Retirement-obsessed 26-year-old plan to save 25% of his income clashes with Barcelona to St Tropez to Monaco trip with a friend: ‘Should I invest aggressively for retirement or take a trip to Europe with my friend?’

Author image for Etai Eshet
Etai Eshet • Editor
Jan 16, 2026 9:00 AM EST

A 26-year-old is trying to choose between compounding interest and being compoundingly alive.

This is what money anxiety looks like when it puts on a responsible outfit and starts giving orders. Not a calm plan, more like a penance schedule. Save harder, save faster, make up for lost time, prove adulthood happened. The retirement account stops being a tool and becomes a confession booth, and every non-essential purchase turns into evidence for the prosecution.

Now, I'm the last person on earth to give anyone future planning,  saving, or finances advice. What I can advise on is living and also, chilling. And while we can all agree that taking care of your future self is important. It is worth NOTHING if you forget to live while youre doing it.  A retirement plan that requires skipping life is just another kind of debt. It's called balance. Maybe you should check it out. Who knows, maybe even try it sometimes if you're feeling a little reckless.

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  • Young man sitting with arm resting on knee against wooden wall looking like his contemplating or stressed about something, implying a decision
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  • The guilt is doing most of the driving. He is not simply saving, he is trying to erase a few years of not saving by becoming the kind of person who treats fun like a leak in the roof. Twenty-five percent of gross becomes a magic number because it feels clean and authoritative, like it can protect him from future uncertainty if he just hits it hard enough. Meanwhile, the emergency fund is sitting there like an overprotective parent, arms crossed, insisting on twelve months of safety in case the sky tries something.

  • Invest aggressively for retirement or take a trip to Europe with a friend?

    Hi, everyone. I am a 26-year-old man who until this point in my life, has not adequately saved for retirement.
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  • I only have $12k earmarked for retirement, and I vowed that this would be the year I build a very strong foundation. for retirement by saving 25% of my gross income for it, which would be 15k.
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  • My goal was to have 25k+ saved for retirement by the end of my 26th year.
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  • I feel I need to be saving 25% of my gross every year until 65 otherwise I will not be able to retire.
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  • Then there’s the trip, which is not just a vacation. It is a reminder that life is not a retirement worksheet. Monaco is a ridiculous place to feel responsible in, which is part of the appeal. A train ride through Barcelona to the Riviera is not a financial strategy, it is a memory strategy. The friend is offering an experience, not a budget violation.

  • Man in black shirt and wristwatch holding his hand over his mouth, looking unsure
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    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I feel guilt over not saving the past several years, and I want to be ultra- responsible to compensate for lack of action.
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  • I do not want to retire early nor live luxuriously in retirement, just be able to live comfortably and not be up worrying about money.
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  • My friend also wants to take a vacation with me. In Europe. We were considering a train ride from Barcelona to St Tropez to Monaco and back, as I have always wanted to visit Monaco.
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  • The key detail is that the basics are covered. The Roth can still get maxed. The emergency savings still exists. This is not choosing between rent and roulette. This is choosing between an idealized version of future peace and a real version of present joy.

  • I was feeling very excited for this until seriously pondering that it would be limiting my retirement goals.
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  • The more cynical read is that he is buying emotional certainty with extra contributions, and it still will not feel certain. Money can reduce stress, but it cannot guarantee serenity, especially for someone who already knows how to worry. Because, again: A retirement plan that requires skipping life is just another kind of debt.

  • I can take this trip and max out my ROTH IRA, and keep my 12 months of emergency savings, but I cannot take this trip and save 25% of gross for retirement and keep 12 months emergency fund.
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  • TLDR; Should I invest aggressively for retirement or take a trip to Europe with my friend?
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  • Amalala81 Go on the trip and make memories, and live new experiences while you're still young enough to do everything. You'll have plenty of time for making money when you're older.
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  • hmph 1910 Good God, you are 26. Take the trip.
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  • RealisticChandelier Take the trip.
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  • Fennicular Things that happen between age 26 and retirement: buying a house, traveling, marriage, kids, cars, house renovations, kids college funds, unexpected illness, career changes, and hopefully a lot of actual living. Go to Europe.
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  • WinterRevolutionary6 If you need to save 25% of your income, you're either overestimating how much you need per year when you're retired or you're retiring too early. Honestly even 15% of gross income is a very large amount of money to be putting aside. Put aside 10% (which is more than most people put aside), keep your 12 months emergency fund, and plan a trip within your budget. Make sure your retirement account is set to dynamically invest depending on distance from your set retirement age. M
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  • Sea_Light_6772 Dude nobody saves 25pct their whole life or has a 12 month emergency fund. Sounds like you can afford to save and have fun so I would take the trip. Some of this Dave Ramsey crop really has people viewing life the wrong way. The purpose of financial responsibility is to increase quality of life. If you are saving so much that you aren't doing anything to enjoy yourself, what's the point?
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  • Beginning-Comedian-2 In your 20s, go on the trip. You won't be able to do that in your 30s. (Or if you can, it won't be the same.) Then when you get back stick with your investing plan.
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  • Late-Rutabaga6238 Take the trip! I know more people who did nothing fun in their 20's and 30's cause they were going to do it later when they retire and either d d or are just too broken down mentally and physically to do long plane flights and lots of walking
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  • RoseVideo99 Go to Europe. You only live once.
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  • Mediocre_Device308 Take the trip. Tomorrow is not promised.
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europe saving money finances Travel trip retirement vacation
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