About

Personal
I’m 25 years old and live in Los Angeles. I graduated from UCSB in 2003 with a BS in computer science. Now almost 4 years out of college, I’m in my 4th job in a data management consulting company. I don’t like the fact I’ve had to switch jobs so many times, but I suppose I’m still at that age where I’m trying to find where I best fit in.

Right after college, I moved back home with my parents. I didn’t have a job right away, so it was really the only option I had. I was there for more than 2 years, and it really allowed me to save some money (although my spending habits were much worse so I didn’t save as much as I could have). This past September, I finally moved out on my own. I switched jobs and my commute was too long from where I was living. Now, I’m renting an apartment with a good friend and having to deal with grocery shopping and cooking once again.

Financial
Here’s a quick rundown of my personal finances. I have a WaMu checking account (which is slowly being phased out), an ING Savings account, and the incredible ING Electric Orange Checking account. In a nutshell, paychecks are deposited to the ING Checking, bills are paid, and whatever is left (hopefully) goes into the ING Savings.

I have an employee matched (50% match, up to 3% of income) 401(k) program, to which I currently contribute 12% of my pre-tax income. I have an IRA account through Smith Barney with a few thousand dollars I’ve rolled in from my previous employers 401(k) programs.

I have 5 credit cards: Discover, Capital One Visa, Sears Card, Express Card, and a Gap Card. It seems like a lot, but I’ve never carried a balance (a balance that earned interest anyway) on any of my cards. I like the cashback program at Discover, so that’s my main card. I just switched to their Gas Card, which earns 5% back on all gas purchases. The rewards are nice, in that a lot of times you can turn $20 worth of rewards into a $25-$40 gift card. I few months back, I turned $180 cash back into a $225 Crutchfield gift card and bought a digital camera. My Capital One Visa is only used when businesses don’t take Discover. The specialty cards are strictly used at their respective locations. By having those cards, I routinely get invitations to 10-50% off or 0% financing events.