I know comparison is the thief of joy but feels tough being 30 and still making below $200K living in NYC…

funnylikehelpful
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Same scenario here but in SF

On the bright side though, I've only had to do 1 business trip in 2025 so far, its been all remote, and because I'm working EST clients my days are relatively light (occassional 5 am meetings, but never any meetings or work past 2pm)

Lets me focus on health which has been great - able to get roughly 2 hrs of workouts in a day now which has been huge, down 8 lbs this month

likeuplifting

So, I’m in the same boat and have thought of this a lot…

- First of all, our comp puts us in the 98th percentile of all earners our age. It’s a nice accomplishment to keep in mind even though living in NY beats you up at every turn.
- Secondly, it all sort of depends on where you are (in other words, the cookie cutter advice out there can make you feel unnecessarily bad). I only save the 401k match currently, putting me out of alignment with budgeting best practices but even that has netted me $250k invested in the S&P (in addition to the $280k I have in personal brokerage accounts… didn’t start w more than $5k, but it just compounded over time). That has allowed me flexibility to have a pretty fancy lifestyle (lots of travel, nice clothes, club memberships). I could save $20k a year if I didn’t have my club memberships ($6k) and traveled less or not at all.
- If you keep going, think about your career strategically, and maximize the benefits of your experience, this will be the least you’re going to earn in your career.

Yes, I know, it’s a lot easier because I have some dosh saved up already/that isn’t the case for many, but a) even having a big head start it’s still bothered me, so you’re not alone, and b) there are levers you can pull if you want to save more if that is important to you.

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I don't know you are showing off or really serious.

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My uncle is 61 and working and making less than 60k. It’s all relative. My father retired making 40k in Dallas…

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If you weren’t born earlier and earning high back then. Big tech is the only W2 in the country where you can actually make real money at the lower levels. Otherwise you need to start your own company and hope for the best.

I’m 36 and only at 215k

You could be 31 making 100k in Washington DC

You choose where you live. Lmao

I lived on way less than that in NYC for years and years, and lived very comfortably, so not really sure what you are complaining about here. Maybe you need to adjust your lifestyle? 🤷‍♀️

Definitely don’t need to spend $5k for a one bed in nyc/manhattan lol. Unless you need a luxury building.

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