u/TrustPrior

drop how old you are, and how much is in your retirement savings - specifically interested to hear from fellow PTAs

here is my story - I'm slightly panicking

I graduated at 23, then had two kids and couldn’t work much because of daycare costs. I picked up home-health and PRN jobs when I could, but I wasn’t able to save.

I'm 32 and Now both kids are in school full-time, and I make around $4,000–$5,000 per month. No debts as of now

I took a part-time job with Genesis PowerBack $33 hourly because they offer a 401(k) to part-time employees while still allowing me to work home health two days a week ( where i get the $$ lol at $50 PV) However, I just found out that I’m not eligible for the 401(k) until I’ve worked there for a year I guess

Embarrassed to say I currently only have $3,500 invested through Charles Schwab and $12,000 in Chase savings, which I’m trying to use for both a house and an emergency fund. but now i'm freaking out about retirement and don't have enough left over each month to save. It honestly feels impossible and I’m starting to think I need to change careers somehow

Physical therapist here 👋 Im working as many hours as physically possible around my kids schedules and still living pay check to pay check. I want to make some passive income and thinking about selling on etsy, here are some of my ideas - can you give me suggestions or is it even worth my time??? i'm new to this space and not sure what sells

Home exercise programs

New Home Health Survival Guide

Home Health Caseload, Mileage & Income Spreadsheet

Home Health Documentation Phrase & Example Guide

skeleton or anatomy wall art for clinics

knee/ hip rehab guides

ect ect

welp, here i am... I’ve maxed out the number of hours I can realistically work as a home health PTA while my kids are in school. Between school pickup, after-school activities, and family responsibilities, I can’t really add more patient visits.

The problem? What I bring home every month is not cutting it... i've tried cutting back on expenses ect but something has to change. The PTA hourly rate is just not built to support a family in this economy.

I’m trying to either leave PTA completely or build another income stream that works around my schedule. One idea I had was creating digital products for Etsy or other platforms. things like home health planners, balance/ exercise cards, post-op recovery journals, walking trackers, caregiver resources, etc. Basically, products based on things I already use or wish I had in practice.

Do we think this would work if I don't have a large social media following? Has anyone here found a side hustle that works well alongside being a PTA? or got out of PTA completely ? I’d love to hear what’s actually worked for you. I’m open to any ideasI feel like I need to get creative.

me and my long term partner (we are not legally married) we've been renting together for 12 years (we're 32 years old with 2 kids) We need to be out by October and I REALLY want to buy a home finally. The problem is when he was younger he was dumb and got into debt that snowballed. He went with a debt consolidation company and paid 40k to them over YEARS and did all the right things, for them to fuck us (shoutout fivelakes) anyways we were literally sucked dry and couldn't afford the 2.5k monthly debt payments anymore and gave up, he filed for bankruptcy.

I'm a licensed physical therapist assistant and worked 1099 (home health) part time past few years because my kids were young. This year ive been picking up more hours but if your in the field you know it pays jack shit. So my income fluctuates around 4k (W2 now), my credit score is 700 and i have NO DEBT to my name, not even a car loan and credit cards are paid off every month. I'm frustrated because my partner makes 10k + a month (base w/ sales comission) so together we could be approved for so much more. Do we really have to wait another 2 years???!!! I know I won't be approved on my income for anything worth having. Is there some loop hole around this situation?! please give me hope before I build up the courage to talk to a lender in July. I know waiting out another 2 years to most doesn't seem like much but when you've been working so hard for so long its miserable. We've been living dave ramsey style and it's like its never going to pay off.

me and my long term partner (we are not legally married) we've been renting together for 12 years and have 2 kids(we're 32 years old, kids 11 and 6). We need to be out by October and I REALLY want to buy a home finally. The problem is when he was younger he was dumb and got into some debt that snowballed. He went with a debt consolidation company and paid 40k to them over YEARS and did all the right things, for them to fuck us (shoutout fivelakes) anyways we were literally sucked dry and couldn't afford the 2.5k monthly debt payments anymore and gave up, he filed for bankruptcy.

I'm a licensed physical therapist assistant and worked 1099 (home health) part time past few years because my kids were young. This year ive been picking up more hours but if your in the field you know it pays jack shit. So my income fluctuates around 4k (W2 now), my credit score is 700 and i have no debt to my name, not even a car loan and credit cards are paid off every month. I'm frustrated because my partner makes 10k + a month (sales with base) so together we could be approved for so much more. Do we really have to wait another 2 years???!!! I know I won't be approved on my income for anything worth having. Is there some loop hole around this situation?! please give me hope. I know waiting out another 2 years to most doesn't seem like much but when you've been working so hard for so long its miserable. We've been living dave ramsey style and it's like its never going to pay off.

Ive been a PTA for almost 10 years now. I did 6 years in peds and EI(peds home health) now I do HH for post op / geriatrics and ALF/ILF.

Here's the problem: as a single mom, even the highest pay in the field isn't enough to support myself well / buy a decent house. Not to mention where do we go from here?? Yes, we can switch settings but are we really just treating at a tied hourly rate-per-tx model... for 30+ more years?! The thought of making up different exercises for 30 years sounds daunting (not to be negative). I interviewed for rehab director and they offered me a pay cut from my PRN and HH rate lol so it just didn't make sense for me.. plus it doesn't really seem like a step up, just a lateral shift with added some different type of work (scheduling ect). I guess my question is... what do most PTA's do after they've cycled out??? I feel like we can apply skills we use in the field but most non clinical or other healthcare roles want a nursing degree or another degree. Do people really just do this work for 30 years and hop around different settings??? If you or someone you know has done something else let me know!!!!