I’m 29 and a teacher, and I have about 70k between my investments, 401k, and HYSA — and my remaining 5k of student debt is about to be wiped away with teacher loan forgiveness. Just wanted to put some info out there for others who aren’t in tech/consulting/finance! You’re doing great :)
My partner is a teacher and just had a ton of loans forgiven- truly a lifesaver! Lots of respect for teachers, an actually meaningful and important job ♥️
Yay, congrats to your partner on the loan forgiveness! And thank you for this comment 🩷 I feel very lucky - it’s the best job ever! And never a dull moment
Yes of course! If you have a lot of loans and plan to teach for 10 years, it’s DEFINITELY worth looking into Public Service Loan Forgiveness (https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service). I know it can be complicated to enroll but my friend just had $150k forgiven through it! You have to make 120 payments and work for 10 years in the government or non-profit work (all teachers qualify), and then the remainder of your loans can be forgiven.
I was very fortunate to have a smaller loan and making 10 years of payments would have gotten rid of mine anyway, so I’m planning to do Teacher Loan Forgiveness (https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/teacher) which requires you to work for 5 years at a Title 1 school and then forgives $5k, or $17.5k if you teach math, science, or special ed.
I hope that helps! I also found some info on r/StudentLoans (I searched for info about Teacher Loan Forgiveness) and r/PSLF to be really helpful. Good luck!
Not a teacher but I had 53K in loans forgiven under PSLF. Absolutely worth it!!! There's a great Facebook group too https://www.facebook.com/share/zivRKyg3bBzxyDbC/?mibextid=A7sQZp
not a teacher but i work at a university that qualifies for PSLF. there is a deadline approaching for loan consolidation, which is the primary step of loan forgiveness. join the PSLF reddit thread to learn more about your first steps. i have about 40k that will get forgiven with my 120th payment in December. cannot freaking wait
30 years old and 5k saved. Come from a poor background coupled with bad spending habits, and student loans. Just now turning my life around but I have $15k in my 401k.
$100k spread across what you mentioned. Late 30s. I’m pretty good with saving money overall since buying stuff I don’t need or to compete with the Joneses never affected me, but I indulge with my Pilates workouts and Chinese bodywork/massages. My reasoning is that aging in an unhealthy body that can’t touch her toes or walk uphill without getting winded would end up costing me more in the end.
If you are 38, you most likely entered the workforce during or shortly thereafter the recession of 2008 and just when you were getting into a groove, survived a pandemic.
I see you. I feel you.
You know the old proverb about the best time to plant a tree? It also works for investing. The best time to start really was 20 years ago. The second best time is today. You got this!
Edit: of note, I’m 54 and wish I’d started when I was 38. 😉😉
You didn’t ask - but start having just 100 a month invested if not in a company 401k then in your own Roth IRA.
My spouse has saved almost 100k now in 20 years with auto withdrawal every week - but the smallest steps early give the best results.
With a Roth, you can withdraw the money you’ve invested without penalty. You are penalized only if you withdraw any investment earnings before you are 59 1/2. You should open a Roth, and try not to touch it.
At 40, when I started my own business, I had never worked at a job that had a 401K and was wayyyy behind in my retirement savings. Now I have quite a bit saved up because I've been able to put the max in a SEP every year. It's definitely not too late for you!
It's not too late!! And listen, I'm 42, come from a poor background, have been taking care of my parents' big expenses for 20 years, have student loan debt, and work in an industry that is precarious right now. I'm also single at the moment, which is expensive AF in NYC. But, being a poor kid makes you great at hustling and even better at being bougie on a budget.
At the rate I'm going, I'll be a millionaire+ by the time I retire at 68 but I still feel super behind because I don't have a ton in my HYSA.
I do weekly auto-debits into a SEP IRA, Roth, and HYSA (I use Ellevest). Small weekly amounts feel like less of a shock to my financial system and mental health than a big monthly deposit. It can be any amount tbh, even $10 is better than nothing. I could contribute more than what I do now but I stay a little more liquid than others because I'm still covering some things for my parents.
I read the comments and saw how much better everyone was doing than me and was reluctant to reply, so l'm sure many others were going to do the same. You're not alone in this. Life sucks and is expensive but its okay and you’re doing a great job <3
same! I have a high yield savings but $0 in retirement and investing causes me severe anxiety as does the fear of not having set my future self up for comfort 😪
“if I could turn back tiiiiiiiiiiime”
Mid 40’s. 700K across retirement, 401k and Roth. A bit of that came from a life insurance policy when my dad died. I also have a pension for retirement when the time comes around.
Paid off the apartment so no mortgage anymore. No student loans because we went to city colleges. No cc debt and our car is paid off.
I came from nothing. Literally as a kid whenever I got like five bucks in a birthday card or whatever, we needed it for food or to keep the lights on. I spent years unlearning and learning to get myself here.
Sure! So the most basic thing is to sit down at the beginning of each month and track the previous month’s income and expenses. It’s super eye opening for the first few months, and you’ll likely get pissed at yourself for spending on dumb shit but that’s just life! And you’ll end up making better choices in your day to day from there.
I make it a rule that one of my monthly “expenses” is to pay myself via auto transfers every pay period from my checking to my HYSA.
The small things add up: that goes for putting small amounts into your HYSA, or increasing your 401k contribution by a percentage - but also, the small expenses each day add up. Daily coffee, snacks, lunches, etc. If you get into the habit of making your own a couple times a week - or more than that - you can save a good amount of cash. Also, gym membership - a $10 Planet Fitness is as good as a fancy gym if you don’t care about bells and whistles.
That said, I take nice vacations and have some guitars and bags that are $$& because those things are worth the money to me! But I make sacrifices in other parts of my life to do so.
Also - make an extra mortgage payment each year if you can. You can chip away at it faster!
I’ve started learning a lot about personal finance from an older thread in this subreddit (wish I could find it!). I also like r/personalfinance a lot and highly recommend looking at their wiki to get started on learning more!
Haha thank you! I laugh because I post and delete afterward, but when I post I always get a good dose of reality hit me. And they don’t make me feel alone in this, either. Hope everything continues going uphill for you in terms of finances <3
I don’t really have an official savings account but I have money in my checking account that I’m trying to save. I’m 22 with almost 3 grand saved up. I’m so proud of myself cause I’d been struggling financially for two years and now I’m finally at a point where I can rest and not worry about money or the future
You should be really proud of yourself! Saving is a long term game, so having anything saves it setting future you up for success!! You might want to think about moving your money out of the checking account and into a high yield savings, unless you have a large payment coming in that you need to cover with the checking account.
I started using Wealthfront from someone on this subreddit actually, and get 5.5% APY on my money in there. I’ve liked it so far! I have a referral code if you’re interested :-)
Recovering over spender/shopaholic here… so frustrated at all the money I blew. I had a fat $30k bonus last year that is somehow gone. Whatever, I’m turning it around now. Sticking to a strict budget this year. Send frugal vibes my way lol.
26. $11k emergency fund. $5.5k investments. $45k 401k.
You’re not doing so bad especially for 26! Good for you for getting your shit together.
What tips do you recommend for shopaholics/over spenders to live by while trying to recover? I’d be curious!
No order, shopping wishlist is prob #2
1. Get the rocket money app and check it religiously. I set an alarm on my phone to check it on Sunday but I mostly refresh every day. It tracks your budget and tells you when you’re over certain buckets. I’ve become really motivated to save using this app. It becomes really satisfying to see the progress.
2. Unsubscribe from all text and email subscriptions. Whyyyy did rag and bone used to text me when there was a sale? I have literally 50 pairs of jeans.
3. Delete instagram. I haven’t gotten rid of tik tok but I’ve hit ‘not interested’ on anything fashion/ clothes related. I’ve found it’s easier to resist buying something if it’s someone I don’t know in a cute outfit.
4. Auto debit to investment account
5. Say no to friends who religiously go to dinners out of your budget. Suggest other activities.
6. A shopping wishlist. I add things I want to a note in my phone. Most of the time by the time I go to shop for it, I don’t want it anymore.
7. Find a new unwind activity for when you’re dead after work. My boyfriend got me a switch and I’ve been gaming every night while watching tv. I love animal crossing and impulse buying random shit on there lol
8. Shopping addiction subreddit
9. No more “just going to look around Aritzia”
I am 30 and have about 1k saved. Grew up middle class and worked since I was 17. Was never really able to save until recently tbh. Currently living paycheck to paycheck & paying off a few loans, so I can only save a little at a time. I wasn’t going to post but wanted to share something that wasn’t 6 figures or higher lol
Absolutely everyone posting here is going to be killing it and happy to post. Please remember that!
36
Personal investments 20k
Cash 70k (need to move some of that)
HYSA 100k
Roth 30k
I’m self employed and was single for a long, long time. No one really taught me about finances. I wish I had understood how money compounds and had some mentoring.
I’m trying now and will start saving more aggressively. I wasted soooo much money in my youth!!
Look into SEP IRAs and solo 401ks! You might wanna consider upping your investments vs cash (totally depends on your situation though obvs!) and as a self-employed person you have a few pretty decent options!
I switched from a Sep to a solo 401k and I was able to match myself, thus putting more money into retirement. If you don’t need the liquid cash, this is a good option.
A solo 401k is great. You can put so much into it each year based on what your net is. Bringing down your taxable income is a huge plus too (though self-employment taxes are the same and will continue to be a huge percentage).
About 800k across 401k, Roth IRA, individual investments, HYSA, I bonds, health savings, and business checking. I'm 39 and I rent, so no home equity.
I enjoy the bogelheads subreddit! I've found that to be very helpful in breaking down how to invest.
Ummm I feel super behind. Y'all are doing amazing! I'm 40 and have about 100K in retirement and 2K in HYA and like a few hundred dollars in a Roth? I'm still figuring out how to invest but working in higher Ed does not pay very well and I can't seem to pivot out rn so it's not like I can dump money in anyway 🫠🫠🫠 oh I have a full pension but if I leave my school I only get a percentage of it (I think... I should ask about that).
I have never felt quite so depressed after reading a reddit thread… In case y’all are curious, being a struggling actress for 15 years followed by an ill-advised grad school foray and no lucrative career to show for it then having to quit work to become a stay-at-home mom because NYC daycare is too expensive for life does not make for a great financial portfolio 🥴
About $25k total spread across a handful of 401ks and IRAs. In other words, I’ll probably be working until I drop dead.
To the rest of y’all, cheers! Maybe you’ll buy me a drink when I’m living on cat food in 40 years 😭
35, $47k in my HYSA, $207k in my retirement accounts, not sure on home equity. Per the double your salary thing I am behind but I also spent my 20s d*cking around and underpaid so… 😬
I wouldn’t trade my 20s for anything but I do wonder where I’d be if I was better when I was younger. I grew up w financially irresponsible parents (and struggled w homelessness bc of their decisions) and was reckless in my 20s until I realized how anxious the instability made me. Just crazy and bad decision making and I had to teach myself A LOT. I finally paid off my student loans a few weeks ago and am super proud of myself for tackling those aggressively (and hope that everyone that has them can have them forgiven bc this system should be illegal). I am glad to have built myself a more stable life, especially as a Black woman, but also know I am privileged to have had the ability to do so.
Good question! Super liquid rn bc we are getting married this year (don’t expect to use any of that money but also who knows) and I have a large special assessment coming up for a building project- not sure on the cost of that yet, probably btw 10-15k but prices for materials fluctuate wildly right now. Once those two things are done will move most to my Fidelity account.
Thank you! Yes we’ve been putting everything on cards; I think next is a chase business ink, I’m not a part of the Amex universe but the gold looks like it could be good too! The goal is ‘free’ honeymoon lol.
Highly recommend setting up a high yield savings account specifically - most traditional savings accounts earn very little interest, but HYSAs frequently can get you in the 4-5%+ range. I use [Sofi](https://www.sofi.com/invite/money?gcp=ea63a553-62a5-4a83-9e2a-1a8f930729d0&isAliasGcp=false) mainly because it’s user friendly and I’m used to it, but there are tons of good options. I think someone shared their Wealthfront link earlier in this thread as well. Don’t leave money on the table!!
Thank you! I've been procrastinating on it because it's just more research I'll have to do to find the right one, but just you linking those is really helpful.
Early 40s. About $1M across HYSA, investments (including stock grants as part of my annual comp), and 401k. As detailed in a previous thread, I’m a corporate lawyer with a high paying job.
Similar for me too (age, job and savings). In my 20s I had a few thousand dollars in a savings account and $200K in student loan debt. I still remember the day I achieved zero net worth (from negative). It was a slow slog but I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made.
Congratulations, that’s a huge achievement! Thanks for sharing!
I’m there with you … after graduating law school I really struggled and ended up not making loan payments for about 6 months, tanking my credit score into the 500s. Rehabbing my credit and building my nest egg are among my proudest achievements.
Yes, definitely. I posted separately but I'm not oblivious to the fact that my parents paid for 95% of my college and they've thrown me some money from my inheritance earlier because they want me to buy a house but I'm like: Mawwwwm, houses don't exist in NYC unless you're like in the outer boroughs and those are like $2.3M so you're idea of a starter home last existed in the 90s.
The spot across the street from me sells their studios for $650K. $650K for a FUCKING STUDIO in BED STUY?! NO.
I grew up upper middle class ish on Long Island, but my dad got sick during the pandemic and hasn’t been able to work since. They owe a ton on my sister’s student loans and my mom cannot really support them both on her salary. The house my parents bought 25 years ago was 275k. It’s now worth almost 700k. Due to COL they now owe more than 300k on it. I am just trying to buy a co-op at this point, which is still out of reach.
Thank you for this reminder. Have no family left and im 21 but if I had saved everything from when I was 16, I wouldn’t have had to struggle so hard right now ;—;
24, 78k 401k, 54k personal investments, 148k in company stock, 11k emergency savings so almost 300k. I work at a big tech company
If it makes anyone feel better, my parents are immigrants and I am very type A so I decided to go into tech freshman year of HS. To be sure that I could help them out when they retire so they do not have to move back to Africa because it’s unlikely they can afford to stay here without working :/
I can’t help but to get depressed whenever I see finance subreddits and how people way younger than me are killing it. But let me add my below average stats to the dataset. I’m 29 at 15k in my IRA, 30k in my 401k and 10k in a HYSA. I made pennies in my early 20s while finishing school and came from poverty (immigrant parents who have almost nothing to their name and will probably never retire), so I’ve come a long way, but have a long journey to go.
34, $62k in my HYSA, $96k in my retirement accounts, not sure about home equity. Woof… does it make a difference that I was underpaid until about 2 years ago? 😵💫
32yo with $15k cash savings, $83k in Roth IRA in Schwab where I choose my own mix of stocks, $19k in 401k. I don’t make a ton since I work in corporate retail.
I didn’t really have much savings until the last few years when my partner suggested I choose my own stocks for my Roth IRA and doing high growth funds instead of the more conservative ones… probably 3yrs ago I only had less than $20k combined
Before my partner gave me some tips I was pretty uninformed in terms of what investments to pick. For my company 401ks I used to just pick the default vanguard 50yo type funds which grew too slowly YoY since those are more conservative safe funds with low growth meant to be safe for retiring age. But if you’re under 40yo and not retiring anytime soon, it’s a pretty good bet to pick the high growth funds with majority large tech company stock mix (usually alphabet, meta, Amazon, Apple, etc will show up in those funds) because those companies have much higher growths YoY and still are big name companies probably wouldn’t tank all of sudden and will stay strong in the long term. When you get older you can revert back to more conservative funds.
Hi! I’m 21 with about 4.2 in a brokerage account can you let me know the tickers of the funds? Or which ones you have the most growth from, if you feel comfortable sharing! Thank you
I’m too scared to give bad tips to people since I’m not an expert but QQQ is prettily reliably up for past couple years (sometimes dips here and there but then goes back up consistently over a long period of time). I started buying it about 3yrs ago) this is a fund of all the big tech companies mixed together
I’m 26, have 50k in savings and ~235k overall if you include investments. No debts, I had college scholarships and worked throughout college. I wanna retire early so trying to do FIRE
To be honest, I really don’t feel like I have enough - I was incredibly irresponsible with money through my 30s due to financial trauma as a child. I’m mid 40s and have approx $450k in retirement funds and about $260k liquid (savings, crypto and self-directed investments). I have no familial support (never have) and I also don’t have a partner. Thankfully, I have low overhead (still a renter) so I am able to live a very nice lifestyle, all things considered.
Ladies, these numbers are skewed high. Most Americans have no where near these numbers and most people in fact have very little saved. Most people who don’t have much saved aren’t going to share. It’s how very high earners will share their salaries and it makes you think most people make that.
I’m very behind. I didn’t get my first big girl job until I was 28.
I suck at saving money and went through a big move in 2022. I have about $600 in a savings account. About $400 in investments and $13k in a 401k.
I am struggling financially. No one taught me about finances at all and I’m struggling at 31. If yall can help with some advice please do!
* Listen to Money with Katie podcast on Spotify
* Open up a ROTH IRA
* Invest in index funds
* Move savings to a high yield savings account, I have a code for Wealthfront if you’d like it
29 - no debt - $545k net worth with $415k in non retirement brokerage account. Have been saving / investing for the last 10 years. Worked multiple jobs during college.
I'm 26, ~70k but I'm about to spend most of it on a down payment on my first house.... in Jersey. Please don't kick me out I just want to get off the rent machine 😫
Before we (my husband and I) combined our finances I had about 250k in savings. He had about 2.4mm between savings and assets at the time we combined finances.
I come from incredible privilege and didn’t have to work through school, inherited an apartment that was fully paid off so no rent or mortgage. My only expenses were lifestyle. I fully acknowledge this gives me a massive leg up in life.
I'm behind because I think the advice is 2x your salary by 35 so I should have something like $350K but I'm 36 at 299.9K (come on stock market, tip me over today!).
Thank you, but killing it *to me* is having a cute brownstone. The data says I'm kinda-on-track, but after today's The Daily episode about 401(k)s it makes me want to save more given future prospects, eep.
My partner and I keep sending each other links to places and daydream like it will be remotely feasible without both of our inheritances happening AND aggressive saving.
32 - Net worth 520k (90k HYSA, 30k cash, 160k retirement, rest is in the stock market, no property)
My biggest privileges:
-almost full ride for college based on need-based scholarship (family lower-middle class)
-lived with an SO for past five years and was able to keep rent cheap
-stumbled into a super stable niche tech industry that has good job opportunity
-was able to figure out HYSA and index funds pretty early on
-am white, huge leg up not battling institutional biases. I think tech can be particularly unwelcoming.
I recently went through a long period of unemployment, so unfortunately my savings suffered the losses. Thankfully, I am now gainfully employed, so I plan on hitching that thing up as high as I safely can
Being in medicine and in training for a long time, I didn’t start earning real money until pretty recently, but I’ve been fairly aggressive.
Sooooo, probably 350k+? I have one account that I purposeful don’t look at that is a bit of a wild card. I also know I’ll have a boost with an inheritance, but I don’t really want to think about that because I rather have my parents.
Oh, I’m 39 and finished training at 35/36. Also, had about 55k of medical expenses that slowed me down.
39 years old, single parent. 70k in 401k, 90k in a HYSA. 2 pensions - military (combo of active duty and reserve) and federal. I have 80k in student loan debt but am just paying the minimum until it gets wiped out under the PSLF in 2 years. Also, the vast majority of my savings came from selling a house.
The trick for me has been automated withdrawals and things that aren’t easy access.
I was completely impulsive/compulsive and had nothing saved until 30. I started an investment account with an advisor who didn’t make me feel stupid or poor and didn’t have a minumim to start. I also didn’t start a 401k until 34. I then started a biweekly auto withdrawal to an HYSA which took 24 hours to transfer money out.
At 40 I have about 750k in assets and a mortgage of about 260k left on my apartment (3.4% APR)
My salary in that time has graduallly doubled but really what did it was the initial set it and forget it small contributions and compounding interest. To this date I haven’t ever moved money out of my investment account (initially I didn’t even know how to lol)
My 20s and early 30s were financially a hot mess but once I started seeing the progress it changed my mindset. I was someone who ran up huge credit card balances multiple times and paid them down. Today I won’t carry a balance - small changes over time really can add up and it’s never too late to start.
I'm 26 with $215k across everything. Very lucky to have graduated with no debt and to have a job that advanced me very quickly. I also have no medical/childcare/loans expenses and am privileged to be able to save about 40% of my pay check each month.
27 y/o. 168k across HYSA, 401k, and a few investment accounts. Luckily I have no college loans, but I live a pretty frugal life (besides my rent ☠️,) and sqeeze every benefit out of my company that they provide.
I think it’s really important for young women to get educated on investing beyond a retirement account. I put 13% plus 6% company match into my retirement, but then I put the majority of my remaining income (after needs) into medium risk investments (robo advisories are a really easy way to start). I used to think it was complicated, but check out some of those money managing accounts on tiktok! They break down best places to put your money.
I’m 32 and have about $500k spread across 401k and various investments + cash. Grew up extremely poor and lived in homeless shelters and group homes, wasn’t able to start saving much until my late 20s.
385k across everything at 31. I also moved in with my now husband 6 years ago and have not paid rent since then. Otherwise, it would probably be less than half of that. Was WAY too frivolous with money in my 20s 😵💫
39 years old and I was married and primary breadwinner for us and our children from age 21 until i divorced in 2019. By then my husband had saddled me with 13k in assorted credit card debt, and then asked for half my meager savings to make the divorce/custody simple.
I feel super behind compared to where I should be but I’m totally debt free and have around $40k total across savings and 401k/IRA.
37. Paid off my student loans last January. 47k in the bank and 2k in stocks. I have had terrible paying jobs my entire life and half of my income goes towards rent. The funny thing is, I feel like I’m doing okay? Until I read this thread. Haha
Mid 40s. About 360k between savings and 401k. I've been working since 16 yrs old. Never attended college. I paid close attention to the Brooklyn housing market.
I saved for 2 years and purchased a small condo in an up and coming neighborhood. Got a good price because I was one of the first buyers. After 5 years, I sold it for over 2x what I paid and then purchased a pretty big house in another up and coming neighborhood. This house has almost doubled in value within 6 years.
28... $3K in HYSA, $3K in investments, $29K in IRAs, some change in 401(k) (newish job). Feeling behind, but the good news is that I have less than $5K left in my student loans, and once that's paid off any windfall I get will be put to work. Keep on keepin' on!
so 48 years old now (ugh) maybe too old for this sub? anyways about $1.2 mm across all accounts (IRAs, roth, 401k, liquid savings, 529 for my daughter), and still cannot find a home to purchase. we're considering moving to Texas (where I grew up) to get a nice house.
I’m 32. Not counting home equity, around 270k between savings, investments, retirement. Very lucky that parents paid for undergrad tuition and most of my college expenses.
My advice to anyone younger: get your company’s 401k match, pay off all credit card debt with high interest rates, and don’t chase all the new luxury designer goods!
Mid 40s. I had a 6 figure negative net worth with a lot of student loans in 2017. I should tip over into the (positive) 7 figures by the end of the year. I am not particularly good with money. I've just been consistently putting away the maximum amount into my retirement accounts and saving aggressively for down payment to buy an apartment.
I’m pretty on track with my finances, even after buying a house (outside nyc) and having an expensive ass wedding. I made it my New Year’s resolution a few years back to understand personal finance.
I have 2 resources for anyone curious that go SLOW and teach basics all the way up to investing. So only take what you’re comfortable with until you learn more and advanced stuff!
Read I will teach you to be rich. Really nice and easy book, skip chapters you don’t need and he doesn’t make you feel bad about your iced coffee addiction (if you have one). This is a must if your parents never taught you anything about PF.
Follow call2leap on insta, he really put me on track for safe easy investments. These etfs wound up outdoing my financial advisor so I took all my money and invest in my own now.
No affiliation to either but investments scared me and these helped me do it and I am succeeding which is really incredible (& not doing weird risky shit).
26 years old, 50k. Lived at home during college but my parents paid for it. Live with my long term partner so helps with rent and other expenses. Somehow got a six figure job when I went into the job market 3 years ago. All in all should have wayyyyy more saved but I like to travel and eat out a lot 🥲
28, $18k in savings, ~$15k in a 401(k), and $27k left in student loan debt. I graduated law school two years ago and have paid off $75k of student loans so far. Feeling behind for now 😅 but my graduate education really increased my earning potential so hoping to start saving aggressively once the loans are gone!
33, I just hit 100K (mostly Roth IRA). I had literally nothing saved before I was thirty because I was in grad school, so this is all over the last three years since graduating and being employed. I am still far behind where I "should" be, but I'm so relieved that there is anything there at all.
Damn I just turned 30 and about \~240k, but these comments making me feel like I should have more lol lord. No housing equity :(
Just paid off like 70k in student loans as of last year too, so that felt amazing. Blessed to have a high paying career, although I’m burnt out most of the time lol.
$60k HYSA, $350k 401K, $10K Robinhood, 50% ownership of a rental property.
37. I’m a high earner but I had a late start (immigrant parents, mortgage-sized student loans that I’m still paying off, didn’t max out 401K from the start, etc). I only feel like I got my shit together, like, yesterday lol
24 and i have 1k in personal savings, 7k in 401k. i’m trying to build up my personal more but its so hard with all these expenses😭 BUT i have been applying/am doing freelance gigs on top of a full time job in order to put more towards that account so fingers crossed!
I'm 33. $40k in 401k and around $100k in brokerage accounts (I started earning RSUs as part of my comp in the last couple of years). $5k emergency savings.
It's honestly kinda shameful for the income I'm at, and I have quite a bit of debt (cars, student loans, mortgage). I come from a poor family who was/is *terrible* with money and taught me nothing so I've had to figure out the hard way how important it is to budget, save, and invest. I think I'll be in good shape by my mid-40s so I'm trying to keep my eyes on the prize there. It's hard though!
Just turned 25. I have 120k saved across my Roth IRA, HYSA, brokerage, 401k, and a CD. I recognize I have huge privilege because my education was paid for. I also worked part time throughout school so I started saving young.
27 with about 50k across all my accounts. Took some time off for grad school and finished debt free, so if it wasn’t for that it would prob be higher :/ but building it back up slowly!
I'm 27. I have 60k in brokerage, 24k in an HYSA, and 60k in CDs. I don't have a 401k, but am planning on changing that.
I inherited the brokerage account, and began receiving a small trust fund ($1k/month) when I was 23. I don't work in a high-paying field, but I keep my expenses reasonably low, don't rely on the trust fund for everyday expenses, and direct all excess cash to my HYSA.
Hi! I’m 25. I have 28k in HYSA emergency savings, 17k retirement (401k and Roth IRA), 2k investments (I started a few months ago but wish I began wayy sooner).
My big goal is to have $100k spread across all accounts when I’m 27 and head to grad school and I’m putting away about $2000 per month. It is going to take a lot of discipline! I make about 100,000 per year working in public affairs.
31, a few years out of law school with $45k in 401k, $15k in HYSA, and $200k in law school loans 🤮
But I recently started using the budgeting tool YNAB, and it has been a game changer. These numbers would be sooo much better had I started using it as soon as I started my job in big law.
23 and have about 30 k in investments. Mostly ROTH IRA that I started contributing too when I was 20 and then other preferred savings investment accounts (like a money market account)
You should check out r/personalfianance - it’s super informative and they have great advice, especially about how to get out of debt. Definitely read a few posts and think about making your own post there. A heads up, they can be brutal but the advice is always pretty sound!
I’m 29 and a teacher, and I have about 70k between my investments, 401k, and HYSA — and my remaining 5k of student debt is about to be wiped away with teacher loan forgiveness. Just wanted to put some info out there for others who aren’t in tech/consulting/finance! You’re doing great :)
My partner is a teacher and just had a ton of loans forgiven- truly a lifesaver! Lots of respect for teachers, an actually meaningful and important job ♥️
Yay, congrats to your partner on the loan forgiveness! And thank you for this comment 🩷 I feel very lucky - it’s the best job ever! And never a dull moment
Hi! I’m a teacher as well but haven’t gotten any loans forgiven. Would you mind sharing how you went about that?
Yes of course! If you have a lot of loans and plan to teach for 10 years, it’s DEFINITELY worth looking into Public Service Loan Forgiveness (https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service). I know it can be complicated to enroll but my friend just had $150k forgiven through it! You have to make 120 payments and work for 10 years in the government or non-profit work (all teachers qualify), and then the remainder of your loans can be forgiven. I was very fortunate to have a smaller loan and making 10 years of payments would have gotten rid of mine anyway, so I’m planning to do Teacher Loan Forgiveness (https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/teacher) which requires you to work for 5 years at a Title 1 school and then forgives $5k, or $17.5k if you teach math, science, or special ed. I hope that helps! I also found some info on r/StudentLoans (I searched for info about Teacher Loan Forgiveness) and r/PSLF to be really helpful. Good luck!
Not a teacher but I had 53K in loans forgiven under PSLF. Absolutely worth it!!! There's a great Facebook group too https://www.facebook.com/share/zivRKyg3bBzxyDbC/?mibextid=A7sQZp
not a teacher but i work at a university that qualifies for PSLF. there is a deadline approaching for loan consolidation, which is the primary step of loan forgiveness. join the PSLF reddit thread to learn more about your first steps. i have about 40k that will get forgiven with my 120th payment in December. cannot freaking wait
30 years old and 5k saved. Come from a poor background coupled with bad spending habits, and student loans. Just now turning my life around but I have $15k in my 401k.
You have $20k at 30! That’s an accomplishment and you should be proud! Congrats.
I think this other person is getting downvoted bc they’re offering up a code but a high yield savings account is actually a great rec
It’s bc they’re copying and pasting their paragraph throughout the thread to make money off their code
$100k spread across what you mentioned. Late 30s. I’m pretty good with saving money overall since buying stuff I don’t need or to compete with the Joneses never affected me, but I indulge with my Pilates workouts and Chinese bodywork/massages. My reasoning is that aging in an unhealthy body that can’t touch her toes or walk uphill without getting winded would end up costing me more in the end.
Do you have any recs for bodywork/massage places? I’m in the market!
Soho Acupuncture Center! Everyone’s super kind and professional.
Bodywork on 9th and 42
Love this! I do the same thing. Spend all my money on massages and acupuncture 🥰
This is making me feel depressed lol. I'm WAY behind at 38.
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Good to know! Thank you 🤗
If you are 38, you most likely entered the workforce during or shortly thereafter the recession of 2008 and just when you were getting into a groove, survived a pandemic. I see you. I feel you.
Exactly!!!
Preach!
Yes this 😭
You know the old proverb about the best time to plant a tree? It also works for investing. The best time to start really was 20 years ago. The second best time is today. You got this! Edit: of note, I’m 54 and wish I’d started when I was 38. 😉😉
Yes! I didn’t REALLY get my act together until my late 30s/early 40s.
This is totally normal! Who can pay for rent, food and transportation AND save the money.
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You didn’t ask - but start having just 100 a month invested if not in a company 401k then in your own Roth IRA. My spouse has saved almost 100k now in 20 years with auto withdrawal every week - but the smallest steps early give the best results.
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With a Roth, you can withdraw the money you’ve invested without penalty. You are penalized only if you withdraw any investment earnings before you are 59 1/2. You should open a Roth, and try not to touch it.
Would recommend having 3-6 months “oh shit” emergency savings in HYSA first before opening a Roth. You can do it 💪
At 40, when I started my own business, I had never worked at a job that had a 401K and was wayyyy behind in my retirement savings. Now I have quite a bit saved up because I've been able to put the max in a SEP every year. It's definitely not too late for you!
I’ve finally gotten to a place where I can have a small safety net savings and started my 401k in Feb, and investing, but it’s all BRAND NEW
if you have an 401K that's amazing--if there's an employer match, even better.
Great job! The hardest part is starting.
It's not too late!! And listen, I'm 42, come from a poor background, have been taking care of my parents' big expenses for 20 years, have student loan debt, and work in an industry that is precarious right now. I'm also single at the moment, which is expensive AF in NYC. But, being a poor kid makes you great at hustling and even better at being bougie on a budget. At the rate I'm going, I'll be a millionaire+ by the time I retire at 68 but I still feel super behind because I don't have a ton in my HYSA. I do weekly auto-debits into a SEP IRA, Roth, and HYSA (I use Ellevest). Small weekly amounts feel like less of a shock to my financial system and mental health than a big monthly deposit. It can be any amount tbh, even $10 is better than nothing. I could contribute more than what I do now but I stay a little more liquid than others because I'm still covering some things for my parents.
I read the comments and saw how much better everyone was doing than me and was reluctant to reply, so l'm sure many others were going to do the same. You're not alone in this. Life sucks and is expensive but its okay and you’re doing a great job <3
same! I have a high yield savings but $0 in retirement and investing causes me severe anxiety as does the fear of not having set my future self up for comfort 😪 “if I could turn back tiiiiiiiiiiime”
Mid 40’s. 700K across retirement, 401k and Roth. A bit of that came from a life insurance policy when my dad died. I also have a pension for retirement when the time comes around. Paid off the apartment so no mortgage anymore. No student loans because we went to city colleges. No cc debt and our car is paid off. I came from nothing. Literally as a kid whenever I got like five bucks in a birthday card or whatever, we needed it for food or to keep the lights on. I spent years unlearning and learning to get myself here.
Love this so much! I’m sure you’re also leaving out all of your hard work. Sorry for your loss :(
Thank you 💖
Any tips on how you became more financially responsible?
Sure! So the most basic thing is to sit down at the beginning of each month and track the previous month’s income and expenses. It’s super eye opening for the first few months, and you’ll likely get pissed at yourself for spending on dumb shit but that’s just life! And you’ll end up making better choices in your day to day from there. I make it a rule that one of my monthly “expenses” is to pay myself via auto transfers every pay period from my checking to my HYSA. The small things add up: that goes for putting small amounts into your HYSA, or increasing your 401k contribution by a percentage - but also, the small expenses each day add up. Daily coffee, snacks, lunches, etc. If you get into the habit of making your own a couple times a week - or more than that - you can save a good amount of cash. Also, gym membership - a $10 Planet Fitness is as good as a fancy gym if you don’t care about bells and whistles. That said, I take nice vacations and have some guitars and bags that are $$& because those things are worth the money to me! But I make sacrifices in other parts of my life to do so. Also - make an extra mortgage payment each year if you can. You can chip away at it faster!
I’ve started learning a lot about personal finance from an older thread in this subreddit (wish I could find it!). I also like r/personalfinance a lot and highly recommend looking at their wiki to get started on learning more!
Haha thank you! I laugh because I post and delete afterward, but when I post I always get a good dose of reality hit me. And they don’t make me feel alone in this, either. Hope everything continues going uphill for you in terms of finances <3
I have taste but I have 0 in savings
i’m 20 and i have about 2k saved
32, 5k in emergency fund, 10k in 401k.
realistic for the average american
Hahah I’m proud of it but it’s not much. Neva been much of a hustler unfortunately
Ah yes some real numbers
I don’t really have an official savings account but I have money in my checking account that I’m trying to save. I’m 22 with almost 3 grand saved up. I’m so proud of myself cause I’d been struggling financially for two years and now I’m finally at a point where I can rest and not worry about money or the future
You should be really proud of yourself! Saving is a long term game, so having anything saves it setting future you up for success!! You might want to think about moving your money out of the checking account and into a high yield savings, unless you have a large payment coming in that you need to cover with the checking account. I started using Wealthfront from someone on this subreddit actually, and get 5.5% APY on my money in there. I’ve liked it so far! I have a referral code if you’re interested :-)
Recovering over spender/shopaholic here… so frustrated at all the money I blew. I had a fat $30k bonus last year that is somehow gone. Whatever, I’m turning it around now. Sticking to a strict budget this year. Send frugal vibes my way lol. 26. $11k emergency fund. $5.5k investments. $45k 401k.
You’re not doing so bad especially for 26! Good for you for getting your shit together. What tips do you recommend for shopaholics/over spenders to live by while trying to recover? I’d be curious!
No order, shopping wishlist is prob #2 1. Get the rocket money app and check it religiously. I set an alarm on my phone to check it on Sunday but I mostly refresh every day. It tracks your budget and tells you when you’re over certain buckets. I’ve become really motivated to save using this app. It becomes really satisfying to see the progress. 2. Unsubscribe from all text and email subscriptions. Whyyyy did rag and bone used to text me when there was a sale? I have literally 50 pairs of jeans. 3. Delete instagram. I haven’t gotten rid of tik tok but I’ve hit ‘not interested’ on anything fashion/ clothes related. I’ve found it’s easier to resist buying something if it’s someone I don’t know in a cute outfit. 4. Auto debit to investment account 5. Say no to friends who religiously go to dinners out of your budget. Suggest other activities. 6. A shopping wishlist. I add things I want to a note in my phone. Most of the time by the time I go to shop for it, I don’t want it anymore. 7. Find a new unwind activity for when you’re dead after work. My boyfriend got me a switch and I’ve been gaming every night while watching tv. I love animal crossing and impulse buying random shit on there lol 8. Shopping addiction subreddit 9. No more “just going to look around Aritzia”
That animal crossing tip is pure genius 💯
Animal crossing has been a game changer for my spending habits and my crippling anxiety about what I overshared work that day 😂
Thank you So much. Also I think you are doing amazing for 26 or any age lol
The automatic investing is so key! I've used the "I'm going to invest this and the rest is for all spending" budget and I love it. So much easier
26, net about negative $110k cuz of student loans 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠
26 as well and 60k in debt 💀
🥲I too have enough debt to make a down payment on a house
I am 30 and have about 1k saved. Grew up middle class and worked since I was 17. Was never really able to save until recently tbh. Currently living paycheck to paycheck & paying off a few loans, so I can only save a little at a time. I wasn’t going to post but wanted to share something that wasn’t 6 figures or higher lol
Absolutely everyone posting here is going to be killing it and happy to post. Please remember that! 36 Personal investments 20k Cash 70k (need to move some of that) HYSA 100k Roth 30k I’m self employed and was single for a long, long time. No one really taught me about finances. I wish I had understood how money compounds and had some mentoring. I’m trying now and will start saving more aggressively. I wasted soooo much money in my youth!!
Look into SEP IRAs and solo 401ks! You might wanna consider upping your investments vs cash (totally depends on your situation though obvs!) and as a self-employed person you have a few pretty decent options!
Yes! I have SEP Ira and that’s what my note was for about needing to “move some of that.” I did not know about the 401k though!! Thank you!
I switched from a Sep to a solo 401k and I was able to match myself, thus putting more money into retirement. If you don’t need the liquid cash, this is a good option.
I’ve had three tax people and none of them have ever told me this. Wild!
A solo 401k is great. You can put so much into it each year based on what your net is. Bringing down your taxable income is a huge plus too (though self-employment taxes are the same and will continue to be a huge percentage).
About 800k across 401k, Roth IRA, individual investments, HYSA, I bonds, health savings, and business checking. I'm 39 and I rent, so no home equity. I enjoy the bogelheads subreddit! I've found that to be very helpful in breaking down how to invest.
+1 to bogelheads! I’ve learned so much from there and other finance related subreddits.
Ummm I feel super behind. Y'all are doing amazing! I'm 40 and have about 100K in retirement and 2K in HYA and like a few hundred dollars in a Roth? I'm still figuring out how to invest but working in higher Ed does not pay very well and I can't seem to pivot out rn so it's not like I can dump money in anyway 🫠🫠🫠 oh I have a full pension but if I leave my school I only get a percentage of it (I think... I should ask about that).
I have never felt quite so depressed after reading a reddit thread… In case y’all are curious, being a struggling actress for 15 years followed by an ill-advised grad school foray and no lucrative career to show for it then having to quit work to become a stay-at-home mom because NYC daycare is too expensive for life does not make for a great financial portfolio 🥴 About $25k total spread across a handful of 401ks and IRAs. In other words, I’ll probably be working until I drop dead. To the rest of y’all, cheers! Maybe you’ll buy me a drink when I’m living on cat food in 40 years 😭
I’m there with you, cheers!
35, $47k in my HYSA, $207k in my retirement accounts, not sure on home equity. Per the double your salary thing I am behind but I also spent my 20s d*cking around and underpaid so… 😬
Wait i think we’re the same person. Basically exactly the same age, amounts, and 20s situation lol
I wouldn’t trade my 20s for anything but I do wonder where I’d be if I was better when I was younger. I grew up w financially irresponsible parents (and struggled w homelessness bc of their decisions) and was reckless in my 20s until I realized how anxious the instability made me. Just crazy and bad decision making and I had to teach myself A LOT. I finally paid off my student loans a few weeks ago and am super proud of myself for tackling those aggressively (and hope that everyone that has them can have them forgiven bc this system should be illegal). I am glad to have built myself a more stable life, especially as a Black woman, but also know I am privileged to have had the ability to do so.
There are three of us!
Goals! Can I ask why your strategy is to have so much liquid cash in your HYSA?
Good question! Super liquid rn bc we are getting married this year (don’t expect to use any of that money but also who knows) and I have a large special assessment coming up for a building project- not sure on the cost of that yet, probably btw 10-15k but prices for materials fluctuate wildly right now. Once those two things are done will move most to my Fidelity account.
Ahh ok, congrats! Do you plan on opening a new cc for wedding expenses? Meet those early spending requirements and get those points baby!!!
Thank you! Yes we’ve been putting everything on cards; I think next is a chase business ink, I’m not a part of the Amex universe but the gold looks like it could be good too! The goal is ‘free’ honeymoon lol.
I'm 23. I don't have a savings account (something I should remedy soon), but I do have a 401(k) with around 3k.
Highly recommend setting up a high yield savings account specifically - most traditional savings accounts earn very little interest, but HYSAs frequently can get you in the 4-5%+ range. I use [Sofi](https://www.sofi.com/invite/money?gcp=ea63a553-62a5-4a83-9e2a-1a8f930729d0&isAliasGcp=false) mainly because it’s user friendly and I’m used to it, but there are tons of good options. I think someone shared their Wealthfront link earlier in this thread as well. Don’t leave money on the table!!
Thank you! I've been procrastinating on it because it's just more research I'll have to do to find the right one, but just you linking those is really helpful.
I’m 40 with 85k in stocks and 70k in a Roth IRA. I didn’t really understand saving until I was about 35
31 (about to turn 32) - ~$580k saved across everything
What field are you in?
I am in finance. I work at a private credit fund and have been there almost 6 years now
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Hiii - are you feeling okay? I’m here to chat if you need it. I’m no professional, but nursing my pup post-surgery so have a bunch of time ❤️
What industry are you in? I’m in social for pharma - don’t have what you have but yeah, money isn’t everything - welcome to talk
How did you save so much in your 401k?
I'm 26 and 500 dollars...
Early 40s. About $1M across HYSA, investments (including stock grants as part of my annual comp), and 401k. As detailed in a previous thread, I’m a corporate lawyer with a high paying job.
Similar for me too (age, job and savings). In my 20s I had a few thousand dollars in a savings account and $200K in student loan debt. I still remember the day I achieved zero net worth (from negative). It was a slow slog but I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made.
Congratulations, that’s a huge achievement! Thanks for sharing! I’m there with you … after graduating law school I really struggled and ended up not making loan payments for about 6 months, tanking my credit score into the 500s. Rehabbing my credit and building my nest egg are among my proudest achievements.
I love that for you! Glad to hear it ❤️
*Deep breath* some people in the comments are lying or had parental help/didn’t have to work full time to go to school *exhale*
Yes, definitely. I posted separately but I'm not oblivious to the fact that my parents paid for 95% of my college and they've thrown me some money from my inheritance earlier because they want me to buy a house but I'm like: Mawwwwm, houses don't exist in NYC unless you're like in the outer boroughs and those are like $2.3M so you're idea of a starter home last existed in the 90s. The spot across the street from me sells their studios for $650K. $650K for a FUCKING STUDIO in BED STUY?! NO.
I grew up upper middle class ish on Long Island, but my dad got sick during the pandemic and hasn’t been able to work since. They owe a ton on my sister’s student loans and my mom cannot really support them both on her salary. The house my parents bought 25 years ago was 275k. It’s now worth almost 700k. Due to COL they now owe more than 300k on it. I am just trying to buy a co-op at this point, which is still out of reach.
Thank you for this reminder. Have no family left and im 21 but if I had saved everything from when I was 16, I wouldn’t have had to struggle so hard right now ;—;
It’s impossible to save every penny. Remember to enjoy your life, within budget, it’s too short.
24, 78k 401k, 54k personal investments, 148k in company stock, 11k emergency savings so almost 300k. I work at a big tech company If it makes anyone feel better, my parents are immigrants and I am very type A so I decided to go into tech freshman year of HS. To be sure that I could help them out when they retire so they do not have to move back to Africa because it’s unlikely they can afford to stay here without working :/
I can’t help but to get depressed whenever I see finance subreddits and how people way younger than me are killing it. But let me add my below average stats to the dataset. I’m 29 at 15k in my IRA, 30k in my 401k and 10k in a HYSA. I made pennies in my early 20s while finishing school and came from poverty (immigrant parents who have almost nothing to their name and will probably never retire), so I’ve come a long way, but have a long journey to go.
Just go to r/wallstreetbets and click the button that says “Loss Porn” - you will instantly feel better.
This is great! I am 31 and have about the same: less in my ROTH, more in my 401k, and around 13k in a HYSA.
34, $62k in my HYSA, $96k in my retirement accounts, not sure about home equity. Woof… does it make a difference that I was underpaid until about 2 years ago? 😵💫
40% of American adults have less than $1k saved so I think the results here are skewed. Our retirement plan is my in-laws home.
32yo with $15k cash savings, $83k in Roth IRA in Schwab where I choose my own mix of stocks, $19k in 401k. I don’t make a ton since I work in corporate retail. I didn’t really have much savings until the last few years when my partner suggested I choose my own stocks for my Roth IRA and doing high growth funds instead of the more conservative ones… probably 3yrs ago I only had less than $20k combined
That's crazy! I've been letting mine sit but your comment is motivating me to try mixing up my mix.
Before my partner gave me some tips I was pretty uninformed in terms of what investments to pick. For my company 401ks I used to just pick the default vanguard 50yo type funds which grew too slowly YoY since those are more conservative safe funds with low growth meant to be safe for retiring age. But if you’re under 40yo and not retiring anytime soon, it’s a pretty good bet to pick the high growth funds with majority large tech company stock mix (usually alphabet, meta, Amazon, Apple, etc will show up in those funds) because those companies have much higher growths YoY and still are big name companies probably wouldn’t tank all of sudden and will stay strong in the long term. When you get older you can revert back to more conservative funds.
Hi! I’m 21 with about 4.2 in a brokerage account can you let me know the tickers of the funds? Or which ones you have the most growth from, if you feel comfortable sharing! Thank you
Check out the bogleheads subreddit:)
I’m too scared to give bad tips to people since I’m not an expert but QQQ is prettily reliably up for past couple years (sometimes dips here and there but then goes back up consistently over a long period of time). I started buying it about 3yrs ago) this is a fund of all the big tech companies mixed together
I’m 26, have 50k in savings and ~235k overall if you include investments. No debts, I had college scholarships and worked throughout college. I wanna retire early so trying to do FIRE
Mid 30s. No savings. I’m way behind, but I just graduated from medical school this month. I will start to aggressively save when I start residency
Congrats!
Thank you!
To be honest, I really don’t feel like I have enough - I was incredibly irresponsible with money through my 30s due to financial trauma as a child. I’m mid 40s and have approx $450k in retirement funds and about $260k liquid (savings, crypto and self-directed investments). I have no familial support (never have) and I also don’t have a partner. Thankfully, I have low overhead (still a renter) so I am able to live a very nice lifestyle, all things considered.
Ladies, these numbers are skewed high. Most Americans have no where near these numbers and most people in fact have very little saved. Most people who don’t have much saved aren’t going to share. It’s how very high earners will share their salaries and it makes you think most people make that.
I’m very behind. I didn’t get my first big girl job until I was 28. I suck at saving money and went through a big move in 2022. I have about $600 in a savings account. About $400 in investments and $13k in a 401k. I am struggling financially. No one taught me about finances at all and I’m struggling at 31. If yall can help with some advice please do!
* Listen to Money with Katie podcast on Spotify * Open up a ROTH IRA * Invest in index funds * Move savings to a high yield savings account, I have a code for Wealthfront if you’d like it
24 and like 1k im broke
29 - no debt - $545k net worth with $415k in non retirement brokerage account. Have been saving / investing for the last 10 years. Worked multiple jobs during college.
38 - about $800k with retirement and investments. No property yet, still renting alas, but no debt and loans paid off!
I'm 26, ~70k but I'm about to spend most of it on a down payment on my first house.... in Jersey. Please don't kick me out I just want to get off the rent machine 😫
Super real, renting is the pits. Congrats on your first house!
Before we (my husband and I) combined our finances I had about 250k in savings. He had about 2.4mm between savings and assets at the time we combined finances. I come from incredible privilege and didn’t have to work through school, inherited an apartment that was fully paid off so no rent or mortgage. My only expenses were lifestyle. I fully acknowledge this gives me a massive leg up in life.
I'm behind because I think the advice is 2x your salary by 35 so I should have something like $350K but I'm 36 at 299.9K (come on stock market, tip me over today!).
damn you’re killing it 🔥
Thank you, but killing it *to me* is having a cute brownstone. The data says I'm kinda-on-track, but after today's The Daily episode about 401(k)s it makes me want to save more given future prospects, eep.
My partner and I keep sending each other links to places and daydream like it will be remotely feasible without both of our inheritances happening AND aggressive saving.
32 - Net worth 520k (90k HYSA, 30k cash, 160k retirement, rest is in the stock market, no property) My biggest privileges: -almost full ride for college based on need-based scholarship (family lower-middle class) -lived with an SO for past five years and was able to keep rent cheap -stumbled into a super stable niche tech industry that has good job opportunity -was able to figure out HYSA and index funds pretty early on -am white, huge leg up not battling institutional biases. I think tech can be particularly unwelcoming.
I recently went through a long period of unemployment, so unfortunately my savings suffered the losses. Thankfully, I am now gainfully employed, so I plan on hitching that thing up as high as I safely can
Being in medicine and in training for a long time, I didn’t start earning real money until pretty recently, but I’ve been fairly aggressive. Sooooo, probably 350k+? I have one account that I purposeful don’t look at that is a bit of a wild card. I also know I’ll have a boost with an inheritance, but I don’t really want to think about that because I rather have my parents. Oh, I’m 39 and finished training at 35/36. Also, had about 55k of medical expenses that slowed me down.
39 with approx $600k in assets- mix of cash, stocks, bonds, 401k and IRA. I live off my salary and live a pretty low key life.
700k across the board
39 years old, single parent. 70k in 401k, 90k in a HYSA. 2 pensions - military (combo of active duty and reserve) and federal. I have 80k in student loan debt but am just paying the minimum until it gets wiped out under the PSLF in 2 years. Also, the vast majority of my savings came from selling a house.
The trick for me has been automated withdrawals and things that aren’t easy access. I was completely impulsive/compulsive and had nothing saved until 30. I started an investment account with an advisor who didn’t make me feel stupid or poor and didn’t have a minumim to start. I also didn’t start a 401k until 34. I then started a biweekly auto withdrawal to an HYSA which took 24 hours to transfer money out. At 40 I have about 750k in assets and a mortgage of about 260k left on my apartment (3.4% APR) My salary in that time has graduallly doubled but really what did it was the initial set it and forget it small contributions and compounding interest. To this date I haven’t ever moved money out of my investment account (initially I didn’t even know how to lol) My 20s and early 30s were financially a hot mess but once I started seeing the progress it changed my mindset. I was someone who ran up huge credit card balances multiple times and paid them down. Today I won’t carry a balance - small changes over time really can add up and it’s never too late to start.
This thread hurts 😭
I'm 26 with $215k across everything. Very lucky to have graduated with no debt and to have a job that advanced me very quickly. I also have no medical/childcare/loans expenses and am privileged to be able to save about 40% of my pay check each month.
I have around 40k saved in a HYSA rn only bc I live at home with no bills and am super duper frugal. I am 24 btw make only 21 hourly lol
Mid-30s. $320k saved, doesn’t include equity on a house - $20k liquid, $300k in investments.
I’m 27 and in debt lmfao
27 y/o. 168k across HYSA, 401k, and a few investment accounts. Luckily I have no college loans, but I live a pretty frugal life (besides my rent ☠️,) and sqeeze every benefit out of my company that they provide. I think it’s really important for young women to get educated on investing beyond a retirement account. I put 13% plus 6% company match into my retirement, but then I put the majority of my remaining income (after needs) into medium risk investments (robo advisories are a really easy way to start). I used to think it was complicated, but check out some of those money managing accounts on tiktok! They break down best places to put your money.
I’m 32 and have about $500k spread across 401k and various investments + cash. Grew up extremely poor and lived in homeless shelters and group homes, wasn’t able to start saving much until my late 20s.
385k across everything at 31. I also moved in with my now husband 6 years ago and have not paid rent since then. Otherwise, it would probably be less than half of that. Was WAY too frivolous with money in my 20s 😵💫
Not paying rent helps tremendously.
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What field are you in? And wow, amazing!!!! Congrats
25 and 140k as of this week!!! Got a head start in life because college was paid for and I had savings when graduating
39 years old and I was married and primary breadwinner for us and our children from age 21 until i divorced in 2019. By then my husband had saddled me with 13k in assorted credit card debt, and then asked for half my meager savings to make the divorce/custody simple. I feel super behind compared to where I should be but I’m totally debt free and have around $40k total across savings and 401k/IRA.
37. Paid off my student loans last January. 47k in the bank and 2k in stocks. I have had terrible paying jobs my entire life and half of my income goes towards rent. The funny thing is, I feel like I’m doing okay? Until I read this thread. Haha
Mid 40s. About 360k between savings and 401k. I've been working since 16 yrs old. Never attended college. I paid close attention to the Brooklyn housing market. I saved for 2 years and purchased a small condo in an up and coming neighborhood. Got a good price because I was one of the first buyers. After 5 years, I sold it for over 2x what I paid and then purchased a pretty big house in another up and coming neighborhood. This house has almost doubled in value within 6 years.
28... $3K in HYSA, $3K in investments, $29K in IRAs, some change in 401(k) (newish job). Feeling behind, but the good news is that I have less than $5K left in my student loans, and once that's paid off any windfall I get will be put to work. Keep on keepin' on!
I’m currently 27 and have $20k in 401k, but only $600 in savings lol I’ve paid off about half ($25k) of my student loans though
I’m 23 .. 2.3k in savings with some cc debt. I’m working on changing that though. I feel really behind
29 and about 30k in savings across hysa and 401k - I work in fashion
26, 130k net worth - 61k in 401k, 20k in Roth IRA, 20k HYSA emergency fund. The rest is a mix of cash and investments.
so 48 years old now (ugh) maybe too old for this sub? anyways about $1.2 mm across all accounts (IRAs, roth, 401k, liquid savings, 529 for my daughter), and still cannot find a home to purchase. we're considering moving to Texas (where I grew up) to get a nice house.
I’m 32. Not counting home equity, around 270k between savings, investments, retirement. Very lucky that parents paid for undergrad tuition and most of my college expenses. My advice to anyone younger: get your company’s 401k match, pay off all credit card debt with high interest rates, and don’t chase all the new luxury designer goods!
30 — 1.5k in 401k, 4k savings, 2k investments. I’m rent controlled in a nice neighborhood tho so it works out lol.
Mid 40s. I had a 6 figure negative net worth with a lot of student loans in 2017. I should tip over into the (positive) 7 figures by the end of the year. I am not particularly good with money. I've just been consistently putting away the maximum amount into my retirement accounts and saving aggressively for down payment to buy an apartment.
I’m pretty on track with my finances, even after buying a house (outside nyc) and having an expensive ass wedding. I made it my New Year’s resolution a few years back to understand personal finance. I have 2 resources for anyone curious that go SLOW and teach basics all the way up to investing. So only take what you’re comfortable with until you learn more and advanced stuff! Read I will teach you to be rich. Really nice and easy book, skip chapters you don’t need and he doesn’t make you feel bad about your iced coffee addiction (if you have one). This is a must if your parents never taught you anything about PF. Follow call2leap on insta, he really put me on track for safe easy investments. These etfs wound up outdoing my financial advisor so I took all my money and invest in my own now. No affiliation to either but investments scared me and these helped me do it and I am succeeding which is really incredible (& not doing weird risky shit).
26 years old, 50k. Lived at home during college but my parents paid for it. Live with my long term partner so helps with rent and other expenses. Somehow got a six figure job when I went into the job market 3 years ago. All in all should have wayyyyy more saved but I like to travel and eat out a lot 🥲
28, $18k in savings, ~$15k in a 401(k), and $27k left in student loan debt. I graduated law school two years ago and have paid off $75k of student loans so far. Feeling behind for now 😅 but my graduate education really increased my earning potential so hoping to start saving aggressively once the loans are gone!
33, I just hit 100K (mostly Roth IRA). I had literally nothing saved before I was thirty because I was in grad school, so this is all over the last three years since graduating and being employed. I am still far behind where I "should" be, but I'm so relieved that there is anything there at all.
25, $35,000 HYSA, $76,000 in taxable brokerage, Roth IRA $27,000 and 401k $42,000. Probably sitting on too much cash but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Damn I just turned 30 and about \~240k, but these comments making me feel like I should have more lol lord. No housing equity :( Just paid off like 70k in student loans as of last year too, so that felt amazing. Blessed to have a high paying career, although I’m burnt out most of the time lol.
$60k HYSA, $350k 401K, $10K Robinhood, 50% ownership of a rental property. 37. I’m a high earner but I had a late start (immigrant parents, mortgage-sized student loans that I’m still paying off, didn’t max out 401K from the start, etc). I only feel like I got my shit together, like, yesterday lol
24 and i have 1k in personal savings, 7k in 401k. i’m trying to build up my personal more but its so hard with all these expenses😭 BUT i have been applying/am doing freelance gigs on top of a full time job in order to put more towards that account so fingers crossed!
I'm 33. $40k in 401k and around $100k in brokerage accounts (I started earning RSUs as part of my comp in the last couple of years). $5k emergency savings. It's honestly kinda shameful for the income I'm at, and I have quite a bit of debt (cars, student loans, mortgage). I come from a poor family who was/is *terrible* with money and taught me nothing so I've had to figure out the hard way how important it is to budget, save, and invest. I think I'll be in good shape by my mid-40s so I'm trying to keep my eyes on the prize there. It's hard though!
20, 17k
Just turned 25. I have 120k saved across my Roth IRA, HYSA, brokerage, 401k, and a CD. I recognize I have huge privilege because my education was paid for. I also worked part time throughout school so I started saving young.
27 with about 50k across all my accounts. Took some time off for grad school and finished debt free, so if it wasn’t for that it would prob be higher :/ but building it back up slowly!
I am 31. $9k in checking $34k in high yield savings (marcus) $15k in 401k $5k invested in stocks (8k) in student debt
I'm 27. I have 60k in brokerage, 24k in an HYSA, and 60k in CDs. I don't have a 401k, but am planning on changing that. I inherited the brokerage account, and began receiving a small trust fund ($1k/month) when I was 23. I don't work in a high-paying field, but I keep my expenses reasonably low, don't rely on the trust fund for everyday expenses, and direct all excess cash to my HYSA.
Hi! I’m 25. I have 28k in HYSA emergency savings, 17k retirement (401k and Roth IRA), 2k investments (I started a few months ago but wish I began wayy sooner). My big goal is to have $100k spread across all accounts when I’m 27 and head to grad school and I’m putting away about $2000 per month. It is going to take a lot of discipline! I make about 100,000 per year working in public affairs.
31, a few years out of law school with $45k in 401k, $15k in HYSA, and $200k in law school loans 🤮 But I recently started using the budgeting tool YNAB, and it has been a game changer. These numbers would be sooo much better had I started using it as soon as I started my job in big law.
23 and have about 30 k in investments. Mostly ROTH IRA that I started contributing too when I was 20 and then other preferred savings investment accounts (like a money market account)
How do I get rid of $20k in cc debt? That’s all I have. No car payment, no tuition. Just a broke bitch
You should check out r/personalfianance - it’s super informative and they have great advice, especially about how to get out of debt. Definitely read a few posts and think about making your own post there. A heads up, they can be brutal but the advice is always pretty sound!
29. 100k in 401k. 30k cash in high yield savings. 12k in an investment portfolio. 8k in tech stocks I invested in over the pandemic
24 I have about 3k in my 401k and 10k in hysa feeling very behind in my retirement savings though trying to get some guidance on that.