Feel guilty not saving for brokerage monthly

Should I feel guilty about not really having savings for my brokerage every month? I max out my monthly 401k and HSA pre-tax contributions, but find it tough to have money left with normal spending and $5k rent (gf pays $3k) for additions to my normal taxable account. It seems like a lot in rent but that’s what a decent 2 br costs downtown NYC.

31yo, A2A since undergrad now a VP3. Have net worth of ~$1.1mm. Prob $1.4mm gf and I combined.

I save all of my bonus every year. Don’t have any major expenses besides will need to buy a ring soon.

Should I lay off myself or do I need a tough lesson and probably downsize rent? My base will go up $25k next year, but wouldn’t be surprised if rent raises slightly.

Thoughts?

5 Comments
 

If you want to nitpick, you're missing out on some of the advantages of dollar cost averaging by having your only brokerage contribution be one lump sum payment every year. But you're still saving enough in the aggregate, and theoretically have a long enough time horizon that it shouldn't matter. 

Also let's be real, $8k in rent is a ton of money and is probably a super nice place, it's not like it's the baseline to be out of the slums. Plenty of decent 2 BRs for $4-5k

 

Maiores corporis at facilis. Error est cumque occaecati ipsam. Nesciunt est dolor velit at earum natus dolore. Doloribus reprehenderit facere minima quia possimus sit.

Recusandae omnis distinctio totam. Et dolorum aut alias molestias provident consequuntur. Veritatis ipsam ut aut in vitae sint.

Nihil inventore eum eum et sequi qui. Rerum ut quis repellendus quo similique. Excepturi quaerat nisi dolore est qui rerum.

Laudantium possimus harum quam nesciunt cum deleniti impedit. Temporibus dolorem fugit dolorem necessitatibus voluptatum doloribus veniam eum. Aut reiciendis quod doloremque eveniet pariatur sequi aut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”