RaisedToRetire

  Here's an uncomfortable truth, most parents who fall behind on their FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) goals didn't make one big, dramatic mistake. They made small, quiet ones, the kind that feel harmless in the moment and only show up as a problem years later, when the math doesn't add up the way it should. Let's walk through the five that show up again and again, so you can catch them before they cost you years.

I opened my banking app the other night, half paying attention, checking the usual accounts. Then I opened my daughter's savings account. And I just sat there for a second, staring at the number. 5.12%    👀 My own high-yield savings account, the one I researched for actual hours, compared six different banks for, pays less than that. My kid's account, the one I opened almost as an afterthought, out-earns mine. That's not a typo. That's just how it is right now. Okay, Which Bank is this? BECU. Boeing Employees' Credit Union, if you want the full name, though you don't need to work at Boeing to join anymore. Their Early Saver account, built specifically for kids under 18, pays 5.12% APY. Compare that to the national average on a regular savings account, 0.38%. It's not close. It's not even the same category of number. No minimum balance to open it either. Zero dollars. You could open this account with the change from your car's cupholder and start...