First, I completely agree with your thoughts on retirement savings.
However, that’s far from the only thing in “planning for the future”. The future is also things like:
when/if do I start a family?
should I get additional education to help my career prospects?
should I prioritize time with my elderly family members now at the cost of other opportunities for personal or professional growth?
should I put my efforts into growth for my spouse/child?
There’s no easy answers as many of these are mutually exclusive. It becomes a personal value judgement. You may only find out you made the wrong choice for yourself after you’ve passed the point of making a different choice. Such is life.
First, I completely agree with your thoughts on retirement savings.
However, that’s far from the only thing in “planning for the future”. The future is also things like:
There’s no easy answers as many of these are mutually exclusive. It becomes a personal value judgement. You may only find out you made the wrong choice for yourself after you’ve passed the point of making a different choice. Such is life.