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Originally Posted by b1adesofcha0s
Hmm great advice and I find this especially helpful for myself. How long after getting a new job should you wait before buying a house (which will be my first major purchase)? How much would be a year's worth of emergency funds? My situation is a little different though. You and Steve already know this, but I'm gonna be finishing school in May and hopefully will land a nice engineering job right afterwards. House is definitely the first major purchase, no questions about it. I live with my parents and they have emergency funds saved up, plus their own incomes. I will probably be paying for the house by myself with both my parents incomes being saved up for emergency funds. Appreciate the advice 
Also planning to buy a GT-R after a couple years on the job and after having settled into the house |
My best recommendation is to go with at least 12 months of living expenses. The best advice I can give you is to live like a college student for the next 5 years after your graduation. In that timeframe your income will double and easily triple, you will get more out of your dollar (less charges, no children, no mortgage...) If you get used to leaving not just beneath but way beneath your means anything extra should easily go towards retirement, IRA/mutual funds accounts, stock brokerage accounts, emergency funds, and other investment activities. Automation is your friend.
Don't rush to buy a house for the sake of buying one; my personal rule for the mortgage is that it should be less than 28% of your biweekly paycheck and always count your income not that your spouse/GF/parents. Don't listen to real estate sales people, they have the worst financial ethic, (trust me I know a few and the kind of interests they are paying on their own home) Living way under your means gives you piece of mind and ensures you to save for what's more important long term all the while giving you rooms for personal trips all over the world
