I am not a big fan of Reddit threads. Hell, I don’t even know if they are all true and authentic.
But every now and then, something catches my eye, and I cannot resist digging deeper into it. My thoughts today were triggered by one such Reddit thread.
One Reddit user summed up his regret without sounding dramatic. If he could go back to 2015, he said, he would tell himself to stop buying gadgets on EMI. Maybe start SIPs earlier. Avoid that personal loan. Build an emergency fund. And if nothing else, just do not panic sell during the market crash in 2020.
He ended his comment with a question. What advice would you give your younger self from 10 years ago? He said he genuinely wanted to hear the lessons people would pass on to their past selves.
What followed was not investment advice in the usual sense. It was people laying out their own timelines, what they did, what they delayed, and what eventually caught up with them.
People did not talk about spectacular wins or disastrous bets. They talked about ordinary decisions that felt easy to live with at the time and much harder to undo years later.
The ‘Harmless’ Wait: Why We Delay in Our 20s
A large number of responses described the same phase of life. In their twenties, income was limited but rising, and expenses were predictable. There was no immediate pressure to plan far ahead. SIPs were something they meant to start once salaries improved. Emergency funds were something they would build later.
Buying things on EMI did not feel risky. Taking a personal loan did not feel permanent. Several users said that at the time, everything seemed fine. Bills were paid. Jobs were stable. There was no moment that forced them to stop and rethink their choices. That is what made waiting feel harmless.
When later stopped feeling flexible
For many people in the thread, discomfort did not start with a market loss or a financial shock. It began with comparisons, as friends started buying homes. Colleagues spoke casually about long-term investments. Peers made plans that assumed a level of financial stability they themselves did not feel.
A few users said they were doing alright until they realised they were behind schedule. Starting late changed the math. SIPs now need larger monthly amounts. Catching up felt harder than starting had ever seemed. The same actions now came with more pressure and less room for error. Waiting didn’t cause a big problem; it just made fewer options available later.
The Comfort Trap: How Stability Breeds Inertia
One of the more uncomfortable patterns in the thread was how often “comfort” played a role.
Most contributors were not reckless spenders. They had stable jobs and manageable lifestyles. They were not struggling, which made it easier to postpone difficult decisions.
Upskilling could wait. Job switches felt unnecessary. Investing could begin later, when it felt more meaningful.
Looking back, several users realised that this period of comfort had quietly slowed everything down. Income growth, skill development, and investing may have supported one another back then. Instead, comfort created inertia. When responsibilities increased later, the freedom to experiment was gone.
Panic looks different when you start late
A recurring regret in the thread involved behaviour during market stress. Some users mentioned 2020 specifically. Not because they chose the wrong investments, but because they sold out of fear. One wrote that if he could change just one thing, it would be not to panic and sell during that period.
What stood out was why it happened. Those who started investing late said every fall felt personal. Without the cushion of time, losses were harder to sit through. The urge to act felt overwhelming.
But early starters described something else. They made mistakes, but time absorbed them. They did not feel the need to react to every correction. Time did not just influence returns; it shaped behaviour.
The Emergency You Didn’t Plan For
Many contributors admitted they had never built a proper emergency fund because there had not been an emergency yet.
Then something happened, maybe a job loss, or sudden health expenses, or maybe family obligations. Plans unravelled quickly, and investments were sold earlier than intended. Personal loans and credit cards filled gaps.
One user said he always thought he would build an emergency fund once life settled down. But never really did it.
Those who had buffers described a different experience. They managed disruptions without dismantling long-term plans. The difference was not knowledge or intelligence. It was preparation.
The pattern running through the thread
When you step back from the individual comments, a behavioural pattern becomes hard to miss.
Most people in the discussion were not talking about bad investments. They were describing how they responded to money decisions over time. The tendency to postpone, to prioritise convenience, or to assume that small choices could always be corrected later.
That mindset showed up in familiar ways. Buying gadgets on EMI because the monthly payments felt manageable and delaying SIPs because starting could wait. Selling during market stress to regain a sense of control. Skipping emergency funds because nothing had gone wrong yet.
These were not separate mistakes. They were different expressions of the same behaviour: treating time as an unlimited resource.
What failed was not knowledge or intent. It was the assumption that postponement would carry no real cost.
Why waiting feels so expensive in hindsight
One reason the regret in the thread feels so heavy is that it does not come from ignorance. Almost everyone already knew the basics: SIPs were familiar and Emergency funds were understood. Staying invested during market volatility was not new information. The problem was sequencing.
Comfort came first, while structure was postponed. Small monthly decisions felt insignificant in the early years, when income was rising and responsibilities were limited. Waiting did not feel like a choice. It felt neutral.
Time quietly reversed that logic. The years when discipline would have required the least effort passed without it. When urgency finally arrived, the same actions demanded larger commitments and far more emotional control. That gap between effort then and effort now is what gives the regret its weight.
The ₹2.5 Crore Cost of Waiting: The Math of Regret
The numbers make this clearer than sentiment ever can. Let’s say A ₹10,000 monthly SIP started at age 25 and continued for 30 years, growing at an annualised 12%, would be worth around ₹3.5 crore by age 55. Over those 30 years, the total amount invested would be ₹36 lakh.
The same ₹10,000 SIP started 10 years later, at age 35, and continued for 20 years, growing to about ₹1 crore by age 55. In this case, the total amount invested is ₹24 lakh.
The difference in invested capital is ₹12 lakh. The difference in outcome is more than ₹2.5 crore. Nothing about the investment changes. Nothing about the return assumption changes. The only change is the time gap.
That is why the regret in the thread sounds emotional but is rooted in arithmetic. And that is also why awareness alone does not break the pattern. Several people recognised the mistake and still waited. Waiting had become habitual.
Responding to that habit is not about chasing higher returns. It is about removing the ease of postponement. Automating SIPs, separating emergency money, and reducing EMIs all work in the same direction. They make delays harder.
None of these steps feels urgent. That is exactly why they are postponed. And that is exactly what the thread shows happens when postponement becomes the default.
What time eventually demands an answer to
What makes this discussion compelling is that it does not offer neat conclusions. It provides a different perspective.
- How much of current comfort is being mistaken for long-term security?
- Which decisions are being delayed simply because they do not yet feel urgent?
- If income growth slows unexpectedly, how resilient would existing plans be?
The people answering that Reddit question were not careless. They were patient, optimistic, and reasonable. They assumed time would stay generous, but it never is.
Chinmayee P Kumar is a finance-focused content professional with a sharp eye for investor communication and storytelling. She specializes in simplifying complex investment topics across equity research, personal finance, and wealth management for a diverse audience from first-time investors to seasoned market participants.
Disclaimer: The purpose of this article is only to share interesting charts, data points, and thought-provoking opinions. It is not a recommendation. If you wish to consider an investment, you are strongly advised to consult your advisor. This article is strictly for educational purposes only.
