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ir77 | 1 year ago

some things that have served me well for 20+ years since exactly your age

1)start investing the federal maximum pre-tax into your 401K. if you can't do the max, invest at least a minimum of your company's match. if there is no match, try to do at least 5-10K. 1a) put it all into an SP500 fund, or at least never put it into the age 20## type funds. 1b) if your work offers anything else that can be purchased through them such as vacation, insurance, etc., do it all through them as that's typically all pre-tax.

2)if you need a car, never buy a car that's more than 3x your yearly salary. if you can make it 4x even better.

3)don't rush to buy a property, expecially at today's rates. if it does come to a point that you're buying a property don't buy a property, don't go above 4x your yearly salary. i suspect that won't be much at 21 and i suspect the bank advisor will tell you the good news that you're pre-approved for much more, but until you (and your eventual spouse) can meet the 4x level, don't buy a property. 3a) this advise is worth exactly what you've paid for it. there are a gazzilion nuances such as do you need a car if you have a house/condo in a place where you can walk/take bus to work and everywhere else, what are the property taxes? it's one thing to have 2000$ mortgage and it's another to realize that you're paying another 1000$ in taxes before utilities, etc.

4)work-life-balance: it's extremely important to use all your vacation and have overall balance when you can get away from work and recharge.

discuss

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seattle_spring|1 year ago

> never put it into the age 20## type funds

Why not? Especially with Fidelity and Vanguard, the expense ratios are often very low, and for a 21 year old the fund is going to be mostly stocks anyway.

giantg2|1 year ago

Rates today shouldn't be a big deal. The bigger deal related to rates is the constrained supply from people not wanting to lose their current rate. The current rates are close to historical averages, and you can refinance if they go down. Just don't get a big house or adjustable rate assuming it will go down.