Retirement-obsessed 26-year-old plan to save 25% of his income clashes with Barcelona to St Tropez to Monaco trip with a friend: ‘Should I invest aggressively for retirement or take a trip to Europe with my friend?’

A 26-year-old is trying to choose between compounding interest and being compoundingly alive.

This is what money anxiety looks like when it puts on a responsible outfit and starts giving orders. Not a calm plan, more like a penance schedule. Save harder, save faster, make up for lost time, prove adulthood happened. The retirement account stops being a tool and becomes a confession booth, and every non-essential purchase turns into evidence for the prosecution.

Now, I’m the last person on earth to give anyone future planning,  saving, or finances advice. What I can advise on is living and also, chilling. And while we can all agree that taking care of your future self is important. It is worth NOTHING if you forget to live while youre doing it.  A retirement plan that requires skipping life is just another kind of debt. It’s called balance. Maybe you should check it out. Who knows, maybe even try it sometimes if you’re feeling a little reckless.