Let the Young Man Take Care of the Old Man

I received this pearl of wisdom second-hand some years ago. A millionaire associate who was a few years older than me, told me that a millionaire who was many years older than him, gave him this advice.
The younger millionaire was telling me that when he first started making a lot of money in his 20s, he wasn't doing much saving or investing. Instead he was living a rich lifestyle, spending his money on the typical toys and material things we see so many young people buying.

That's when he came across the older millionaire, who decided to mentor him and stop him from making costly mistakes which would haunt him in his later years.
He stated the elder let him know that although it might seem fun to have all the fancy cars, clothes and gadgets, he would come to regret it later in life when he'd be stuck working into his golden years because he didn't have enough (if anything at all) to enjoy them.
My associate told me the older gentleman stated, "It's OK to have some fun while you're young, but don't be stupid; let the young man (you now) take care of the old man (you later). Start loading up your savings for the future as well as jumping on as many investment opportunities as you can while you're young enough to take the risks".
He started to do just that, and it put him in a position where he'll be able to enjoy a very comfortable retirement (if he chooses to retire at all).
Ever since hearing that story, I've been living by those words. One of the best ways of doing this is implementing delayed gratification, or not having to have everything you want RIGHT NOW. You might even want to institute a "24 hour rule" meaning before you make a purchase of a big ticket item, give yourself 24 hours to meditate and decide if you truly want to get it.
Now, it may seem like this message is only for younger folks in their 20s. But while they are the ones who can probably take the most advantage of it, remember that the average life expectancy in most developed countries are in the mid to upper 70s for men and even into the 80s for women.
So even if you're fifty, that still gives you 20 or more years to go. And though you might not be able to take some of the risks now that you could when you were younger, it's still not too late to let the young man take care of the old man!