I am 56 years old this year. A few months ago, my VND2 billion (US$76,100) in savings deposits matured. It is money I saved up over almost my entire working life. I decided to put it back in the bank, splitting it into several smaller deposits just to be safe.
But my 28-year-old son was not impressed. He told me: “Keeping money like that is only safe in the short term; it is not a good lifelong strategy.”
He suggested that I give him the money as an “advance” inheritance so he can invest it. According to him, deposit interest rates are not enough to account for inflation and the rise in housing prices, medical costs and living expenses.
“If you do not have assets that generate income or a long-term plan, you might still end up depending on your children in old age, even if you do not want to,” he said matter-of-factly.
To be honest, I grew up in a family that did not have much money. When I was young, we had to be very careful with every penny. I still remember the time my parents had to borrow money constantly due to a failed business deal. The fear of losing everything has stayed with me since then.
To me, that VND2 billion is my safety net for old age. If I ever get sick, I will at least have something to rely on and avoid becoming a burden to my children. As for the house I live in now, I already plan to leave it to my son after I pass away.
My son, however, belongs to a different generation. He talks about startups, stocks, real estate, open-end funds and even cryptocurrencies as if they are everyday things. Words like “cash flow,” “asset diversification,” and “compound returns” come very naturally to him.
He said that if I leave the money in the bank for another 10–15 years, its real value will slowly shrink because of inflation.
“Saving only delays poverty while proper investing guarantees that you won’t become poor in old age,” he told me.
I understand that he is not completely wrong. But I am still worried. I have seen friends rush into investments after listening to brokers and end up losing almost everything. Some even had to go back to work after retirement because they put all their money into some so-called “high-return” projects.
I do not have much knowledge about investing, and at my age I also do not have much time left to start over if things go wrong.
That is why I am afraid of betting my later years on something I do not fully understand.
But his question still keeps coming back to me: am I really protecting my future, or am I just limiting it?
*This opinion was submitted by a reader. Readers’ views are personal and do not necessarily match VnExpress’ viewpoints.