3 Reasons You Should Start Investing in Experiences Right Now

Most people think of investing as something you do with money…

But the real game-changer is investing in experiences.

Because one day, what you’ll retire on isn’t your bank balance: it’s your memories.

Here’s why you should start investing in them now.

Every great memory pays you more than once.

You enjoy it in the moment, but you also relive it each time you remember it. That’s what you might call a “memory dividend.”

And just like financial dividends, they compound. When you share that memory with someone else, it grows again. When you look at old photos or tell the story, it grows again.

The earlier you start investing in experiences, the more time you have to collect those dividends for the rest of your life.

When Bill finally went to Europe at 30, it was amazing, but also a little too late. He was just a bit too old and too comfortable to sleep in hostels or hang out with twenty-somethings until sunrise.

A friend went years earlier. He had no money, but what he got in return was priceless.

When you’re young, you don’t need much to have a great experience. A cheap bus ticket, a weekend trip, or a night camping with friends can bring more joy than luxury ever could later on.

The lesson? 

Don’t wait until you can “afford it.” The return on experience is highest when you’re young and curious.

Life is the sum of your experiences.

Everything you do—the daily routines, the once-in-a-lifetime moments—adds up to the story of who you are.

Without deliberate planning, it’s easy to drift on autopilot and follow society’s default path: work hard, save, delay joy for “someday.” 

But someday isn’t guaranteed.

Yes, you need to earn, save, and invest money. 

But the business of life is the acquisition of memories. Those are the assets that appreciate over time.

So, start planning experiences the same way you plan your finances. Decide which memories you want to “buy” this year. Think about who you want to share them with. Take photos, plan reunions, keep your stories alive.

Because when you look back, your wealth won’t be measured in dollars. It’ll be measured in moments.

Read the next chapter here.