From the beginning of his Ph.D. program to the start of his internship, Sheikh estimates he was able to squirrel away about $10,000. These days, what he saves puts that number to shame.
For much of his life, the name of the game for Sheikh was working toward jobs with higher salaries and discipline when it came to how he spent money. His car — the third he's owned since 2021 after two trade-ins — is paid off in full. Each time he buys, he negotiates for a high interest rate on his car loan in return for the dealer lowering the sale price. Once he signs the deal, he pays the balance of the loan off in full in a few months.Observers could be excused for thinking that Sheikh treats managing money like a game these days.
All told, he aims to save at least $100,000 per year in his investing accounts. Then, once he accounts for other needs, such housing, utilities and transportation, he's happy to spend on the fun stuff.