"Launch" - A 24-year-old woman living in a rapidly growing MCOL city in California, earning $80K/year as she prepares to pursue a master’s in CS (debt-free). Her net worth is 79th percentile for her age. She lives at home (no rent), pays no student loans, and invests $20K in individual tech stocks (NVDA, AMD, META, GOOG, AAPL) and ETFs (IDEV, QQQM, SCHG, VB). Another $24K is in retirement (Fidelity target date and Roth IRA), plus a HYSA. After deductions, she has $5,200/month to save/invest, but is unsure about the balance between cash and investments, and whether to focus more on career, city moves, or homebuying. Community advice: diversify with more index funds, track expenses, increase income, and enjoy life a bit while young.

“I’m confused what direction I should go. Should I keep more cash? Put less in retirement accounts to save elsewhere? I can see myself moving for a job, maybe renting, maybe buying, but not sure. Just want to make the right moves.”

"Resilience" - A 29-year-old defense industry analyst in New London, CT, earning $70,000 (plus overtime), lives frugally with her boyfriend and his family paying just $350/mo for groceries and WiFi. Assets ($150,000) are split: $58K in crypto, $84K in retirement accounts, $9K in physical silver (emergency fund), and $700 in gold. Her net worth is 77th percentile for her age. No student debt thanks to a scholarship and parent help. Health eats a big chunk: $500/mo for out-of-network naturopathic care for Hashimoto’s, which she feels is worth it for her well-being. She invests aggressively, saves, and works to balance risks after burning out from holding three jobs during COVID to chase FIRE. Most daily expenses are low with help from parental and boyfriend support. Though she feels guilt about subsidized living, she’s grateful, reflects on pacing herself, and invests heavily in health and happiness.

"Consistency" - At 28 years old, still in the same remote role and earning a “modest” income ($73K–$78K), she reached a $201K net worth (82nd percentile for her age). She started with a $100K milestone at 26, then doubled it in just two more years which she credited to steady raises, cost-of-living moves, careful expense control and saving ~$1K per month. No major windfalls, no job hopping, no bonuses, just methodical savings and patient “time in the market.” A recent $6,000 European trip provided some balance, and her only debts are car and student loans.