And you can’t take it with you to the grave, so why bother saving at all? Enjoy the one life you’ve got to live and don’t worry about the rest!

Ok, I got that argument spewed at me today by someone who was unwilling to see the dangers in not saving. For him, money was just something that existed as a by-product of our wants and needs. He didn’t see the value in saving long-term.

I spent a good two hours talking to this guy about his financial picture. He genuinely was not concerned with money. While it must be nice not to experience the everyday stress most of us associate with money, I have to wonder if he had given any thought to his situation. He had no savings, two credit cards that were close to being maxed out, a minimum wage job with no desire to move beyond it, and nothing else that he actively wanted to pursue. I was concerned.

I asked him what he’d do in an emergency and he said that he’d use his credit cards - which were close to being maxed out, at 16%, and had nothing to offer him but high interest debt. I asked him how he would protect his family in the event that something happened to him. He said there was just him. I finally asked him how he planned to enjoy life when he was broke and living on the streets because he didn’t have two nickels to rub together. He looked at me, blinked, and then shrugged his shoulders. He hadn’t thought about it.

Sigh!

The fact is, unless you’re a monk living in a monastery, everyone needs money for one reason or another. It’s not about being able to take it to your grave. If you don’t want to worry about becoming a millionaire, fine. But money is a necessity for everyday living. Bills, food, gas they all cost money. Even if your sole mission in life is to enjoy each day to the fullest and not give a worry to tomorrow, you still need money to make that happen. Want to pick up and move, travel the world, go save the whales? Guess what, that all costs money.

I often find this mentality of living for today and not tomorrow in younger adults, yet they don’t really think it through in terms of their finances. The perception from the younger generations is vastly different from that of the baby boomers. Retirement was the goal, the end-game. It was where you pursued your passions and enjoyed the fruits of your labor. But, the younger generations these days don’t want to wait until retirement to experience the world. They want to enjoy it now, while they’re younger and able to actively be a part of whatever moves them. I understand the mentality and pursuing passion, I’m a big advocate of that. BUT, you still have to have a plan for your financial future if you hope to have a roof over your head and food on the table.

There are many reasons people choose to save. Among them are retirement needs, more choices when it comes to life, emergencies, and helping family and loved ones. Those who don’t care to wait until their retirement to enjoy life need to understand that money plays an integral part in everything we do from living expenses to backpacking through Europe. Almost everything we do requires money. Saving is the best way to make it happen.

What would you say to someone who told you it was ‘just money’ and not really important to save?