u/Spirited_Writer6613

Hi everyone! My husband and I would appreciate some objective financial advice from the White Coat Investor community.

We’re in our early 30s, entering a new phase of our careers, and trying to balance building wealth, buying a home, and starting a family without compromising our long-term financial security.

Our financial snapshot:
Ages: 31 and 34
Household gross income: Approximately $425–430k/year
My career: endocrinologist transitioning into an attending role, earning approximately $275–280k (starting base) with potential
Husband’s career: Senior product manager in tech, earning approximately $150k-180k
Total assets: Approximately $700–800k across all accounts, including investments, retirement accounts, and cash
Debt: No student loans or other significant debt
Location: NJ
Family plans: Hoping to have two children in the coming years (at least 1)!

We are trying to make thoughtful decisions about our next major financial milestones especially when it comes to future investments.

Are we on track financially for our ages?
How would you assess our financial position given our income, ages, and current assets? Are there particular benchmarks you would use to evaluate whether we’re on track for financial independence?
How much house should we buy?
We’re considering a newer single-family home or an end-unit townhome in Central New Jersey in the $900k–$1.1M range. We value good schools, a family-friendly community, and reasonable commutes. However, property taxes, childcare, maintenance, and other expenses in New Jersey can add up quickly.

Would this price range be reasonable for our household, or would you recommend buying less house to preserve flexibility? Would you use a physician mortgage or a conventional mortgage, and how much would you put down?
How should we allocate our existing assets?
With $700–800k in total assets at present, how much would you maintain in cash versus retirement accounts and taxable investments? Would you sell investments to fund a down payment, or preserve the portfolio and finance more of the home?
What should our annual savings target be?

Given our household income, what percentage would you aim to save and invest annually while accounting for taxes, homeownership, and two future children?
We want to build wealth aggressively but also enjoy life, travel, and avoid feeling like every financial decision has to be optimized.

Would you buy now or continue renting?
Would you purchase a home within the next year or two, or keep renting while investing more? We don’t want to become house-poor, but we also don’t want to delay homeownership unnecessarily if it fits our financial situation.

For those who have navigated a similar stage of life, what would you prioritize over the next 3–5 years? Is there anything you would do differently?

Bottom line- Are we in good shape financially? Given I am starting my attendinghood at 31 as an endocrinologist?

Thanks for your perspective!

My husband and I are looking to buy a home somewhere between East Brunswick and Lawrenceville and would really appreciate some honest advice.

Our pretax household income is around $465K–$485K:
Me: Doctor — $285K
Husband: IT — $180–200K

We don’t have kids yet, but we’re planning to start a family, so we want to make a decision that makes sense long term.

We’re specifically looking for an Indian community and would prefer to live in a neighborhood/community with other families. I grew up in Northern NJ feeling pretty isolated, and I don’t want that for myself or my future kids.

We’re debating between a $1M single-family home or a $700–850K newer townhome.

One of my friends bought a $500K home in West Texas with a similar household income, and it honestly made me question whether we’re spending way too much just because we live in NJ. I feel pretty lost trying to figure out what makes the most financial sense.

What would you consider a “safe” home budget for us so we don’t become house poor?

Would you personally:
Stay around $700–800K?
Go up to $850–900K?
Stretch to $1M for a single-family home in a great community?

We also want to leave room for kids, childcare, retirement/investing, travel and enjoying life, rather than putting everything into our house.
For those familiar with Central NJ, what would you do in our situation? And which communities would you recommend for Indian families, good schools, and a strong sense of community?

My husband (34, Product Manager in IT) and I (31, physician) are trying to decide between New Jersey and Austin, TX.
We recently moved from Phoenix and didn’t really love it. I grew up in NJ and my parents still live here, so NJ already feels like home. We’re planning to start a family soon and are looking for somewhere to put down roots.
We’d ideally like a nice newer single-family home in a planned community, good schools, things to do, and a good overall quality of life. We’d also like to have a good Indian community nearby—enough to have friends and a social network, but not necessarily an area that feels overwhelmingly Indian.
I also love city life—restaurants, activities, culture, and having plenty going on. I’ve been to Dallas and it felt like too much for me, which is why Austin seems more appealing. It feels like a better balance of city life, outdoors, and a younger vibe.
Our biggest dilemma is whether Central NJ is still worth the higher home prices and property taxes, especially when we could potentially get more house for our money in Texas.

For those who have lived in both:
Where would you choose to settle down and raise a family?
NJ vs. Austin for lifestyle and long-term wealth building?
Is being close to family in NJ worth the higher cost?
Which areas have the best combination of Indian community, newer homes, good schools, planned communities, and access to city life?
Would love to hear from anyone who has considered or lived in both!

Hey guys I wanted to thank everyone on Reddit sho helped push me thru to finishing fellowship. I recently graduated from a large academic institution . One of my friends graduated from a smaller university based program in mid rural Texas. Our program was so tough and I struggled but I made it somehow… by battling anxiety and depression and getting on meds which helped. Sometimes I feel like I would have done better if I went to a smaller program like my friend (kind of jealous and get an outstanding fellow award being one of the 2 fellows like her) rather than struggling and getting less than more. I am going to be practicing in a small community practice. I attended so many conferences (around 10) and presented few times… I became chief by the end but first year was horrible. I am just concerned that if it’s worth being envious of going to a smaller program and doing more and being less stressed rather than going to a big institution and being concerned if I learned anything…. Any thoughts? I kind of don’t want to feel jealous but ultimately it’s just like if I learned anything under stress. It’s hard to see myself struggle when others who went to the same fellowship at a smaller program have it easier…. Sorry for the vent…

Had a really rough first year of endocrine fellowship at a large academic program. Went from a community program to a large uni program. Got bad evals in first year. I always was a good resident. I got recently diagnosed with premenstrual dysphoric disorder which I had not known and because of that my anxiety and ability to focus during the intense load of training screwed me. Started meds. Therapy didn’t help. I’m doing much better in second year and have been promoted to chief. But I always have this regret if my brain ever retained anything as I would always be anxious and crying before rounds and my patient encounters.

Very nervous to be an attending. Looking for some advice. I’m taking a break before starting private practice after boards.

Looking for some advice. Don’t feel as confident but trying to build it up.