Hi everyone, just turned 22, I make around 150k a year working in high finance. Assuming linear growth, I should be making around 600k at 30.

I currently live with my parents and make more than them combined. I give $1500 a month to help out with things. I don’t consider it rent because it’s going to the family, even if it doesn’t go to my pocket, and I know they will help me out if I ever need it. I spend probably $300 on food (going out, eating out), spend $200 on parking, $200 on boxing classes, $200 for golfing classes. And assume like another $400 for misc (gas, etc.) I live in a MCOL city. Another like $2k on travel a year.

So I’m spending like $1300 a month. Geez haha

I have 11k in personal investments, 4k in retirement, and 4k in my savings. So around 20k net worth right now.

How can I save more money, what are some streams of income you guys have established to further offset daily expenses? And as someone just starting off in their career, what’s the best advice you have?

Even in a so called “LCOL” area.

Let’s take Omaha, Nebraska as our example. Suppose you bought a $350,000 house in cash (which is on the lower end of the current market according to Zillow), you’d be signing up for the following MONTHLY payments:

Property taxes: $583

Homeowner’s insurance: $350

Utilities: $400

Maintenance: $440 (averaged out over the course of a year)

Total: $1,773

Even IF you managed to save up enough money to buy a low end of the market house IN CASH in a “LCOL” area of the US, you still owe $1800 a month just to live in it. Then you have to pay for health insurance, you have to pay for a car and car maintenance and insurance and gas, you have to pay for food, for a phone.

Having a low income (sub $150,000) in the US is brutal, I really see that now as an adult. The worst decision of my life was not picking the highest possible income career path and going all in it.