年薪4萬的美國人如何實現買房夢
Matt Filippini has worked at two technology startups since graduating from college, is an avid skier and wants to buy a house soon.
菲利皮尼(Matt Filippini)大學畢業後曾在兩家科技初創企業工作過，他酷愛滑雪，想盡快買一個房子。The 27-year-old works in business development at app developer Ibotta Inc. in Denver, where he makes $40,000 a year. He also has an equity stake in the company, so he stands to reap financial rewards if it gets sold or goes public.
這名27歲的年輕人在丹佛(Denver)的應用程序開發公司Ibotta Inc.做業務開發工作，每年賺4萬美元。他還擁有這家公司的股份，因此如果這家公司最後賣出去或上市的話，他還能獲得財務回報。Every month, he automatically transfers $800 from his checking account into his savings account, where he has about $38,000, some of which he plans to use for a down payment on a house. He also keeps at least $3,500 in his checking account.
每個月，他都會自動將800美元從自己的支票賬戶轉到儲蓄賬戶中去，他的儲蓄賬戶中大約有3.8萬美元，他打算用其中的一部分來支付房子的首付款。他還在自己的支票賬戶中保留至少3,500美元。
Mr. Filippini's big expenses include the $2,000 to $3,000 he spends annually on skiing, and the additional $900 to $1,000 he spent this year on flights, hotels and gifts associated with going to friends' weddings. But he pays off his credit-card balance every month and he tries to avoid using his car by commuting to work on his bike as often as he can.
菲利皮尼的大項支出包括每年花在滑雪上的2,000到3,000美元，還有今年在機票、酒店以及朋友結婚送禮上的花費900到1,000美元。不過他每月都會結清信用卡借款，而且儘量不駕駛自己的汽車，儘可能經常地騎自行車上下班。Using , Mr. Filippini sets a budget for his expenses and likes how the site notifies him whenever he's getting close to his limit or has gone over it and spent too much.
菲利皮尼利用爲自己的支出做了個預算，他每次花錢接近預算限額或是花得太多超過限額，這個網站都會提醒他，他喜歡這一點。He pays $1,400 a month for his apartment, which he shares with a friend, but is hoping to buy a two- to three-bedroom house next year in the $300,000 to $400,000 range. He says he is 'sick' of throwing away money on rent.
他每月支付1,400美元的房租，公寓是他和一個朋友合租的，不過他希望明年能買一個兩居室或三居室的房子，價格在30萬到40萬美元之間。他說，把錢浪費在房租上，這樣他感到厭煩。The house is 'not only a financial goal but a lifelong goal,' he says. 'I want to take the next steps in being a homeowner and having those responsibilities.'
他說，房子不僅僅是個財務目標，也是個一生的目標，我希望一步一步成爲一名房主，然後承擔隨之而來的責任。In the next five to 10 years, he also wants to start his own business.
在接下來的5到10年裏，他還想要自己創業。But Mr. Filippini hasn't started saving for retirement yet because he doesn't feel his income is high enough. 'Right now, I live day to day,' he says.
不過菲利皮尼還沒有開始爲退休存錢，因爲他覺得自己的收入還不夠高。他說，現在我只能過一天算一天。Advice From the Pro: Mr. Filippini should rethink whether he can afford a house next year because if he buys a home in the price range he's targeting, the mortgage payment could take up too much of his monthly budget, says Sal Miceli, an independent fee-only financial planner in Littleton, Colo.
專業人士的建議：米塞利(Sal Miceli)說，如果菲利皮尼想買一個目標價位的房子的話，他應該重新考慮一下明年是否能買得起，因爲抵押貸款將過多地佔據他的每月預算。米塞利是科羅拉多州利特爾頓(Littleton)一名只收取諮詢費的獨立財務策劃師。One option would be to purchase a house in the $250,000 range and then rent out a room to a friend for $1,000 a month, which would cover much of the mortgage payment.
一個選擇是，買一個價位在25萬美元的房子，然後以每月1,000美元的租金把其中一間臥室租給朋友，這就夠支付相當一部分抵押貸款了。If Mr. Filippini wants flexibility to move to a different city in future years, he should keep renting, Mr. Miceli says. Another advantage to waiting: In the future, he might have a friend or partner willing to go in with him on the house, which would make the purchase more financially prudent.
米塞利說，如果菲利皮尼想保留一定靈活性，以便在未來幾年搬到另一個城市去住，那他就應該繼續租房住。暫時不買房的另外一個好處是：未來他可能有一個朋友或伴侶願意跟他一起合力買房，這樣會使買房在財務上更顯審慎。Mr. Miceli likes how Mr. Filippini is debt free, pays off his credit card every month and is ahead of his peers in that he carefully monitors his spending and has a sizable amount of savings.
菲利皮尼沒有債務，每月都能還清信用卡借款，而且還領先自己同齡人一步，細心監督自己的支出情況，並且有數目可觀的存款，米塞利認爲這樣很好。If he uses some of his savings for a down payment, he should plan to replenish the account.
如果他利用部分存款來支付首付款，那麼他就應該計劃重新補足這部分錢。Mr. Miceli also praises the fact that Mr. Filippini has an equity stake in his employer, saying: 'If he's lucky, that will work out . . . I think it's a good idea to do something like that' at his age.
菲利皮尼還擁有他所在公司的股份，這一事實也得到了米塞利的稱讚，他說，如果他幸運的話，這會有一個好結果；我認爲在他這個年紀做這樣的事是個好主意。Mr. Filippini should start a regular individual retirement account or Roth IRA as soon as possible to take maximum advantage of compounding, Mr. Miceli says. He should put 10% of his annual income into such an account and try to get a match from his employer.
米塞利說，菲利皮尼應儘快開始定期向自己的個人退休賬戶或“羅斯個人退休賬戶”(Roth IRA)存款，以最大限度地讓複利爲自己所用。他應該吧年收入的10%存入這樣的賬戶中，並儘量讓自己的公司也向該賬戶支付相應數額。To afford those retirement contributions, Mr. Filippini can cut in half to $400 the amount he puts in his savings account every month, which isn't earning much interest. He also should use low-cost index-type funds, and since he's young, be fairly aggressive in his investing style: 90% in stocks and 10% in bonds, Mr. Miceli says.
爲了向退休賬戶付款，菲利皮尼可以將每月儲蓄的數額降低一半，至400美元，儲蓄賬戶賺不了多少利息。米塞利說，他還應該利用低費用指數基金，因爲他還年輕，在投資風格方面可以比較激進：90%股票加10%債券。
