Occupation: Copywriter
Industry: Tech
Age: 37
Location: San Jose, CA
Salary: $158,600
Joint Income/Financial Setup: I have a partner, L., with a base salary of $180,000. So combined, we make $338,600 + RSUs. (These numbers are all gross pay).
Assets: We just bought a home together!
Debt: $1 million (our mortgage).
Paycheck Amount (2x month): $3,364.28
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses

Housing Costs: $3,000 for my portion; $4,000 for my partner’s portion. We own and have no roommates.
Monthly mortgage payment: $6,352.85
HOA fees: $739
Cell phone bill: $171 (split with my brother)
GEICO car insurance: $76.36
Adobe portfolio: $9.99 (to host my copywriting portfolio)
Peacock subscription (yearly): $55.67

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?
Yes, absolutely. There was no question that I would go to college to earn a bachelor’s degree. My parents are refugees from Vietnam, and they wanted us to have a better chance at life.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s) educate you about finances?
The primary conversations my parents had with me about money were about saving, not spending; about always getting discounts, always buying things on sale, or getting them for free. That was all I knew about money growing up. They didn’t educate me further on finances beyond that, and I don’t blame them; they were navigating America for the first time, too.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
My very first job was scooping ice cream at Baskin-Robbins when I was 16. I think I just wanted to make my own money because I didn’t have a consistent allowance from my parents. If I wanted something, they would have to approve of it and get it for me, or I’d wait for them to get it for my birthday or Christmas.

Did you worry about money growing up?
Yes, absolutely. Some of my core memories around money are of my parents arguing over money or of them making me aware of their money troubles. My earliest memory of money was of them getting into a fight over $100 that my dad sent over to his relatives in Vietnam. So at a very early age, I learned that money was very scarce and valuable.

Do you worry about money now?
I do, but I’m trying to be better about it. It’s hard not to carry the values you grew up with into adulthood. I’ve talked to my therapist about this after buying the house, since it’s the most I’ve ever spent on my cost of living. I’m having a hard time knowing that I’m not saving as much money every month, on top of paying for the hidden expenses that come with a house. 

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I became financially responsible for myself when I turned 25 and moved out of my parents’ house into an in-law unit in San Francisco. Since my parents had provided things for me for so long, it made me realize that I took a lot of little things for granted, like sponges, soap, trash bags, and even toilet paper! Those things really add up.