Tech worker, 37, earning $166,000 has a Toronto condo that’s dropped in value | Canada Voices

Name, age: Jason, 37

Annual income: $166,000

Debt: $18,000 car lease, $355,000 mortgage

Savings: $215,000 in tax-free savings account (TFSA), $240,000 in registered retirement savings plan (RRSP), $60,000 in locked-in retirement account (LIRA)

What he does: Product manager at a technology company

Where he lives: Toronto

Top financial concern: “As a tech worker, you have to think about your window. There’s a lot of age discrimination in technology.”

Jason, 37, was interested in the idea of “FIRE” – financial independence, retire early – before he’d heard the term. Following his postsecondary studies, he lived with his parents for several years, saving money he’d otherwise be spending on living expenses.

“I pretended I was living on my own by saying, ‘This is how much my rent would be, or this is how much property tax would be,’” Jason said. “It helped accelerate building my net worth.”

He also had manageable student debt of less than $10,000. “I got lucky with a lot of grants and summer internships,” he said.

Early in his 30s, Jason moved overseas to work for several years. He found there were more opportunities for him abroad, saying that many international companies that have offices in the United States don’t also have offices in Canada.

“It accelerated my career,” says Jason, who advises younger workers to be willing to move if they want to climb the ladder faster. “You get a tech company on your resume and it will help you unlock so many doors.”

Now back in Toronto, he’s not sure whether his FIRE dreams will come true. He lives in a one-bedroom condo he owns, but says it’s worth less now than when he bought it and he’s worried about the future of the condo market.

He’d like to eventually upgrade to a townhouse, but doesn’t want to find himself in a place where he’s struggling to pay his bills.

He’d also like to figure out a way to stay in technology but work part-time, which so far has been elusive.

Jason also acknowledged that finding himself in a serious relationship could make it easier for him financially because they could share living expenses. He’s being selective about who he would consider merging his household with.

“As you get older, there’s more financial implications,” says Jason, noting he’s seen many people include details about their financial values in their dating-app profiles.

“I am not going to say, ‘Show me your financials and let’s do an audit.’ But understanding their values, like, is money for freedom, or is money for indulgence, is important.”

His typical monthly expenses:

Investment and savings: $1,413

$830 to RRSP. “$415 added by my employer.”

$583 to TFSA. “U.S. index funds, banks, tech, Brookfield, gold.”

Servicing debt: $2,800

$700 to car payment. “I lease a performance sports car.”

$2,100 to mortgage

Household and transportation: $1,495

$520 to condo fees

$70 to property insurance

$200 to property tax

$40 to utilities

$75 to gasoline

$270 to car insurance

$100 to Uber or taxis

$150 to cellphone payment and plan

$70 to Internet

Food and drink: $840

$500 to groceries

$300 at restaurants. “Toronto has so many great options and there’s a lot of great spots in the suburbs now too.”

$40 to alcohol

Miscellaneous: $4,915

$4,400 to payroll deductions

$15 to YouTube Premium

$50 to clothing

$50 to haircuts

$300 to vacations. “I will spend more for a nice hotel.”

$60 to donations

$40 to life insurance

Some details may be changed to protect the privacy of the person profiled. We want to thank them for sharing their story.