r/personalfinance•
nojo9k

20yo trying to be okay

Planning

i am a twenty year old artist living in LA, working as a teacher amongst other side jobs.

i have a credit union checking / savings / debit, and just opened a fidelity CMA to put 90% of my paychecks in with their debit card. i think i will put another 5% in an ETF (not sure which one probably VTI) and the other 5% in my credit union.

i just got my first credit card, a discover it cash back.

i never got the opportunity to learn anything about finance at all but want to be on the right track and 12 months from now be feeling good.

i make roughly $1500 / month , $800 in rent , have EBT for grocery.

is 90% in the SPAXX CMA, 5% in CU, 5% in (what ETF?) smart?

auto pay on credit card maxing it and paying in full on time every month tied to the CMA?

any advice is appreciated

Posted Aug 4, 2026, 8:59 AM UTC

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