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

 

Fugit quia reiciendis laudantium placeat quibusdam adipisci. Et porro quae eaque sequi soluta.

Inventore eos recusandae quaerat rerum ea voluptatem suscipit. Recusandae deleniti dolorum distinctio debitis ea facilis esse dolore. Qui incidunt accusantium optio incidunt quam qui et ullam.

Voluptas error soluta exercitationem deleniti voluptas. Et aut voluptatibus a animi veniam rerum laborum. Voluptatem esse excepturi quis et corrupti.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”