如果你習慣把賺的錢都花光，最後的下場是終生為錢賣命，而不是讓錢替你效力。事實上，存錢比賺錢還管用，因為存錢是不需扣稅的。要累聚財富，就必須想辦法攢錢。

存錢之道無他，下列為一些存錢方法：

1永遠先付錢給自己──每次領薪水至少先存下10%。

2愈早開始愈好──愈早開始儲蓄，就有愈多的時間讓複利發揮神奇功效。

3每逢加薪或領獎金時，就多存點錢──別把那些錢花在新的奢侈享受上。

4以現金購買車齡2至5年的老車──直到保養維修費用開始變得太高為止。不要買新車，因為那是非常昂貴的財務投資。

5還清所有信用卡債務──如有信用卡未償餘額，每年必須負擔18%或更高的利息。從現在起，每月付清所有的信用卡帳單。

6記錄日常開銷──挑出不必要的花費項目。把這些錢納入財富累聚計畫。

7定期計算失落財富造成的成本──昂貴的車子、珠寶首飾、生活時尚用品等，花了自己多少錢？留意省下那些錢作為每月投資的話，會創造多少錢。

8體認有些債務是種絕佳投資──例如借錢買房子、創立事業、接受教育等。並非所有債務都是不好的。

一般人，一旦收入暴增，花費也同步增加。事實就是如此。賺得多就花得多，於是必須賺更多，結果又花更多。如果不謹慎，負債也會更多。

為了致富，你必須打破這個惡性循環，尋找務實的作法，把更高比例的年所得存起來，可以從壓縮你的拿鐵因子開始。

你的「拿鐵因子」，就是每天花在無謂小東西上的錢。如果每天上班途中不花5塊錢買杯雙份拿鐵，一週就可以為未來省下$25。

你的「雙份拿鐵因子」，是檢視所有固定的重複性開銷，也就是你付錢但從未有時間真正使用的各種東西，通常包括額外的有限電視頻道、定期租借DVD、健身俱樂部會員、桶裝水宅配等。

只要仔細檢查一遍你的生活就會發現，各種生活開銷中都有可以刪減的支出，替每天省下幾塊錢，而且不影響目前的生活。即知即行，現在就把那筆錢省下來，然後把錢放進儲蓄和投資計畫。只要持之以恆，經過幾十年的投資操作，每天投入的區區幾塊錢，將帶來極大差異。

金融專家對於提前償還低利率債務的意見分歧。有些專家主張盡快達到完全無債務的狀態，有些專家則反對還清任何低利率債務，因為投資的機會成本可能更高。一種平衡的做法是兼顧無債一身輕的情感解脫和利用低利率債務追求投資成長的財務優勢。

以10年為一期，財務目標通常看起來像這樣：

120多歲：世界任你揮灑
建立基礎習慣：量入為出、防止生活方式膨脹、持續儲蓄、避免債務、有系統地投資。

230多歲：挺過混亂時期
在生活、事業和財富累積之間取得平衡。儘管生活需求層出不窮，仍要保持有紀律的儲蓄和投資習慣。

340多歲：或驚或喜
反省你的狀況。這10年可能是慶祝延遲滿足帶來的好處，也可能突顯你得急起直追了。

450多歲：化繁為簡或奮力追趕
如果你已接近財務自由，便可簡化你的財務安排。晚起步的人則可能會對財務獨立心生疑慮。

每個10年都有獨特的挑戰和決策。早年的犧牲會得到指數級的回報，晚年則需要保持行為紀律。在財務需求大的時期進行投資會放大累積財富的潛力。若能及早建立緩衝和資產，你就可以在後期專注擺脫債務，同時也不錯過成長的機會。

在45歲之前，使用30年期抵押貸款盡量提高你的住房預算，這樣可以留出更多的財務空間因應其他需求。在45歲之前以及投資顯著成長之前，請避免提前償還低利率債務。45歲之後，由於「財富放大器」效應降低，此時專注償還低利率債務會更有利。

If you're in the habit of spending everything you earn, you'll end up spending your life working for money rather than making money work for you. Actually, saving is better than earning because it's tax-free. To build wealth, you must have the ability to save.

To become a good saver:

1Always pay yourself first—by putting at least 10% of every paycheck into your savings program.

2Start early—because the earlier you start saving, the more time there is available for compound interest to work its magic.

3Whenever you get a pay raise or a bonus, save more—rather than spending that money on new luxuries.

4Buy 2-to 5-year old cars for cash—and keep them until their maintenance and repair bills start getting too high. Avoid buying new cars because they are terrible financial investments.

5Pay off all your credit card debts—because they charge 18% or more every year when you carry a balance. Pay your entire credit card bill every month from now on.

6Document your spending—to highlight areas of unnecessary expenditure. Redirect those resources towards your wealth-building program.

7Regularly calculate the cost of your lost wealth—what that expensive car, jewelry or lifestyle elements are costing you. Be aware of what that amount of money invested each month in a savings program would generate.

8Realize that some debt is an excellent investment—like going into debt for a home, a business or an education. Not all debt is created equal.

If you're at all normal, when your income jumps, so does your spending. It's just a fact. We earn more, and then we spend more. Then we need to earn even more, and then we end up spending even more. And if we're not careful, the more we owe.

To finish rich, you need to break this vicious cycle and find practical ways to save a greater percentage of what you earn every year, beginning with cutting back on your latte factor.

Your "latte factor" are all the small unnecessary things which you spend money on every day. If instead of spending five dollars a day on buying a double latte on your way to work, you'd have $25 a week that you could save towards your future.

Your "double latte factor" is to look at all your fixed recurring expenses—the various things you pay for but never have the time to actually use. This often includes items like premium TV channels, DVD subscriptions, health club memberships, bottled water deliveries, and so on.

If you go through your life, you'll find all sorts of areas where you can cut back and save a few dollars every day without even impacting on your current lifestyle. Take action. Start saving that money now, and redirect it into a savings and investment plan. Just a few dollars a day can make a huge difference if you're consistent and if you let your investments run for decades without touching them.

Financial experts are divided on prepaying low-interest debt. Some advocate for complete debt freedom as quickly as possible, while others argue against paying off any low-interest debt due to the opportunity cost of investing. A balanced approach considers both the emotional relief of being debt-free and the financial advantages of leveraging low-interest debt for investment growth.

Decade-by-decade financial goals often look like this:

1Twenties: The World Is Your Oyster
Build foundational habits: live below your means, control lifestyle creep, save consistently, avoid debt, and invest systematically.

2Thirties: Surviving the Messy
Middle Balance life, career, and wealth-building. Maintain disciplined saving and investing despite life's demands.

3Forties: Celebration or Panic
Reflect on your progress. This decade can either celebrate the benefits of deferred gratification or highlight the need to catch up.

4Fifties: Simplify or Scramble
Simplify your financial life as you approach freedom. Late starters may face doubts about achieving financial independence.

Each decade brings unique challenges and decisions. Early sacrifices are exponentially rewarded, while later years require maintaining disciplined behaviors. Investing during financially demanding times amplifies wealth-building potential. By building margin and assets early, you can focus on debt freedom later without missing growth opportunities.

Maximize your housing budget with a 30-year mortgage until age 45, allowing more margin for other financial needs. Avoid prepaying low-interest debt until you are over 45 and have achieved significant investment growth. After 45, with a lower "Wealth Multiplier", it's beneficial to focus on paying off low-interest debt.

推薦書單

NO.47 錢與閒
The Millionaire in You: Ten Things You Need to Do Now to Have Money and the Time to Enjoy It
by 麥可．勒巴夫（Michael LeBoeuf）
中文版：《賺錢，也賺幸福》（商業周刊，2020）

NO.124 理財不怕馬後砲！
Start Late, Finish Rich
by 大衛．巴哈（David Bach）
中文版：《起步晚，照樣致富》（先覺出版，2006）

NO.984 薪水族百萬退休計畫
Millionaire Mission: A 9-Step System to Level Up Your Finances and Build Wealth
by 布萊恩．普雷斯頓（Brian Presto）