9 Financial Planners Reveal: What Is the No. 1 Piece of Financial Advice You Wish You’d Known When You Were Younger?

By Shelby Fishman January 23, 2026 MarketWatch

CFP Board Ambassadors Charles Sachs, CFP®; Robert Pagliarini, CFP®; Akeiva Ellis, CFP®; Charles Weeks, CFP®; Riley Saunders, CFP®; and Lauryn Williams, CFP® share the financial advice they wish they had discovered earlier in life. They emphasize thoughtful investing, increasing income, budgeting, using debt strategically and uncovering underlying money beliefs.