Your Money at Every Age — She Saves Savvy

Your 20s

Starting Out

You don't need to have it all figured out. You just need a starting point.

Nobody taught you this. That's not your fault.

Financial literacy isn't part of school. Most people in their 20s figure money out by trial and error — usually after a few expensive mistakes. Starting with even a basic plan puts you years ahead of where most people begin.

Worth knowing: People who start working with an advisor in their 20s tend to retire with significantly more than those who wait. The head start matters more than the amount.

Violette can help: A free first conversation to figure out where you are and what to do first. Book a call →

You're not broke — you just don't have a system.

Most people in their 20s aren't overspending on luxuries. They just don't know where the money is going. Without a system, every paycheck disappears and the end of the month is a mystery.

Worth knowing: Automating savings — even $50 a paycheck — is the single habit that separates people who build wealth from those who don't. Set it up once and let it run.

Violette can help: A budget built around your actual income, not a generic template. Book a call →

One car repair shouldn't ruin your month.

Living without an emergency fund means one unexpected bill turns into a real problem — credit card debt, borrowing from family, or just falling behind. A small cushion changes everything.

Worth knowing: Start with $1,000 set aside in a separate account. That alone covers most of the financial curveballs people in their 20s actually face.

Violette can help: A simple savings strategy and a realistic plan to build your cushion. Book a call →

The best time to start investing was yesterday. Second best is now.

Every year you wait is growth you can never get back. A 22-year-old who starts investing has roughly 40 years of growth ahead. A 35-year-old has 27. That gap is enormous — and can't be made up just by saving more later.

Worth knowing: A Roth IRA lets you invest after taxes now and pay nothing on the growth later. For most people in their 20s, it's one of the best accounts out there.

Violette can help: Getting your first investment account open and knowing what to actually put in it. Book a call →

Young and healthy is exactly when to get life insurance.

Most people wait until they feel like they need it — which means waiting until it costs more and is harder to qualify for. Locking in coverage in your 20s means lower rates for the life of the policy.

Worth knowing: A healthy 25-year-old pays significantly less for the same coverage than a healthy 35-year-old. Every year you wait, that number goes up.

Violette can help: A no-pressure conversation about whether coverage makes sense for where you are right now. Book a call →

Your 30s

Life Got Real

The decisions you make this decade compound faster than you think.

You're not behind. But now's the time to find out where you actually stand.

Your 30s are when financial decisions start to add up — for better or worse. If you've been putting off a real plan, you're not alone. But the gap between where you are and where you want to be is still very closeable.

Worth knowing: Most people don't realize what they've been missing until they sit down with someone and go through it. That first conversation is usually the most eye-opening one.

Violette can help: A clear look at where you are, what's working, and what to tackle first. Book a call →

Your family's security shouldn't depend on a policy you picked years ago.

Having a partner, kids, or a mortgage changes everything about what you need from life insurance. What made sense at 24 probably doesn't reflect your life at 34.

Worth knowing: Most people underestimate how much coverage they actually need once they have people depending on them. A quick needs review takes the guesswork out of it.

Violette can help: A life insurance review matched to your actual situation today. Book a call →

Your income is your most valuable asset. Most people never protect it.

In your 30s, your ability to earn is worth more than anything else you own. If you couldn't work for six months — or longer — what would happen to your family's finances?

Worth knowing: Most employer disability plans only cover 60% of your income — and disappear the day you leave the job. A personal policy stays with you no matter where you work.

Violette can help: Disability income insurance that protects your paycheck if you can't work. Book a call →

Putting something away isn't the same as being on track.

Contributing to a 401k and feeling like you're doing the right thing is a good start. But "am I actually saving enough?" is a different question — and most people in their 30s don't have a real answer to it.

Worth knowing: A common target is 15% of income toward retirement, including any employer match. Most people in their 30s are saving less than half that — and don't know it.

Violette can help: A retirement check-in based on your actual numbers, not a generic calculator. Book a call →

College costs compound too. The earlier you start, the less you put in.

Waiting until your kids are in middle school means missing years of growth and scrambling to make up the difference. Starting early — even with small amounts — does a lot of the heavy lifting for you.

Worth knowing: A 529 account grows tax-free when the money is used for education. It's one of the few savings tools where the government is essentially helping you save.

Violette can help: An education savings plan that fits your budget and your timeline. Book a call →

Your 40s

Peak Earning, Peak Responsibility

You've built a lot. Now make sure it's actually working for you.

Handling money on your own and having a plan are two different things.

Your 40s are often when people realize they've been winging it — and that the stakes are now too high for that to be okay. The good news: most gaps at this stage are still very fixable. You just need to know what they are.

Worth knowing: Most people who get a review in their 40s find at least one thing they were missing — in benefits, coverage, or contributions — that's costing them more than they realized.

Violette can help: A full picture of where you stand and what needs attention before retirement gets close. Book a call →

Supporting kids and parents at once is expensive. Most do it without a plan.

Caring for aging parents while raising kids and saving for your own retirement is one of the most financially stressful positions you can be in. Without a clear plan, your own future is usually the first thing that gets shortchanged.

Worth knowing: Trying to cover three sets of financial needs at once without a priority order usually means none of them get handled as well as they should.

Violette can help: A realistic plan for where the money goes and in what order. Book a call →

Your benefits package might be worth more than you think.

In your peak earning years, what your employer offers — retirement matches, HSAs, life and disability coverage — is often the most underused financial tool you have. Most people set it up once and never look again.

Worth knowing: Open enrollment isn't just a checkbox. The wrong benefit choices can mean giving up thousands of dollars a year without realizing it.

Violette can help: A benefits review to make sure you're getting what your employer is offering. Book a call →

The policy you got at 32 might not fit your life at 44.

A lot changes in a decade — income, family size, a mortgage, more assets. Life insurance that made sense back then may be too low, too expensive, or simply the wrong type for where you are now.

Worth knowing: A life insurance review takes about 30 minutes and usually turns up either a gap in coverage or money being spent on something that no longer fits.

Violette can help: An updated review against your life as it actually looks today. Book a call →

"Probably fine" is not a retirement plan.

With roughly 20 years until retirement, you still have time to adjust — but that window is getting shorter. This is the decade where seeing your actual numbers matters most. Hoping it works out is not the same as knowing it will.

Worth knowing: For every year you delay maximizing retirement contributions in your 40s, you need to save roughly 10% more per year to land in the same place.

Violette can help: Real retirement projections based on your savings, timeline, and goals. Book a call →

Your 50s

Retirement Stops Being Abstract

You can still shape what retirement looks like — but the window for easy adjustments is narrowing.

It's not too late. But it is time.

Most people arrive in their 50s having done some things right and let others slide. Getting a plan together now isn't about starting over — it's about getting clear on what you have, what you need, and what the next 10 to 15 years should look like.

Worth knowing: Most people have 15 or more years before they need to fully live off their savings. That's more runway than it feels like — if you use it.

Violette can help: A clear starting point, wherever you happen to be right now. Book a call →

After 50, you're allowed to save more. Most people don't know that.

The IRS lets people 50 and older put more into retirement accounts than younger savers. If you feel like you're behind, this is one of the most straightforward ways to close the gap.

Worth knowing: In 2026, people 50+ can put an extra $7,500 into a 401(k) and an extra $1,000 into an IRA on top of the regular limits. That adds up quickly.

Violette can help: Making sure you're using the right accounts to take full advantage. Book a call →

When you claim Social Security can mean tens of thousands of dollars.

Taking it early gets you money sooner but permanently lowers your monthly amount. Waiting raises it — sometimes significantly. The right answer depends on your health, your other income, and whether you have a spouse.

Worth knowing: Claiming at 70 instead of 62 can mean a monthly benefit up to 77% higher. Over a long retirement, the difference can be six figures.

Violette can help: Thinking through the timing in a way that actually fits your situation. Book a call →

7 in 10 people over 65 will need long-term care. Most have no plan.

Long-term care — help at home, assisted living, memory care — is expensive, and Medicare covers far less of it than most people expect. The time to think about it is while you're healthy, not when you need it.

Worth knowing: Assisted living in Virginia averages over $5,000 a month. Without a plan, that comes straight out of the retirement savings you spent decades building.

Violette can help: Long-term care options and what to consider before you decide under pressure. Book a call →

Saving money and turning it into income are two different things.

You've spent years building up savings. Now comes the part most people haven't thought about: how do you actually turn that into money you can live on month to month without running out?

Worth knowing: Which accounts you pull from first — and in what order — can make a real difference in how long your money lasts and how much goes to taxes.

Violette can help: Building a retirement income plan that makes your money work in the right order. Book a call →

Your 60s

Making It Work

Retirement is here or close. The decisions you make now shape the next 20 to 30 years.

Starting at 60 is not starting too late.

Whether you've managed everything yourself or never got around to getting help, a first conversation at this stage is still one of the most valuable things you can do. There are decisions coming up in the next few years where getting it right really matters.

Worth knowing: Most people have a 20 to 30 year retirement ahead of them. Getting organized at 60 still leaves plenty of time to do it well.

Violette can help: A calm, no-judgment starting point — wherever you are. Book a call →

Claiming Social Security is one of the biggest decisions you'll make.

The difference between claiming at 62, 67, or 70 can be thousands of dollars a year — every single year for the rest of your life. If you have a spouse, coordinating two benefits adds another layer.

Worth knowing: Every year you wait past full retirement age, your benefit grows by 8%. For a lot of people, waiting is one of the best financial moves available.

Violette can help: Working through the timing alongside your other sources of income. Book a call →

There's a required withdrawal after a certain age — and a penalty if you miss it.

Once you turn 73, the IRS requires minimum withdrawals from your tax-deferred accounts every year, whether you need the money or not. If those aren't planned for, they can push you into a higher tax bracket than you expected.

Worth knowing: Missing a required withdrawal triggers a 25% penalty on the amount you were supposed to take out. It's one of the more avoidable retirement mistakes — if you know it's coming.

Violette can help: Getting ahead of required withdrawals so there are no surprises. Book a call →

Which account you pull from first matters as much as how much you saved.

Most retirees have money in several places — a 401k, an IRA, savings, maybe a brokerage account. Pulling from them in the wrong order can mean paying more in taxes, running through accounts too fast, or losing lower Medicare premiums.

Worth knowing: A thoughtful withdrawal plan — knowing which account to tap first and when — can add years to how long your money actually lasts.

Violette can help: A plan for which accounts to pull from, in what order, and why. Book a call →

A legacy plan doesn't have to be complicated. It just has to exist.

Most people have a general idea of what they'd like to leave behind — for family, for causes they care about. But without any structure in place, what you intended can get lost to taxes, delays, or confusion.

Worth knowing: Keeping your beneficiary designations up to date is one of the most powerful things you can do for the people you love — and most people haven't checked theirs in years.

Violette can help: The basics of legacy and estate planning — what to put in place and who to involve. Book a call →

Your money at every age.