Could you confess that, on the whole, life is pretty good? Sure, it would be nice to win the lottery, and some days are stretched tight between work obligations and an everdemanding family and personal life.

However, you’ve also learned to savour life’s simple pleasures – maybe for the first time in a long-time – and even feel reasonably established. You’d love to figure out how to eventually spend more time doing the things you enjoy with family or friends, while achieving your career goals and saving for the future.

These are your top earning years, statistically speaking, so it’s time to make the most of every dollar coming in. Are you?  If the last decade was all about spend, spend, spend, this is definitely the phase in which to put more emphasis on savings.

If thinking about finances makes you anxious, join the club, but read on. You’re not alone. You may not be precisely where you thought you’d be by now, for better or for worse.  But your resilience has clearly taught you to be ready for anything, soak in the good stuff and adapt when times get tough.

Retirement planning? It seems a long way off. Or maybe you’re also thinking about travel or a sabbatical to keep your mind fresh between now and then. 

Either way, this guide aims to provide some tools, ideas and, most of all, inspiration to take charge of your finances and get better at saving and investing. It’s easier than you think, and there’s good help out there if you know who to turn to and what questions to ask.