Money in Your 30s: What I’ve Learned (So Far)
by Priyanka Pardasani, Contributor
By the time you hit your 30s, it can feel like you’re supposed to have everything figured out.
Homeownership? Check.
Soulmate? Check.
Six figures saved? Check.
But for me, stepping into this new decade has felt anything but certain.
In fact, it’s been full of questions, pivots, and a lot of learning the hard way.
When I quit my job in 2023 to travel, I thought I’d be gone for a few months and then head back into corporate life.
It’s now summer 2025 and I haven’t had a full-time job in over two years. I’m still figuring out where I want to live, my bank account doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, and I’ve had real fears that it might be too late to build the kind of financial future I want. Yikes!
That’s where financial literacy came in.
My Journey to Learning About Money
It wasn’t until my savings were gone and my credit cards were nearly maxed that I got serious about money.
I started looking at the habits that had gotten me there—both the ones I inherited and the ones I built on autopilot.
Hitting financial rock bottom gave me a chance to start over.
And while I don’t recommend learning from that place, sometimes life forces you to grow before you feel ready.
Here are the three biggest lessons I’ve learned so far:
It’s Not Too Late to Make a Change that Lasts
A friend of mine, in his mid-30s, C-suite title, six-figure salary, once looked at his account and saw $0.70 in the bank.
Lifestyle creep had taken over.
So he hit pause.
In 8 months, he paid off his debt and completely rewired how he manages money.
You can make big changes starting today and see real results by the end of the year.
You Are Not Your Parents
My family is split down the middle: some are savers, some live for the moment. I grew up around both.
But I’ve had to learn that money habits aren’t inherited—they’re built.
The good ones take effort.
The bad ones can be unlearned.
You’re not destined to repeat someone else’s story.
Your relationship with money is yours to shape.
Patience Pays (Literally)
Financial growth takes time.
The mindset shift, the consistent habits, the results—it all compounds.
Take investing:
Compound interest doesn’t look impressive at first. But give it a decade? It starts to take off.
Two decades? Game-changing.
If you invest $100,000 in the S&P 500 at age 35, you could have over $1.7 million by retirement.
The key? Start. And stay in.
The Moral of the Story
Your net worth is not your self-worth.
If your 30s aren’t what you imagined, you’re not behind—you’re human.
Yes, you should be honest with yourself if your money habits are out of sync with your goals.
But also: give yourself some grace.
Maybe your 20s were full of curveballs: health issues, caregiving, career changes.
That doesn’t mean you’ve missed your shot.
What matters is what you do now.
Commit to growth. Make space for learning. And build from where you are.
At SIMMER, we’re building a new kind of financial literacy app:
Real-world. Judgment-free. Built for people who want to feel better about money.
