I just popped open my ING Direct account this morning to find this quote…

“There’s no such thing as Saver’s remorse.” -ING Direct

It is pretty clever and generally I think it is true. You could argue that some people are a bit too extreme about saving money that they fail to live today, so that they can have plenty to live on in the future. To me, maintaining this balance has been tricky at times, but a key to doing this whole money management thing the right way.

I want to enjoy life now, while continuing to save for the future, so that I can enjoy life then as well. From the people I meet, I would say the break down goes like this…

• 70% spend it all (or most now) with little thought towards the future.
• 20% have a good balance of saving for the future, while enjoying life today.
• 10% practice extreme frugality without adequately living (IMO) in the “now”.

For the first 90% I don’t think they would have much of a chance of having Saver’s Remorse, but I wonder about the last 10%. I guess it depends what their goals are, but I would be sad if I got to my deathbed and had a full bank account, but I never enjoyed it – either by giving it to bless others, taking a vacation once in a while, or going out to a nice dinner with my wife.

If you are interested in a good story that helped me put this in perspective, read the Mexican Fisherman Story.

Do you think Saver’s Remorse exists? Have you ever had it?