Hello. I’ve lurked around a few financial subs, and I’ve been wanting to take some action on my financial health for a few years. Instead, I’ve just dumped myself into working and need some guidance on what to do.
Me: 32yo who lives a pretty simple life (in a HCOL area, frequently on top 10 most expensive cities to live in US). With all of my expenses each year, (rent, insurances, food, etc.) I probably spend ~25k/year. I don’t actually hold a budget, but I grew up in a working-class family that lived paycheck-to-paycheck, so, I haven’t adapted much to any lifestyle of “luxury”. And with that, I also never developed any sort of financial literacy (other than a major “saving” mentality when it comes to money). Through nearly all of my 20s, I worked volunteer/super low-paying jobs, and it wasn’t until ~28 where I got my first salaried job making ~40k/year. The last two years, I’ve worked my way up and hustle 2-3 jobs at a time, and have brought in ~80k-110k each year. I will reliably make ~90k/year moving forward (with possibly an extra $20k, depending on my side jobs).
Current situation: Over the last few years, I’ve just been saving up money, putting stuff into my employer matched 401k, and letting it sit in my bank account. I have enough financial literacy to know that this isn’t smart, but, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with it.
Savings/Checking: ~$155k
401k: ~70K
EE Series Bond: $10k
The only debt I hold is student loan debt ~$95k. I have not been making payments with the student loan pause. I work in a career that if I stay on the income-driven repayment, whatever is left will be forgiven after another ~7 years.
Any guidance/direction would be helpful. I know that it depends on what I “want”, and I think that’s where I’m stuck. I’d love to own a home someday (not sure timeline), but mostly, I just want to be “smart” with the money I have, and having it sit in a savings account seems like that isn’t it. I’ve though about finding a financial advisor, but I frequently see advice posted in subs that say they don’t actually help/support. So, any advice on next steps I should take? Thanks in advance.
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Author Of this post: /u/chrislikesplants
Title Of post: Financially illiterate and need some direction
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