I started just because of the sense of crisis that 'my retirement will be ruined at this rate'

The 2026 fiscal year has begun today.

For care workers, this is also the timing when the reorganization of the treatment improvement addition begins in earnest. Some people might see a slight increase in their take-home pay.

However, prices show no signs of stopping.

Food, utilities, daily necessities. They are definitely more expensive than last year. With just a 'slight salary increase,' it is difficult to even maintain your standard of living, let alone improve it.

Why the benefits of wage increases are hard to reach welfare workers

Across Japan, 'wage increases' are a hot topic. But in care and welfare workplaces, that feeling is faint.

Why is that? Because the compensation structure is fundamentally different from that of general companies.

Care compensation is determined by the government. You cannot directly ask users for a price increase. In other words, even if prices rise, the facility's revenue does not easily increase. Even if they want to raise salaries, the funding source is limited to begin with.

Having been in the field for 10 years, I have felt that all along.

That is why I started investing

If my salary won't increase significantly, I have no choice but to increase my assets through another route.

That is almost the entire reason why I started investing. It wasn't because I had special knowledge. It was just a sense of crisis that 'my retirement will be ruined at this rate'.

With the start of the new NISA, the hurdles have been lowered. You just need to invest a few thousand yen a month into a global stock index. I'm not doing anything difficult.

The good thing about accumulation investment is that you can continue it even with a shift-based life that includes night shifts. Once you set it up, you can just leave it alone.

Now is the time to review it in the new fiscal year

The timing when your pay stub changes is also a natural time to review the movement of your money.

There was a time when I thought, 'Talking about money doesn't suit welfare work.' But after working for 10 years, I felt that it is indeed necessary. There is a magazine where I continue to talk about such things. Please follow if you are interested.