From A Poor Background To Making $180K At 24. He Dreams Of Being Mortgage Free By 30, Yet Can’t Stop Spending. ‘I’m Not Even Sure Where It Goes’

At 24 years old, he’s earning about $180,000 a year in sales, a number many people twice his age never reach. That’s a remarkable shift for someone who just two years ago transitioned into commission-based work after growing up in a “very poor background.” Now he owns a home with a $2,400 monthly mortgage and a bold goal: to be completely mortgage-free by 30.

But there’s one major issue.

“My problem is I spend a lot,” he admitted in a recent post on Reddit. “It seems like money comes in and money goes out and I’m not even sure where it goes.”

Don’t Miss:

Emergency Fund First, Then Big Decisions

The young earner laid out his tentative plan. With a 6.125% interest rate, he wants to throw an extra $3,000 per month toward his mortgage principal instead of investing in an S&P 500 fund. If he stays aggressive, he could wipe out the loan within six years.

Still, he acknowledged he’s rebuilding his emergency fund first. “I’m currently crawling back to save my emergency fund before I do anything else,” he wrote.

Commenters overwhelmingly agreed that this step is nonnegotiable, especially in sales.

“Sales is volatile,” one person warned. “Always save no matter what you’re selling.” Another added, “Save like your job may not exist in 6 months.”

Several sales professionals shared cautionary stories about income swinging widly during downturns. One commenter who works in truck sales said he has seen reps go from making “$500k in a single month to not making a sale for 8 straight.”

The consensus was to build at least six months of expenses in cash, and many suggested 12 months, given the unpredictable nature of commission income.

Trending: This ETF issuer isn’t chasing the index — it’s building tools for income, leverage, and conviction

Beyond that, nearly everyone circled back to the same issue: he doesn’t know where his money is going.

“You just need to make a budget and see where your money is going,” one commenter wrote.  “What do you mean you don’t know where it goes?” another said. “Check your bank activity.”

The repeated advice was to pull three months of statements, categorize every expense and track spending going forward. Several recommended automating savings so the money disappears into retirement accounts and high-yield savings before it ever hits checking.

“If you don’t see it, you don’t spend it,” one commenter said.

Mortgage Vs. Investing

When it came to paying off the mortgage early, opinions split.

Some argued that investing in low-cost index funds historically returns more than 6%. Others countered that a guaranteed 6.125% return, plus the psychological peace of owning a home outright, is hard to beat.

“Paying off your mortgage isn’t a bad idea mathematically and will probably keep you from squandering it,” a commenter said.

See Also: You Saved for Retirement — But Do You Know What You’ll Keep After Taxes?

Another suggested splitting the difference: invest part of the extra money and send the rest to the principal.

What nearly everyone agreed on, though, was this: the real danger isn’t choosing the “wrong” investment strategy. It’s lifestyle creep.

“[You have] a chance here to set up a solid foundation before reality sets in,” one person wrote.

At $180,000 per year, he’s in rare territory for someone his age. But as several commenters pointed out, high income at 24 is not guaranteed to last.

If he builds strong systems like budgeting, automatic investing and a sizable emergency fund now, he could be financially independent far earlier than most. If not, the opportunity could disappear just as quickly.