u/Friendly_Edge_428

Hey folks! If you have any advice I’d love to receive it, I’m still fairly new to investing/retirement planning despite having a couple different accounts. Previously experimented with using Robinhood (not affiliated), but I found it very perplexing.

Total monthly pay (after vanguard deferral, hsa, etc): ~$6.3k

Setup

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Vanguard: 20% Pre-tax 401(k), 1% Roth 401(k) (97.73% Stocks - 2.27 Bonds)

Acorns: Recurring ($100/Monday Brokerage & $30/Friday Roth IRA), Brokerage Acc -> 80% stocks, 20% bonds (moderately aggressive), Roth IRA -> 100% stocks

AMEX Hysa: I try to transfer ~$1k every month but sometimes it ends up being 600-900$. The APY is now 3.2% I believe, which sucks since it was higher when I joined.

Expenses

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Student loan payment: ~$1k split between 4 loans (highest interest receives edge). Sometimes I make an additional 1k payment directly to that 6% interest loan (the $6k) which usually means less is sent to the hysa.

Rent: $1.4k

Utilities: $400-$600 (considering the balanced payment option so I can budget better)

Last note

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I started my current job in 2022, and my goal is to retire before 45. Considering a research PhD (3-4yr FT or 4-7 PT) to help improve my odds of achieving that goal.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to read this, and offer any advice or tips! Would a wealth advisor/financial planner be helpful?

Happy to answer any questions!!

I am heavily considering a research PhD programme (either FT in person or part time since I’m fully remote at work).

Thanks 🙏