Industry: Arts and culture
Age: 39
Location: Las Vegas
Salary: $97,770 + 5% bonus
Assets: Checking: $2,000; HYSA: $14,000; Roth IRA: $57,638; traditional IRA: $5,895; 401(k): $164,936; HSA: $15,292; brokerage account: $8,706; home equity: $172,000
Debt: $257,726 (mortgage: $247,000; car loan: $10,726)
Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $3,760
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing Costs: Mortgage: $1,366 (includes taxes and home insurance).
Loan Payments: car payment- $335
Income Taxes: $1,243 (no state income tax).
401(k): $1,203 (company match up to 3% of salary).
HSA: $270 (company match up to $500).
Roth IRA: $250
Internet: $53
Phone: $0 ($35, but reimbursed by work).
Donations: $50 (rotating and comes with company match).
Water & Sewer: $80
Trash: $16
Electricity: $67 (goes up wildly in the desert summer).
Netflix: $23 (it’s worth it for the obscene amount of loved ones on my account).
Rakuten Viki: $6 for mom’s K-drama obsession.
Insurance: $0 (fully covered by employer).
Apple Storage: $10
Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
There was never a conversation about an alternative route. My parents paid for the vast majority of undergrad with a smattering of grants. It was understood that I would — and did — pay for grad school. Probably should have skipped that one, oh well.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
That’s another conversation we never had. I have always been risk averse and inherited a scarcity mindset from grandparents, so I learned timidly first hand how to navigate money.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I did scorekeeping for a youth sports league on weekends in high school. It was money to spend on teenage priorities.
Did you worry about money growing up?
While we didn’t talk about money, my family provided and I never had to worry about money. When the Great Recession hit, we felt it and my mom’s dramatic flair did stress us kids a bit. Our lifestyle has always been stable and I know I’m very privileged.
Do you worry about money now?
Yes, because it’s something I have always done and it’s part of being an adult. I try to keep myself in a position where it’s not keeping me up at night, but I budget and constantly check where I stand. I worry most about taking care of my parents in their retirement since they still skirt around the issue of what their financial plan is when the time comes.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
Hard to say. Even after I got my first career job, lived on my own, and paid my bills, there have been times when I moved back in with my parents or partners to be economical, or borrowed a car. I guess the answer is when I got off my parents’ health insurance at 26? Again, counting my blessings. I know my family would figure out a way to help me if I need it.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
I received an inheritance when my grandmother passed. I don’t plan or like to think about any future windfalls. I get a couple hundred dollars a month renting out storage space on my property. On occasion, an acquaintance who does business in Vegas rents a spare room when they’re in town for another couple of hundred.
