At that income, the tax rate is 28% federal, 9.3% California, 6.2% fica, plus some other stuff. For back of the napkin budgeting I assume about 40%, which is mo

At that income, the tax rate is 28% federal, 9.3% California, 6.2% fica, plus some other stuff. For back of the napkin budgeting I assume about 40%, which is more like 95k net. Then subtract 3k for an average 1br, 1k for a new car (payment + insurance + parking). So now you’ve got 4K left over, before any other kind of savings or expenses. I’m almost being generous, it’s necessary to pay more for rent in some areas. And a startup isn’t giving you a 401k either... sure, it’s possible to save but the top line is a far distance from the reality.