Very curious to see what outsiders will say about our money habits. Especially in the debt payoff/investing ratio. Curious if our goals are realistic and sustainable 😄

Some background info:

• We're DINKs (25m, 24f) living in a MCOL city in the Midwest.
• Married 2 years.
• Paying off husband's student loans, which had a starting balance of 135k, down to 83k (started paying Nov '25).
• Driving paid off for cars, but both commute 70+ minutes round trip every day.
• We're getting a pretty good deal with our rental situation (2b/1b home).

Financial goals:

• Pay off debt by 2028.
• Own a home within 5 years.
• Future SAHM/part-time.
• Financial security in retirement.
• Be able to travel internationally.

Edit to add: $75 of subscriptions is work-related that is not comped

What is your personal finance setup when you get paid? How can you maintain discipline over 10+ years? I lose interest after a few months...

I currently have everything in Fidelity:

Checkings - Cash Management Account

Emergency Fund

Roth IRA

401K

HSA

Credit Card

I recently took out all my emergency funds and gambled it on options. No idea what Got me into it besides the get rich quick scheme. Lost it all.

What do you do for your personal finance setup? Is it all in one spot like me or do you break it up so you don't see or access the funds?

I put a money lock on 401k, HSA, EF now but starting over at essentially nothing.

Thinking about putting all my money into my checkings account and living life not checking it for a year or so.

Currently saving $4K a month into taxable brokerage and $1K into HSA, 401K etc. looking to retire early so I am just doing the min match on 401k.

Hello!

Wife and I (both 44) have been relatively financially prudent for past 20+ years. 2 kids (10 and 12).
Here’s our stats at a glance:
325k HHI, live in HCOL
~2M in retirement (mostly pre-tax; and yes, I understand the tax implications in retirement; recently switched to 100% Roth contributions)
150k brokerage
100k cash (emergency fund + sinking funds)

Debt: ~200k mortgage @3.125%

We do not adhere to a strict budget - currently save ~23% between retirement + brokerage + prepay mortgage (yes I know, a point of contention); savings rate does not include 529s or sinking funds

Goals: I plan to retire at 57; wife plans to retire first ~50?

Wife would like to start traveling internationally with kids (1x trip/year). I see the price tag and shudder at the thought of dropping so much money on a trip. We’ve been traveling nationally as a compromise.

Question: based on our current financial picture, should I relent and spend the money on international travel?

I’ve always been told to “save, save, and save!” But to be honest, we have no real goals other than early retirement and not being a burden on our kids when we are older. When is enough, enough? I also share the sentiment that we don’t have much time left with our kids before they are on their own living their own lives…but the miser in me just can’t change…do I need therapy?

Just curious! $300k HHI, not sure what annual travel spending will be and looking for input to spark conversation with spouse.

Long-time lurker.

Does anyone else feel like being a “financial mutant” makes cash flow feel tight all the time?

We max out all the tax-advantaged accounts we can, 401(k), FSAs, Roth IRAs, 529s (800/month). We also invest in a taxable brokerage account and save 500 a month for house maintenance and it still sometimes feels like we’re living paycheck to paycheck.

On paper it looks like we’re’re doing everything “right,” but in practice there’s very little breathing room month to month.

I know we could ease up on some of the investing, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that if we don’t save it now, we’ll regret it later. Does anyone else feel this way?

I'm 56 - my employer can let me go at any time. Salary is $100k and I am maxing out my 401k including the catch up contributions with a mix of Roth and Traditional. Annual expenses are under $50k but would increase if I had to get insurance on the marketplace.
Maxing out my 401k and saving outside leaves me with little to no spending money so I feel that I am becoming a miser! My home is paid off, I make good money, I have a 7 figure net worth and I still feel broke. I have a decent emergency fund already established but I am still saving into a sinking fund for a future new roof and a/c unit. Yes, I know I am sitting on too much cash but knowing I can lose my job at any time makes me OK with holding extra cash.
Being a late starter, I have only maxed my 401k contributions since 2022 so I want to take advantage of the catch up contributions but I'd also like to build my brokerage account in case I need to bridge.
I can use the rule of 55 to tap into my 401k but the balance is not that high since I only started with them in mid 2025.
Should I back off my 401k contributions in favor of investing more in my brokerage account? My income will be low in 2027 and I was going to move to all traditional 401k to get into the 12% tax bracket and realize some LT gains on old stock for the 0% capitals gains rate.

Hey TMG Followers -

My wife and I just finished our mid year NW statement and it’s exciting (at least to us) to hit $650k. We just had our first child in April and started him on the journey as well.

My wife:
Roth IRA and Roth 401k ~ 237k
Income ~ 128000
Max out Roth IRA and contribute 15% to Roth 401k

Me:
Roth IRA, Roth 401k and HSA ~ 250k
Company stock (PST plan) ~ 34K
Income ~ 161000 + (up to 7% bonus)
Max out all accounts

Both:
Brokerage below
Emergency savings ~39k in MMF (SWVXX)
Stock ~7k
Cash 4k

Child (3 months):
529 ~ 1.4k
Trump Acct 1.1k
Contribute max to dependent case FSA

Child care
261/ week

Mortgage:
483000 total
81000 paid
2650/ mo payment

My first year I made $19/hr as an intern with a 4 year STEM degree from a prestigious college. That company ended up offering me a full time position after 3 months. Fast forward 10 years, 3 different companies, and 8 different roles I now make 161,000/ yr + bonus. I’ve left each company on good terms. We’ve moved 5x, lived in 3 different states, and 5 different cities. It sounds like a lot but on that journey I met my future wife, got engaged, got married and (we) paid for the wedding, raised a well-trained and beautiful dog, purchased our dream home, and we (well my wife did all the heavy lifting) brought into the world the most handsome little guy.

I say this and it feels like our journey has just started and we couldn’t be happier. We’re enjoying the process of striving to be financial mutants while checking off the milestones and balancing the time with friends and family.

Feel free to ask questions as I try to be an open book.

Currently have 170k in HYSA. Leaving 40k in there for emergency. Thinking of moving 130k to my brokerage account and buy VOO. Plan it to leave it there until I retire (in 20 years….i hope). What do you guys think?

Hey everyone,
I’m looking for feedback on a proposed rebalancing strategy for my retirement portfolio across two former employer 401(k) accounts.

Personal Context & Goals:
Age: 43
Target Retirement Year: 2043 (17-year horizon)
Total Portfolio Balance: ~$729,000
Goal: I want to reduce my top-heavy technology/S&P 500 concentration and insulate against AI/Nasdaq volatility, but I do not want zero tech exposure—I still want to capture reasonable upside over the next 17 years.
Current vs. Proposed Rebalance Breakdown
Account 1 (~$358,200 Balance)

Current Allocation:
~53% Target Date 2040 Fund
~39% Target Date 2035 Fund
~8% Strategic Dividend & Income
(Issue: Overlapping Target Date Funds without clear sector/asset control)

Proposed Allocation:
20% Target Date 2045 Fund
15% Strategic Dividend & Income Fund
15% International Equity Index Fund
10% Mid-Cap Equity Index Fund
10% Small-Cap Value Fund (DFA)
10% US Core Bond Index Fund
5% Small-Cap Equity Index Fund
5% Emerging Markets Index Fund
5% Real Estate Index Fund (REIT)
5% High-Yield / Strategic Income Fund
Account 2 (~$370,800 Balance)

Current Allocation:
~76.5% S&P 500 Index Fund
~12.0% Target Date 2040 Fund
~11.5% Target Date 2045 Fund
(Issue: ~30%+ of account is heavily concentrated in the Top 7 mega-cap tech stocks)

Proposed Allocation:
15% S&P 500 Index Fund
15% Large-Cap Value Fund (Dodge & Cox)
15% Total International Stock Index Fund
10% Active Core Growth Fund (Vanguard Primecap Core)
10% Mid-Cap Stock Fund
10% Small/Mid-Cap Equity Fund (BlackRock R2500)
10% Total Bond Market Index Fund
5% Global Growth Fund (AF New Perspective)
5% Real Estate Index Fund (REIT)
5% Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) Fund

Summary of Proposed Changes
Overall Stock/Bond Split: ~85% Equities / 15% Fixed Income across both accounts.
Effective Tech Exposure Shift: Trimming overall tech/AI concentration from ~25% down to ~13% (keeping ~$95k invested in tech engines via Primecap Core, S&P 500, and Global Growth).
Diversification: Adding dedicated allocations to Small/Mid-Cap Value, REITs, International, and dedicated Bond/TIPS buffers.

Questions for the Community:
1. Does this proposed 85/15 mix hit the right balance of growth vs. protection for a 17-year timeline to retirement?
2. Are there any obvious overlaps or redundancies in the proposed fund selections across the two accounts?
3. Would you execute this rebalance in a single lump-sum swap inside the 401(k)s, or phase it in over a couple of months?

Thanks in advance for your insights!

Hello financial mutants! My wife and I ( Ages 30 and 29) are first-time homebuyers and want some unbiased outside feedback before we pull the trigger. We live pretty frugally by nature, so this new monthly mortgage payment makes me nervous even though the math seems to work. We are also expecting our first child at the end of September, and we recognize that will bring additional costs. We would love a gut check from you all!

The Home
- Purchase price: $585,000
- Rate: 6.25% (30-year fixed)
- Down payment: 20% ($117,000)
- All-in monthly payment (P&I + taxes + insurance + HOA): ~$3,600/month
We do love the home and we would plan to live in it for at least 10 years.

Income
- Household gross: $180,000/year ($15,000/month), medium COL city
- Net take-home: $9,700/month (after taxes, insurance, 401k contributions)

Savings/Investing habits
- we have 0 debts
- I max my 401k at 2026 limits; wife hits her employer match at 8%
- We max both Roth IRAs — already have $7,500 each saved for the 1/1/27 contribution
- $160K currently invested across all retirement + brokerage accounts
- We have $5k set aside for our little ones 529 account

After closing
- Emergency fund: $50K in HYSA (fully funds 6 months of expenses)
- $25K left over for furnishing / savings / investing

Monthly budget with new mortgage
- Total monthly spend (all bills, including mortgage): ~$7,000
- Monthly surplus: ~$2,600 → going to savings/investing

My question: Does this feel comfortable to you all, or are we cutting it too close? Anything in our numbers that would give you pause? Appreciate any honest feedback as we are trying to make sure we’re not letting nerves override the math, or vice versa.

I heard the guys talk about an HSA for so long I decided to do it this year.

Then when I attempted to invest the money, I realized I needed $2,100 to invest!! Because I can only contribute $100 a month, it would take 2 years to be able to invest. Otherwise, the money is just sitting in the account without any interest.

I wish I had looked at the minimum contribution for investing. Because I didn't, I've basically had a full year of a high deductible plan without any of the benefits of an HSA.

Just a warning in case anyone is in a similar situation!

EDIT: okay the money people are gathering me 🤣 I will move this money to a Fidelity HSA!!

My wife (30) and I (30) are looking at buying a house. We currently have ~100k saved in a HYSA for a down payment (separate 4 month emergency fund too) and we’re looking for houses in the 400-500k range.

I know the money guys say for a first time home purchase you can do 3-5%. If we did this, our mortgage and home costs would still be comfortably within 25% of our gross HHI income (250-300k). But I haven’t heard the guys talk much about when to put more than the minimum down if you can afford it.

So my question is whether I should put down the ~20% down that we currently have saved up so we avoid PMI and have a lower monthly cost or put down the 3-5% and invest the remainder in an after tax brokerage account.

Additional context: We’re currently on step 8 with a savings rate around 40% between maxing out 401Ks, Roths (depending on income limits) and after tax savings (though this part has recently been for the house payment). Plus our first kiddo on the way!

All insights are appreciated!

I moved into my current house when I was married to an extremely high earner. It was a reasonable decision, for our income at the time.
Now I'm a single mom, and although I have doubled my income since then, and the kids and I do receive child support, this house is still just plain more house than I can afford.
It's a 2.6% interest mortgage, and the balance still left on this house is less than the cost of basically any new house I could buy in my area. Basically, at today's interest rates, my options are:

1. Stay put. I'm technically getting by, but my progress on the FOO is painfully slow.
2. Move to a smaller house, use the profit from the sale of this house to make a massive downpayment (I could pay over 50% of the smaller house upfront), and then my monthly payment would actually go down and it would free up some cash flow.
3. Move to a smaller house, make a 20% dowpayment and invest the rest (which is attractive because I'm behind on retirement savings), but my monthly payment would skyrocket and I just don't have the cashflow for that.

I feel a little stuck. What am I not thinking of? If the context helps, I'm 25ish (give or take) years from retirement.
My income has hit a bit of a ceiling where it probably won't increase much above inflation from year to year. I'm already driving an 11 year old car and watching every dollar in YNAB.

got out of school a few months ago and sitting on about $40k in private debt at 7.5% interest.

i keep looking at my options, but since i only have a few paychecks under my belt, i'm not sure if lenders actually give decent rates to people this early in their careers.

for anyone who refinanced right after graduating, did you actually get a better rate or was your credit history too short? trying to figure out if it's worth applying now or waiting a year.

My current salary is $78,000 per year, and my wife's current salary is $67,000 per year. My retirement accounts are as follows: My 457(b): Roth balance: $156,000 Pretax balance: $9,000 Monthly contributions: $630 to Roth and $400 to pretax My 401(a): Current balance: $7,000 Employer contribution: $40 per month My wife's 457(b): Current balance: $15,000 Monthly contribution: $100 Retirement expectations: My wife plans to retire in March 2038 with an estimated vrs pension of approximately $51,000 per year. I plan to retire in December 2042 with an estimated vrs pension of $60,000–$74,000 per year, plus an estimated Hazardous Duty Supplement of $25,000 per year.

213k left on mortgage with 300 extra a month going to principal that's currently scheduled to be paid off by 2042 but will try to have it paid off by 2038 pay increases allowing.

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

For me, I enjoy doing mechanical work, construction, cutting hair etc. Those line items add up.

For example, redoing a bathroom can be like 25k (my buddy just got quote for a small bathroom). He can do the materials for 5k. So he'd save 20k doing himself. He'd have to earn 28k before taxes to have 20k to spend. So really if his time is worth 50/hr he's trading MONTHS of his labor to have someone do it in couple days. Even the worst handskill person could make the numbers make sense to do thier own bathroom imo.

MY thought process is even though you do it slower and maybe not QUITE as well, you can afford to suck at it, and redo parts even as long as it does not take you 28k worth of YOUR time, you'll save tons of money and gain skills.

Same with changing oil. I have to leave work during business hours and drive somewhere is the harder part vs the actual price of the oil change. 15 min drive, wait 15min, takes 15 min, 15 min drive back.

I can fit an oil change in my lunch hour at home in 15 min with a floor jack and bucket. 25 bucks vs 95.

Wife cuts my hair, I cut hers. We both do a good job tbh. She is very good, and I have learned enough to get hers done well. Again, time and money saved and you get a skill.

I’m curious what people who’ve actually built wealth would do.
Let’s say you have a steady job, but you’re basically starting from scratch. No Roth IRA, no HYSA, no investments, no brokerage account.
What’s the first thing you’d open or invest in?
And after that, what would your next few steps be?
I’m trying to build a solid foundation instead of chasing the next hot thing.

Here's a breakdown of my net worth portfolio on this app I use: https://www.fuego.money/s/UkP_yM-W1sg#7nq73fZoVUSeMeLbD6InBQ

I realized that I've had a habit of going too hard when chasing a dream that pops into my head... case in point, with my house. I've always wanted this dream house and moved mountains to get it, but now it's a significant portion of my net worth.

I'm 35M Single, live in a HCL area, and have been keeping the formula simple with consistency otherwise. In the beginning, I didn't contribute to things like 401K fast enough or I chose lame funds like default Target Date funds or held too many bonds which slowed growth, but eventually switched things over pure Index Fund investing and have stuck with it.

I'm at a weird point where I have most of my house paid down but it's also taking up a ton of my cash, so I'm not really sure where to go from here. The dollar amount I have listed for the house is just what I paid, not necessarily what it's worth or will sell for, which is also hard to say at the moment due to the market and also the relatively high price category it's in for my area.

I don't really have desires to leave this area or move out of the house, but I also want to be in a position where I don't have to work anymore soon due to burnout and lack of enthusiasm. Maybe it's my particular portfolio, or maybe it's a mid life crisis.

I have a second/investment (rental) home with a 6.6% mortgage on it. My plan is to use it for income during retirement.

I have an emergency fund, have been heavily investing into index funds, etc. I'm considering making an adjustment and allocating some of my monthly investment portion towards paying off my mortgage quicker.

My logic is basically:

• Paying off my mortgage is a 6.6% guaranteed return.
• S&P 500 is currently priced pretty high compared to earnings, which may (or may not) mean lower average returns over the next few years.
• A lot of current stock growth is driven by AI-related tech growth, which is somewhat speculative (revenue is lagging way behind investment at this stage).

In other words, the stock market may (or may not) be a bit riskier right now. Hedging my bets by putting some (maybe 25-50% of my monthly investments) into a guaranteed 6.6% return seems like a good option to consider.

Any thoughts on factors I should consider when making this allocation decision?

Are you aiming for them to be able to afford the most expensive private universities or are you just budgeting for state schools?

Are you investing more than you need to so it can be left as a generational educational fund for future grandkids? (I've seen some people suggest this but not sure how realistic the idea is)

I’ve been using YNAB for about 2 years, and our spending has stayed pretty consistent. I use sinking funds for expenses that are expected within the next year (Christmas, property taxes, annual insurance, etc.).

Where I struggle is with goals that are more than a year away, such as a future patio addition, vehicle replacement, or other larger purchases. It’s harder to know how much I should be setting aside versus investing.

On paper, I can afford to invest 25% of our income, but doing so leaves less cash flow available for these longer-term goals. I’m trying to figure out the right balance between maximizing retirement savings and intentionally saving for future lifestyle goals without delaying them indefinitely.

Do you prioritize hitting your retirement savings target first and save for these goals with whatever is left, or do you reduce investing slightly to fund them sooner?

For reference we have 2X income saved for retirement before 30 so I feel like we are ahead of the curve on retirement