Why is planning left out if we know that to make our dreams come true we need to get organized? This text will clarify your doubts about the relevance of time when making decisions .
We’ll explain the importance of thinking long term, the trade-off concept, and share three essential steps to help you think about tomorrow, including retirement !
The importance of thinking long term
The importance of thinking long term goes beyond financial issues . This is also important for those who want to carry out life projects and need to make decisions that involve themselves and those they love.
Living only in the present and forgetting about the future can lead to frustration. The secret is to think about the long term, but to enjoy the present and not forget the day-to-day responsibilities.
Knowing how to separate ideas in time allows you to have better results in your life and make smart decisions.
Ask yourself a few questions:
– Where do you want to be in 10, 20 or 30 years?
– What are you doing to ensure your and your family’s safety?
– Do you want to have freedom and financial stability in the future?
– What are you going to do when you want to stop working?
Have you started building wealth, your assets ?
Trade-off: Live for the moment or think about the long term
The English term trade-off , opportunity cost , means that a choice automatically leads you to a loss. That is, if you want to go to the movies, then you are deciding not to stay at home.
After all, life is about choices, right? If you decide to spend R$200 on sushi every month, stop saving and investing that money, for example. We are not talking about abandoning leisure time, of course, but having priorities .
After all, with R$200 per month invested in an aggressive pension fund, in 30 years you will have more than R$1 million.
If you’re only focused on what’s immediate, you can change that perspective and think longer term by adopting some practices. In fact, many of them will help you achieve the retirement of your dreams. Come on?
3 habits to plan ahead and think long term
Discipline, focus and recurrence. These factors are essential for anyone who is already thinking about their future and wants to have more financial organization . Follow the list to start your journey and think long term!
1. Write down your goals
What are your dreams? What do you want to achieve? It’s very important to think about everything you want to build a list!
List life projects by priority . Of course, also think about short and medium term goals, but here we are focusing on the long term. 10 years or more, okay? This will help you save money and get organized to accomplish each goal.
Some examples are: retire well, build equity, invest in your children’s future , guarantee their security, stability and freedom, etc. Also think about your family’s financial success , nothing fairer than thinking about the future of those you love.
2. Invest in financial education
It’s not enough to write down your dreams, right? You have to plan and think long term!
To start, you need to have a monthly budget . Write down all your spending, even that afternoon snack, and earnings too. Define expense categories, for example, shopping, transport and food, and set a threshold amount for each category.
You can use the old notebook, a spreadsheet or an app. Know where your money is going and, of course, collect cash . Reserve a portion of your budget for this.
How much do you need to save to make your dreams come true?
Ah, cutting unnecessary expenses is always interesting! We often don’t realize how much we spend on superfluous goods. At the end of the month, sit down and see what the successes and mistakes of your financial life were .
3. Start investing
Collecting money is not enough, because standing still money loses purchasing power. You need to invest if you want to think long term.
And you have an advantage when you think long term: time. Time makes all the difference in your investment, over the years the effect of compound interest is exponential.
