none of those things worked. They never work. I don’t know anybody who’s gotten rich quick. It was compound interest and consistency that actually worked.**”*

*Jean adds, **“**When I was in my twenties, I wasn’t very conscious of saving. I didn’t feel like I could, and I didn’t really get started until I was in my thirties, and then I had to do a total reset after my divorce in my forties, so twenties would’ve been a nice decade to grab some growth.**”*

***Don’t Be Afraid To Take (Smart) Risks**** *

*Conservative savers, this one’s for you. Jean admits she left too much money in cash early on and missed out on market growth. *

*“**I wish that I had been more willing to take more risks earlier and put additional money in stocks**…”**Jean says. *

*One of the smartest money-saving tips isn’t just about saving cash; it’s about making your money work for you through long-term investing.*

***Build a Real Plan***

*David warns too many people are winging it financially.** *

*“**Most people don’t have a real plan. The problem is if you don’t have a real plan, somebody else has a plan for you,**”** David says. **“**And they’re the ones that win. They’re the ones that take all your hard-earned dollars from you.**”*

*That plan doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to include clear goals: what you’re saving for, how much you’re saving each month, and how you’re protecting what you’ve built (think insurance, a will, and emergency funds).*

***Enjoy Your Money (Before It’s Too Late)***

*After decades of coaching people to save, both Jean and David agree: the end goal isn’t just financial security, it’s the freedom to live a good, healthy life in retirement.*

*“**Most retirees do not run out of money. What they run out of is healthy life**…”** David says.*

*“**When you retire, you need to use your health, your time, and your money in the first decade,**”** he recommends.** *

Read the full article [here](https://go.upcontent.com/f277a0d1-3a32-46c7-83a8-b4174deeb960).

Jean and David have more than 60 years of combined [experience](https://blog.ffbf.com/6-money-savings-tips-that-stand-the-test-of-time). Regardless of your current age, you can start following their advice [right away](https://blog.ffbf.com/how-gen-z-is-mastering-the-art-of-soft-saving). It is never too late to start saving money!

[View full post](https://blog.ffbf.com/advice-financial-experts-would-give-their-younger-selves-about-saving-money)

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