--- title: 6 Easy Moves to Make in Your 30s That Will Pay Off Huge Later On description: 'If you’re in your thirties, odds are your financial situation is a mixed bag. But look at the bright side: You still have time on your side (albeit not as much as you had in your twenties). So even small moves can make a huge difference long-term. Here are six moves you can make now that will pay big dividends down the road.' authors: - name: sarahvonmax url: https://money.com/author/sarahvonmax/ at_money_since: 2015 articles: 1 covers: - Retirement former_staff: true published: '2015-02-02T17:32:13.000Z' modified: '2024-04-16T04:51:59.000Z' section: Personal Finance tags: - asset allocation - Cashing out of 401(k) - Debt - Millennials - Net Worth - Personal Finance - Roth 401(k) - strategy canonical: https://money.com/collection-post/millennials-money-moves/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![hand moving chess piece](https://img.money.com/2015/02/150202_rtw_easymoves30s.jpg) If you’re in your thirties, odds are your financial situation is a mixed bag. On the one hand, maybe you've settled into your career and built a little nest egg. At the same time, you might be juggling [student loans](https://money.com/collection-post/student-loan-repayment/ "8 Ways to Stop Student Loans From Ruining Your Life"), a [mortgage](https://money.com/cheap-mortgages-millennials/ "Here Come Cheap Mortgages for Millennials. Should We Worry?"), and childcare. Look at the bright side: You still have time on your side (albeit not as much as you had in your twenties). So even small moves can make a huge difference long-term. Here are six moves you can make now that will pay big dividends down the road: **1) Embrace stocks:** The financial crisis took its toll on many thirtysomethings. Nearly 40% of Gen Y-ers say they'll never feel okay investing in stocks, MFS Investment Management has reported. Take note: Since 1926, a portfolio mostly in stocks has never lost money in any 20-year period while averaging gains of more than 10.8% a year, versus 4% for bonds. At age 30, you should have [most of your portfolio](https://money.com/how-much-stock-is-too-much-asset-allocation-for-dummies/ "How Much Stock is Too Much? Asset Allocation for Dummies") in stocks, with about half in U.S. equities and nearly 30% in foreign equity. Need more guidance? Get an age–appropriate mix with a target-date fund in your 401(k). Take a look at the [Money 50 list of the world's best mutual funds and ETFs](https://money.com/money-50-best-mutual-funds-and-etfs/) for specific suggestions. **2) Save in a Roth 401(k):** With a Roth you save with *after-tax* dollars, so, unlike with a regular 401(k), you won't pay income taxes on withdrawals. That's a good deal if you'll be in a higher tax bracket at retirement, as is the case for many young investors. Four in 10 large employer plans now offer a [Roth option](https://money.com/roth-401ks-great-retirement-account-not-using/), according to Aon Hewitt. To hedge your bet on future tax rates, split your contributions between a Roth and a traditional pretax 401(k). **3) Don’t cash out:** More than half of workers in their twenties who leave a job do not roll their 401(k) into an IRA or their new employer's plan, says Aon Hewitt. Bad move: On a $10,000 balance, you could be left with just $7,000 after taxes and penalties. If, instead, you keep that money growing at, say, 6% a year, you'll have an extra $100,000 or so by the time you retire. **4) Buddy** **up:** A recent study from Columbia, Harvard, and Chilean researchers found that when peers monitored one another's savings progress, average balances doubled. **5) Sweat the small stuff:** If you carry multiple credit card balances, you'll save the most money by paying off your highest-rate plastic first, right? Wrong. Two Northwestern University professors have found that people who focus on their smallest debts before tackling bigger, higher-rate loans are [more successful](http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/news_articles/2012/snowball-approach.aspx) at erasing debt. The psychological boost from eliminating a loan entirely gives you the mojo to keep paying down debt. **6) Bookmark this**!: The more you know about personal finance, the more you're likely to save, research shows. Two online courses can help: [Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning](http://www.money.us/16kqSwO) from the University of California at Irvine and [Khan Academy's personal finance class](http://www.bettermoneyhabits.com). **Answer this question to get more financial advice tailored to your place on the Road to Wealth:** Which best describes your financial life? 1. [A disaster](https://money.com/collection-post/10-most-common-financial-leaks-plug-them-now/) 2. [I have a little savings](https://money.com/collection-post/ready-to-start-saving-do-it-right/) 3. [I've got a nest egg but big goals too](https://money.com/collection-post/quick-guide-to-how-much-you-will-need-to-retire/) 4. [Doing great](https://money.com/collection-post/the-easiest-way-to-juice-your-portfolio-minimize-taxes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/collection-post/millennials-money-moves/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Personal Finance", "item": "https://money.com/personal-finance/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Financial Planning", "item": "https://money.com/financial-planning/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "6 Easy Moves to Make in Your 30s That Will Pay Off Huge Later On" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/collection-post/millennials-money-moves/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/collection-post/millennials-money-moves/", "name": "6 Easy Moves to Make in Your 30s That Will Pay Off Huge Later On", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2015-02-02T17:32:13.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/collection-post/millennials-money-moves/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/collection-post/millennials-money-moves/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-04-16T04:51:59.000Z" }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "6 Easy Moves to Make in Your 30s That Will Pay Off Huge Later On", "articleSection": "Personal Finance", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2015/02/150202_rtw_easymoves30s.jpg", "width": 5616, "height": 3744, "caption": "150202_RTW_EasyMoves30s" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "sarahvonmax", "url": "https://money.com/author/sarahvonmax/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/sarahvonmax/#author" } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2015-02-02T17:32:13.000Z", "description": "If you’re in your thirties, odds are your financial situation is a mixed bag. 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