Occupation: Designer
Industry: Tech
Age: 35
Location: San Francisco, CA
Salary: $365,000
Joint Income/Financial Setup: I pay $0 in housing costs currently because I split my week between my parents’ house and my boyfriend (M.)’s condo, which he pays the rent for. In the past, I’ve always lived either solo or with roommates and paid rent, but I gave up my apartment last year when my parents bought a house. Since my parents split their time between Asia and the US, I take care of the garden and watch our cats while they’re away. I do understand how privileged I am, and feel very blessed to have this housing setup right now.
Assets: $926,000 (Checking: $5000 (varies); HYSA: $72,000; Investments: $464,900; Retirement: $334,100; Car: $50,000).
M. and I haven’t combined finances yet; I would only do that after we’re married. He pays the rent for his own apartment, and I cover most of our groceries and household items.
Debt: $0
Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $3800; I max out my 401(k) each year. I get reimbursed for perks or company travel, so how much I get per month really varies. I tend to book all my trips for the year in the first five months of the year, so I lower my total contribution balances, and then around June I adjust them and start contributing more.
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses

Housing Costs: $0
Loan Payments: $0
Medical HCFSA: I contribute the max: $3,300 per year.
Retirement: 10-15%. I max out my 401(k) each year and get the full employer match. Once I’ve hit the 401(k) limit, I put additional savings toward a Backdoor Roth IRA.
Health & Dental Insurance: $0 for myself; I cover M.’s health insurance as well.
Phone: $300 (family phone bill).
Fitness: I use my HCFSA to pay for fitness classes.
Charity: $150-200 (I do private interview coaching each month for designers who want to break into big tech, and I ask them to donate to charity.
Streaming and subscriptions: $85
Gas: $280

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?
My parents were immigrants who came to the US for higher education. While they expected me to go to university, they were much more relaxed than the typical Asian “Tiger Mom” parents. I actually deferred university for two years and volunteered at a few nonprofits before deciding to go. I received a significant scholarship to attend school in the US, but after one miserable semester, I moved to Asia, where my family had relocated, and attended university there. I lived with my parents a few blocks from school, and they covered my tuition and living expenses. My tuition ended up being literally a tenth of what my parents had anticipated and saved for, so they were able to roll that money over into paying for my sister’s private school tuition. 

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s) educate you about finances?
I don’t remember us talking about money much, but I also can’t remember a time when I felt limited by it. I grew up in a squarely middle-class town. When I reached high school, my dad started doing well in his career, and we moved to a wealthier suburb and bought a bigger house with a pool. But my parents kept their simple day-to-day spending and still do.