Most people think about money when investing for retirement, but there are other things that will pay off much better when it comes to young people. Chief among them is health and teeth. Education comes in third place and of course family should be number four. Why list them in this order? Wouldn’t family come first? These are great questions, but the reason they are in this order is related to age.

Young people don’t consider their family to be that important, but they will undertake education and work experience when nudged. Health awareness should be instilled in them from an early age and taking care of their teeth is part of that.

However, as they get older, many of these early lessons get relegated to more exciting things and needs change. For example, many people in their forties may not have seen a dentist in decades. They may also have little knowledge of the risks they are taking with their diet.

At this time in their lives, they may also be experiencing marital and family breakdowns that lead to other problems, such as addictions. While drug use is now common among teens, it’s also something adults do even though they should know better.

The spiral towards neglect of health and education is increasingly manifest in those who are looking for work and may even be homeless. Unable to manage their lives, they give up and expect others to support them. This does not have to happen and if they had invested more in their own skills and abilities when they were younger, they could escape such trauma.

The best advice for young people is to invest wisely for old age. You only get that chance to do it. If at the age of 50 you are hospitalized with a heart attack or have all your teeth extracted, it is too late to regret it.

Money is not important if health and other things are neglected. If one has invested in knowledge, skills, and good health, then the rest falls into place.