How engineers can FIRE in 15 years and have $4,000,000 in net worth

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One of Silicon Valley’s prominent venture capitalists, Marc Andreessen, once said, “software is eating the world.” Profit margins for software are high, and at the same time, distributing software is becoming cheaper and easier. As a result, engineers are handsomely compensated in today's labor market. This is especially true in tech hubs such as Silicon Valley, Seattle, and New York City. In this article, I'll step through a hypothetical, but realistic scenario of a software engineer starting their career in Silicon Valley in 2019 at a big tech company. We will see how long it takes to reach $4,000,000.

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In-state vs Out-of-state Universities — 4 things to consider

Choosing a college is a big decision, especially for a 17-year-old. I remember feeling excited, grown-up, eager, and free. But I also remember feeling nervous, scared, uncertain, and bounded by my family's financial situation. It was not only a 4-year decision but also a $50k to $150k decision for me.  In this article, I'll step through the thought process of my 17-year-old self. I'll then follow up at the end with my retrospective of the decision, after 15 years.

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Buying vs Renting a House in Silicon Valley

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Go to school, get a job, get married, and buy a house. This is what my parents have always told me to do. And I’m not alone. Owning a home is one of the major milestones in achieving the American dream. But what about owning a home in the Bay Area where a decent townhome can cost $1.4M and a decent single-family home will cost $1.8M? In this article, I'll break down how I ran the numbers and decided that it was not financially worth it to buy a house in the Bay Area, in 2019.

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Is $350k a year really middle class in a big city? Response to Financial Samurai's take

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Recently there was an article that Financial Samurai published which outlines why a $350k household income is barely middle class in big cities like San Francisco. This was a pretty controversial article that raised a lot of eyebrows. Both from big-city dwellers as well as middle America. I previously shared my budget for a family of three and it is nowhere near the budget that Financial Samurai laid out for a family of four. In this post, I'll convey my personal take on each line item in his budget.

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8 Money Things to do Before 30 | Part 1

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I had a great time in my 20s. I had built great friendships, found my own identity, found love, and got off to a strong start in my career. I had it all—except for a good financial education. Had I been more aware about personal finance, I’d be in a much better position than I am today. But I really can’t complain. I will share with you the 8 key lessons that I wish I knew straight out of college. I will split them into a 2-part blog series between “defense” and “offense”.

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The Intelligent Way to Convert 401K to Roth IRA for Early Retirees

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Retirement investment accounts are complex. Some are pre-tax, some are post-tax. Some have penalties if you withdraw early, some allow you to withdraw up to a certain amount without penalty. Some require you to withdraw a minimum amount after the age of 70.5, some don't. And many others. In short, there's a lot of choices—and a lot of tradeoffs.

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How to make $1 million dollars

Have you ever wondered if you’d be a millionaire? I certainly didn’t. But it happened—and much faster than I could have imagined. No, I didn’t strike it rich over night with the lottery, exit from a startup, inheritance, or bitcoin. I attribute it to several things: high savings rate, consistently investing, high income, luck, but mostly a shift in mindset—from linear savings to compounding returns, from only working for money to also making my money work for me.

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