Money concerns are a major cause of stress in the modern world as people struggle to decide if they should spend their money to satisfy immediate needs or if they should save it for unknown future concerns.  In my opinion, it is a much better idea to save money for the future.  I feel this way for two main reasons, which I will explore in the following essay.
       To begin with, people with a lot of maturity and life experience are able to make better financial decisions than youngsters.  Young people, who have very little worldliness, are prone to spending their money on products  that are mostly useless and which they soon tire of.  Older people, on the other hand, know which purchases will result in long-term happiness and satisfaction.  My own experience is a compelling example of this.  When I was young, I spent a tremendous amount of money on video games  and comic books which I soon tired of.  When I later enrolled in university, I did not have much money left to pay for my tuition, and was forced to take out a significant number of student loans.  Even today, several years after graduation, I regret not saving much money as a teenager.  These days I am much more conservative in my spending, and carefully consider all of my expenses.
       Moreover, life is full of unexpected emergencies which often take a significant financial toll on people.  I recently read a newspaper article which pointed out that seventy-five percent of all bankruptcies in the United States are the result of medical expenses. I am well aware that it is humiliating to lose our financial independence.  For example, last year my uncle suffered a major heart attack which required him to undergo very expensive bypass surgery.  He avoided bankruptcy, but did have to ask his elderly parents for a loan to pay his bills.  They were able to help him because they resisted the urge to spend and saved money through their entire lives.  He felt extremely embarrassed about begging his parents for assistance, especially as he could have avoided the situation by emulating their frugal behavior.
       In conclusion, I believe that it is better to save money for the future rather than spend it right away.  I feel this way because we gain the ability to make financial decisions as we mature, and because saving money helps us avoid the humiliating effects of unexpected financial emergencies.
