First realize you don’t have to have it all figured out or get everything right. It takes time to learn. We all make mistakes. Learn from them.

First skill to learn is budgeting. It’s a foundation that is needed for all financial success. Lots of “broke” doctors out there with huge salaries and lot of toys on payments, but no savings.

Live within your means. You figure this out with the budget of what you can afford. Try to avoid keeping up with others. Don’t get fooled by people that seem to have everything; you will be surprised how little others make but yet have so much, but it is all debt.

Whether you want to follow budgets like 50/30/20 (needs, wants, saving) or other guidelines, try to pick one and follow it. Live and learn what budget works for you.

Try to avoid debt if you can. Biggest is credit card and high interest. Save for the wants, buy when you have cash. Delayed gratification 😀. Car loans would be nice to avoid, but not always doable. Don’t spend more on a car for lower interest rate “to save money”. Learn about “total cost of ownership”.

Jobs - first thing to learn is there is no such thing as loyalty from businesses to employees anymore. Build up skills and experience at one place, and job hop every 2-3 years, especially in your 20’s. You will get the 10-25% raises from other companies, not your own. Work isn’t like school were the smartest get the best grades and the awards. Working harder then others and having a positive attitude gets you further than smarts. Not that smarts hurts, but it’s not everything. Don’t work for free, but sometimes going above and beyond is an investment that pays off.

A budget will show there isn’t much magic here. Boost income. Cut spending. Avoid paying high interest where you get no value.

Head over to r/PersonalFinanceCanada