I recognized that though we were already well organized and situated, there was still so much to do from a financial side. Most articles you read on the subject only address the Biological Best Age. I am grateful to parents and grandparents for many generations that had my ancestors when they had no money! My last paragraph in this article rings true. My husband and I are on track to fully retire from our business and let the children take over when my youngest child turns 18 (we will be 53 and 54). I guess what I’m saying is that different strokes for different folks, and you gotta do what works for you. Economically, no age. It kind of stinks that I’ve come to look at it this way, but I know way too many guys who have gotten crushed in divorce and/or who have gotten the crappy end of the custody/child support stick for me to think rolling the dice is going to work out well in my favor. Guinea pigs are rodents in the cavy family. Once your baby is around 9-10-months old, you mind find yourself wanting to have another baby. It is also the stress of raising children and what might happen to children if neglected. Wow, that 10 year spacing is impressive. There’s no way we can afford that mortgage or down payment with our current income of around $260k. He and his wife had one boy, and wanted a 2nd. I’m slowing beginning to let go, as this is new to me. My wife told me that she wanted a puppy or a baby about 3 years ago. I know I am very lucky. LOL Definitely wasn’t my plan – but in hindsight if I’d known about the business I would have had 12! They pay about 10% California state tax and then they have Social Security and Medicare tax of about 6.4% on the first $128,000 in income. I think it’s important to have fun when you’re in your 20s and you still have time to get your financial act together. Just link up your accounts. I would definitely consider some daycare, even if part time. The Bigfoot’s Guinea Pig Rescue Facebook page offers updates and photos. In my experience, no amount of thinking could’ve prepared me for the realities of parenthood. :P), I’ve also discussed with him about getting an egg donor/surrogate before and he’s very resistant but I’m probably going to get my way. The downside is I probably won’t get to see my future grandkids grow up to adulthood and that will be a bummer. I’ve been a reader of yours for a few years now, and I have been hoping for an article just like this. There’s surely more to life than career and money, and family is one of the things that takes precedence. Get my point? So far, having kids at a younger age has been amazing. If you wait until your 30’s you have a better shot at financial independence. I’m happy with what I accomplished in the first 40 years of my life. Maybe, there comes a point where you just stop worrying b/c it’s hard to keep track! Published: 07/11/2020 | Updated: 02/25/2021 by Financial Samurai 151 Comments. Heck, if science said 40 was the new 35 then my target age would have been 38. “I thought they were just like hamsters,” he said. You don’t wish you had your child when you’re earlier at 31 years old or 30 years old? Another thing to consider is that if you have children younger, you are more likely to spend less on raising them. But between 3 generations. Older moms are likelier to have spontaneous abortions and hard time conceiving, in addition, they are also likelier to give birth to a baby with Down Syndrome. With such income, you’ll be able to ideally afford to buy a home, comfortably pay for children expenses, and save at least 20% of your salary for retirement. There are lots of reasons not to have children, but in my opinion, money should never be one of those reasons. Requiring a $500,000 income to afford a normal 2,000 sqft house is ABSURD IMO. I don’t have a baby, but I agree with you economically: late 20s-early 30s. I am biased because I don’t think about having more than two kids due to our bandwidth and the amount of orphans and foster children that need a home. 117.5 TI. Therefore, have a net worth target goal of between $233,000 – $500,000 before having kids. Having kids in late 20s has been such a blessing for us, despite the weaker financial ability at the time (which did cause stress from time to time, but we made it just fine!). Consider adoption as well. Below is a chart of miscarriage rates by age after a IVF cycle. Three months of trying and then becoming pregnant is lucky for any couple, let alone one over 40. I love how gangsta the kid in the feature image looks. Finally got pregnant, woohoo! I had mine at 33 & partner was 30. 7.5k state income tax (based on 5%, no idea what state you live in), So 182 – 52.5k = 129.5k But by promotion number three, it’s clear you’re actually creating a lot of value for your organization. Can you imagine the stress and sadness of not only losing $17,000, but also failing to conceive after each attempt? However, grandparents on both sides wanted grandchildren around and were willing and able to help out should we need it. At this age my husband and I were not doing too bad financially and were already emotionally mature. My dad did get to enjoy his grandkids. My husband never made more than $40k, but I could earn $50 per hour tutoring evenings. My wife was 37. He always joke is because he has no kids. I think its because it was going to be arranged, and a logical mind fights it. And never get that child. I really want kids, but I know that I don’t want them with my current situation. But don’t worry, there’s lots you can do to help your dog adjust and feel very positive about their new family member. With Personal Capital, you can track your cash flow, x-ray your investments for excessive fees, and make sure your retirement plans are on track. With the median home price at over $1.6 million in San Francisco in 2020, a $1 million net worth doesn’t seem that unreasonable. I think it is the new norm to start families later, just don’t wait too long! We were 35 when we took on some preteens (willingness to take any kid over 5 puts you in front of line – a sad statement indeed). But I don’t wish I had my kids any sooner. I had my first kid when I was 32, which kinda worked out for me. We had done a ton of travelling and enjoying selfish DINK life. It’s easy for her to say, she is only 22 right. The nonprofit rescue she runs with her husband, Javier, in a spare bedroom of their Everett home takes in about 300 castoff guinea pigs a year. Yep, having a child drastically alters your life and worldview. Consistent savings is the key and even with kids we knew we would never stop saving. Priorities shift once you’re a parent and $5 lattes and avocado toasts go out the door (had to throw than in there :)). Thus, if you know you want to have kids and you’ve found the right person, just go for it. If I end up having kids it probably won’t be til around 40. So if we had had two incomes, it would have been much harder to drop to one income, possibly lowering the number of kids we would have had in the end. In hindsight I think 30 years old would have been the perfect age. We have figured out that if we had waited, we would have put it off waiting for the “right time”. Therefore, I work less. Another rescue in Everett, Best Friend Rodent Rescue, specializes in rats. If my daughters decide to wait, too, for children, I’ll be in my late 60’s or early 70’s. Tell me your thoughts about a preference for a boy! However, Inever needed financial help from either side of the family. Age 33 for me. Parenting is NOT a science, finance, or logic. Sam asked for the ideal age, but its really dependent on too many factors. If you are a relatively frugal and devoted couple, you can have children much younger and end up just fine. We just went to a birthday party yesterday & the parents were ALL my age & some I even graduated with. I’ve always been a bit of a late bloomer. Deep in my heart I know that this is the best age for me to have a child as I am more financially secure and emotionally mature. It’s an awesome feeling. That was fantastic. Only downside to waiting longer is we will be getting long in the tooth by the time we ever become grandparents. It is so hard to find people you can trust with your baby for sure. She was a teen when her family moved here from Texas after Hurricane Katrina. In the last few years, I felt my career and salary weren’t going anywhere, so I decided to have a baby. Thanks for your thoughts. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald). Our work is physical and he already has three kids from a previous marriage. There’s no rewind button in life. After all, your own parents to you is same as you being parents to your kids. Credible is a top mortgage marketplace where qualified lenders compete for your business. This gives them a huge jump start in life. I think I had them at just the right time. Therefore, if you want to have multiple babies, you must plan ahead and best start before age 35. Our only fear is what’ll become of us when we’re old. He was glad he waited, on one hand, because they were obviously financially stable by then. I think the best age to start having your first baby will be at age 25 before 35 it gets harder if you past 35. Understandably, some employers don’t see it this way given how competitive business is today. 30 and 33? Their love will fill the household. Author Bio: Sam started Financial Samurai in 2009 to help people achieve financial freedom sooner, rather than later. But they survive. How do you balance work, child raising, and the feelings of doing both? This is WAG math but the point is the tax rate is a lot lower. What if B happens? I became a first time father at 36. I had to admit, I do feel old sometimes picking him up. My finances are really solid right now but I would not want to be responsible for children until I’m like 200% financially independent. lol. At around 44 years old, you only have a 50% chance of conceiving through IVF. That being said, I have friends who had kids in their late 20s (they were financially stable by then) and I see the benefits of being young when you have children. Don't subscribe We were trying for a year without success, then underwent 9 more months of testing and failed IUIs before conceiving via IVF, so that’s a delay of nearly 2 years just to have our first child – I’ll be 33. If we had experienced money stress on top of baby care stress and sleep deprivation, there’s no doubt we would have a strained relationship. How about go Hawaiian style, with three generations looking out for each other under one roof or on a compound? We were shown a series of graphs like the ones below regarding decreasing fertility rates and increasing miscarriage rates as a woman ages. The pandemic has reminded us that tomorrow is not guaranteed. The population is already booming already! I am going for number 2 pretty soon, don’t want to wait in case we have any problems. Your comment about being pregnant at 41 is very insensitive to older mothers. You are lucky. Being a SF resident as well we had to save more and be a smart spender go get a pretty good net worth. Children make like more meaningful. Just remember, you can take one year to three years to conceive. My wife has had six miscarriages so we’re extremely grateful to have even two children. We could very well be the exception. I had much less, but I was doing well in my career and we’ve had money to provide and then some. But then I realize that because we are older parents, we don’t have the same stresses as younger first time parents. You make a very good point and I will make this point in the post. I can’t seem to get rid of this feeling. That was her initiative and I’ll never forget the first time she told me she did it, how proud she was to be the big sister. I’m glad you mentioned infertility and treatment, just consider that it might delay the timeline significantly – and most people never expect it can happen to them. I had my first child when I was 27 and just graduating from law school. I remember asking my Dad after I and my siblings were adults whether he still worried about us. Make your kids’ study habits a priority, limit them to in state public universities and insist they get a vocational major (engineering, business, accounting) and they should get nearly free rides from scholarships, and if not, cash flowing it should be doable. It’s a truly exciting time. Back then, I was horrified, but seeing their sons over the years make me think having kids way early maybe isn’t so bad… if you can get it together. Gosh I cannot even imagine being pregnant now at 41 but people do it. They put us through the ringer but we would do it all over again. I am thinking when to have the second one. Is that your adorable baby in the photo? It’s not, but I’d like to think my little one is even cuter :). Sam a good friend of mine just had a new baby at 43 and we have been discussing his feelings of being an older parent. My wife(26) and I(27) are expecting and we decided to start our family after we hit the $250k income. Their story turned out to be one of the good ones, but I know not everyone has the capacity, ability, personality, or luck to be able to make that happen. I just can’t imagine missing any of them. This allows enough time to enjoy adulthood and start earning money at work. I’m staying positive and am scared as hell quite frankly. I think this is indeed a good age as you’re not too old to start a family but also already started a career. Recently he made it clear he would like children some day. Congrats! In 2008, after my last child was born, I launched a business. One thing you didn’t mention was adoption. We had already been married for 7 years and had built a great life. I would say $250k was our entry into happiness for the two of us. My lower back aches and my knees sometimes dangerously buckle if they bend too far. I do wish I had children sooner, however, for #1, wife had a lot of health issues before that, and before that, I couldn’t find a girl. Talk about over thinking it. We had a baby when we were 37.