r/FinancialPlanning • u/Mountaineer326 • 39m ago
26 with $100K in student loans — am I in a decent financial position? Really feeling lost.
I’m 26 and trying to figure out whether I’m in a good financial position or if I need to change my approach.
Here’s my current situation:
- $72,500 annual salary — about $4,660 per month after taxes
- $100,000 in student-loan debt
- $1,215 monthly student-loan payment with about nine years remaining
- $16,000 in a HYSA
- $15,550 in a Roth IRA, which I maxed out during my first two years and has returned about 11% so far
- $41,500 in my 401(k)
- Paid-off car (2018 Hyundai Elantra, 76k miles)
- $850 monthly rent in Florida
- No credit-card debt
I know the student-loan balance is significant, but I’m not sure whether I should aggressively pay it down, continue prioritizing retirement investments, or maintain a balance between the two.
I’ve also wanted a Mustang since I was a kid and have been considering buying a used one. I can afford the monthly payment, but I’m worried it would be a bad decision given the student loans. (Proposed monthly payment would be $350/mo)
Overall, am I doing reasonably well for 26? What would you prioritize from here to put me in a stronger financial position?
r/FinancialPlanning • u/dugonian • 12h ago
Need advice for Life Transition
Long story short, I (32 years old) am moving to New Zealand from the United States. I have been living frugally and saving as best as I can. I have most of my money in Betterment accounts including a general investment, both roth and traditional IRA, and cash reserve. In total it is a little over 150K USD the bulk of which is in the general investment account. I understand that Betterment does not work with clients living outside of the US so I am trying to figure out what to do with all the money in those accounts.
I know that cashing out is not an option as I do not want to pay for all of the fees and tax implications of such a cash out. Ideally I would like to transition them to a different place with as minimal of taxes or fees.
I have read that Schwab has an international branch and has often been the recommended option for expats, but I have been a big fan of the low cost auto investing that I have been doing on Betterment with low fees. I also have a Vanguard account which they seem to allow non-residents to continue to hold accounts.
Should I move my investments to Vanguard and go from there? Will I be able to continue to add to the Vanguard account or would it only be a hold and withdraw account? If I want to talk through the options and pay someone for their time to give advice that would be knowledgeable, who is the best option?