How am I doing financially making $95,000/year gross in NYC?

Question

I'm 30 years old and single and I have about $10k in the bank. No kids or house. I rent and I have 2 motorcycles and a car.

Trying to see how I compare to other New Yorkers or to other people like myslef. Am I doing ok, good, pretty good, excellent, superbly?

I also have no college degrees or anything and I've been working for about 15 years.

For those negatively minded people that think I'm bragging. Ummm...who am I bragging too? Answers here could be of 12 year olds or millionares. Secondly if I already knew that my condition was worth bragging about...I wuld not need to ask the question. For all I know I'm not even close to other locals. Thirdly you think I'm concerned about what people think in a world where "straight" men wear earings and healthy women wigs? If I was the type to really care what others thought or to need aproval I would be spending WAY more money; better car/bike and clothes. I could afford a Lexus..bit more impressive. My last cell phone was like 7 years old and most of my clothes dated but fashionable(mostly). I would never have bought that $400 iPod(plain player, but the "in" thing) but I have $80 studio headphones. I am an individual and could care less what people think. My question is purely for my information as I'm reviewing my finances and planning my investment strategies. I'm 30...not 12.

Answer 1

By the time you are 30, you should have at least 6 months gross salary in emergency savings. For you, that would be $47,500. You only have $10,000. and no investments. That's not so good.

You also should have started to save for retirement already. You haven't. That's also not so good.

95k is a decent salary for a single person in NYC. You will never be able to afford to buy a place on 95k, but if you rent in Queens or Brooklyn, you are doing ok housing-wise.

People who don't live here may think you are bragging. What they don't realize is that 40k in NYC is pretty much equivalent to mimimum wage anywhere else, except that in some other places you can scrape by on minimum wage ... but not here.

If I were you, I would lay off of the vroom-vroom toys and start seriously saving, along with opening an IRA. 30 to 40 goes by pretty quick, and from 40 onward, the years go by faster than turning pages in a book.

You are in your prime earning years. Take advantage of that and start saving. Learn how to invest. You really don't want to end up being the old guy in a basement apartment in Brooklyn waiting for your social security check so you can buy some groceries and feed your cat.

Answer 2

I am not sure how long you have been earning that. I guess for NYC that is ok. You are still young without kids but if I were you I would get rid of one of the motorcycles take that money pay some bills or save it, and you need to be more aggressive with your saving. 10K is not much at all for what you are earning.Plus it is advised to have 3-6months of expenses saved up. You may also want to consider investing some money as well in some property, the market or other venues. If your employment is pretty secure and you can see ourself continuing toearn that amount or more, I think that you would need to be more aggressive in saving. Not sure what your business is but if something happens to your job, without an education it may be difficult for you to find another gig like what you have now.. I mean in terms of earning power. So you will need more of a financial cushion. I think you are doing alright though.
Save as much as possible right now and in a few years ou should be siting pretty. cool though

Answer 3

You would be well-advised to not compare yourself to others. There is a story of a man who looked around in a track race to see how the other fellow was doing, and then the guy got ahead of him and won.

With all due respect, this question "how am I doing" comes across as a solicitation for approval and a way of expressing your own pride.

Read the answer by "huge" below. It also is applicable.

Answer 4

More important than what you are making is how much less you are spending than others. You have no kids, and no college loans. How much is your rent? How much does it cost to store your auto and motorcycles? In terms of income, check below...

From wikapedia:
Manhattan is one of the highest-income places in the United States with a population over 1,000,000. In particular the Upper East Side, ZIP Code 10021, with over 100,000 inhabitants and a per capita income of over $90,000, is one of the largest concentrations of extreme wealth in the entire United States. Nevertheless, like all large cities, Manhattan does have some large enclaves of concentrated poverty.

Answer 5

If you gross $95K per year for the last 15 years and only been able to save $10K, thats bad,

Answer 6

I have only been working in America for about 5 years longer than you, have never earned $95K in one year (!), and I have just short of a half-million dollars in savings. What have you been throwing your money away on?

Answer 7

I have bad news for you:

$10,000.00 in the bank is not "ok"

I suggest you to save at least $65,000 annually for a house or a college degree.

Answer 8

you sound fine for having no college degrees. which mean nothing if you spend money like a fool.

Answer 9

not sure about NYC, but over all i'd have to say excellent... borderline superb. especially without a degree... what do you do, do you like your job?

Answer 10

if you can pay your bills, you're not late will bills or living paycheck to paycheck and don't owe anyone, then you are doing fine. never mind everyone else.