Delayed gratification. Boiled down, that's what us FIREites are all about right? We're not spending money today so 'future us' can enjoy more of it.
The ability to practice effective and regular delayed gratification will not only lead to financial success but is a huge determining factor in forecasting overall success in life. As James Clear - author of the fantastic 'Atomic Habits' - articulates in his blog (here):
- "If you delay the gratification of watching television and get your homework done now, then you’ll learn more and get better grades.
- If you delay the gratification of buying desserts and chips at the store, then you’ll eat healthier when you get home.
- If you delay the gratification of finishing your workout early and put in a few more reps, then you’ll be stronger."
Problem
Given its links to being healthier and richer, you'd think that the majority of society would be pursuing how to master delayed gratification right? Wrong?
A recent article in the Guardian suggested that 11 million British people have less than £1000 in savings. Yes, of course, the cost of living crisis, inflation and mortgage rate increases will undoubtedly be a factor into some of this. But we've only been living under those circumstances for a few years, looking at the stats what was their excuse a decade ago?
From just a brief drive around the streets of the UK, you'll be greeted by hordes of the PCP brigade; consumer zombies sticking Campachoochoos on Klarna and programmed to consume consume consume from decades of cheap credit, easy money and total erosion of any kind of responsibility to consume less not just for the good of the environment, but to retain some semblance of common sense, practical living and extolling virtues that will be passed onto the next generation.
(phew, rant over!)
Savings auto-enrolment
What the article is suggesting is that there should be an "auto-enrolment" on savings, much in the same way that employees are auto-enroled onto a company pension.
Is this how you fix the underlying behavioural issue of people consuming too much and not saving enough? By automating their savings for them? Don't worry, you don't have to learn how to save, we, the all-caring, all-powerful nanny state will save for you because you're too feckless to do it for yourself.
Shall we take a look at how successful Pension auto-enrolment has been? On the face of it, people are putting more money into their pension, but for most they will just assume that the minimum contributions will be enough for their desired lifestyle later in life.
An article in the FT last year suggests exactly this. That because the 'burden' of saving has been taken away from people, that there is still a huge gap in the amount people need to save vs what they are actually saving.
My solution
You cannot change people's behaviour by taking away the task for them. The task itself is how people learn.
In the same way that a child needs to learn how to read for themselves, get themselves dressed and ride a bike, people need to know how to master delayed gratification first-hand, ideally from an early age.
There is a common adage that children's future behaviours are set early on it childhood.
As Aristotle said:
“Give me a child until he is 7, and I will give you the man”
This is where you get to change people's behaviour, not through any amount of tinkering, nudging or auto-enrolment, but by actually teaching kids the basics.
Personally I am extremely involved in doing this. In my free time I volunteer as a Scout Leader for my local Beaver Scouting group, teaching timeless useful skills to kids aged 6-8. Last year I lead the "Money Skills badge" teaching the children:
- The benefits of delayed gratification by conducting "the Marshmallow test"
- Explaining the history of money, from bartering to shells to fiat money to digital money and cryptocurrencies
- Showing the children ACTUAL denominations of money!
- Showing the children an ACTUAL gold coin, what the metal is worth vs what the currency value is worth, and the difference between that coin and the £1/£2 coin in feel.
- Getting them to prioritise needs vs wants through a backpack packing game (where intentionally you cannot fit in everything in the list).
All of this was delivered and understood by 6-8 year olds.
The sad fact is that if I did the same class for UK adults, they would probably benefit just as much as the children did. Especially on the concept of needs vs wants given what I see most adults doing on a daily basis.
What my solution would be:
- Teaching children the above in primary school
- Parents need to get involved in their children's understanding of money, and this will only work if the majority of them change their own behaviours, otherwise we are talking 'blind leading the blind' territory.
- Playing games to teach children how to prioritise and the difference between needs and wants. Monopoly is also a fantastic game for them to understand the value of money, cashflow and investing rather than just consuming and dodging payments!
Although the above quote is from a novel, people interested in the cycle and where abouts we currently are would be interested in a book written in the mid-1990s called "The Fourth Turning".
Here's a picture of my 8-year old son looking at his savings and playing around with an Excel sheet. How it will grow over the years depending on a) how much he puts in and b) what return of interest you get. Very rewarding to see how easily it clicked with him and how hopefully this sets him up well to master his own delayed gratification later on in life.
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