Reply to I hate being stuck at $230k HHI and feel poor AF

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[quote=Anonymous]So many of these "I make [extremely respectable income] and feel poor!" threads are actually about cash flow and money allocation, they have nothing to do with whether that's "enough" money to live comfortably. There should be a sticky on this forum explaining the difference.

OP and spouse have more than enough. But one of the first things they acknowledge is that they "do this to themselves" by maxing out their 401k and saving very aggressively for retirement. Granted, there are major tax benefits to doing it this way, but if it's making you "feel poor" consider doing it another way. You can sock away less in a 401k and pull more into regular savings, and then you have multiple options for what to do with that money at various degrees of liquidity. I'd put some of it in a high interest savings account and/or a ladder CD right now, however much I felt I needed to keep very liquid for emergencies like the car repair. Right now you can get 5%, sometimes better, on both of those, which is amazing. Then I'd be looking at various investment options. I like to work through Vanguard because I'm on the conservative end and I find their offerings match my goals really well, but you can shop around.

OP's problem is not that they don't make enough money. It's that they take a very childish approach to financial planning and they are not making their money work for them. Do some freaking research! It makes sense to just max out your 401k when you are making decent money in your 20s, you're single, and you are worried that otherwise you'll just overspend. It's a good "set it and forget it" way to manage money so that you don't totally screw yourself.

But by your 30s, and especially once you are married and own a home, you should be thinking in a more sophisticated way about this. By that point, you should have some self discipline and you don't have to hide your money from yourself to keep from spending it.

Anyway, OP and others need to stop complaining "I'm poor" and actually learn some financial management. They hold all the keys to their financial success and happiness in their hands. More money is always nice, but at their income it's not necessary, especially without kids (literally saving hundreds of thousands of dollars there!). I think people with kids are sometimes smarter about this because having kids forces you to think longterm and you have to diversify to plan for college, bigger house, etc. OP is still operating financially like they did at 22. Grow up.

Similar to the thread with the first year Big Law partner (who, granted, had way more self awareness about what the actual issue was). This is a cash flow concern. That's always solvable. Stop complaining and just do it. It's your money, figure it out. No one is going to feel sorry for you.[/quote]

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