How a New York CEO Spends Her $180K Income 

She is in for a rude awakening. With so much debt and no savings, her lifestyle will come to a screeching halt if her income stops. I made $200k and lived above my means for many years with no savings and too much debt. Then it ended and I was truly penniless, not able to pay bills and having to sell my home, car and everything. It took 5 years to recover. Now I have no debt, a fully-funded emergency fund and a substantial nest egg for early retirement. Never going back to that risky lifestyle!

$180k is nothing in NYC. Rachel is being incredibly generous to this person.

This is what’s called “fake rich”. She makes $180k and she has no money ! But I bet she looks great when she leaves the house.

I have no clue how this woman sleeps at night. I would constantly think about my debt and worry. My husband and I have three paid off properties with zero debt. We’re in our 40s and have no credit cards. If we want to buy something big, we save for it. Living debt free gives us peace of mind.

Good afternoon Rachel, is it possible that you can do more videos like these - like once a week or so? It's always been interesting to me how people make so much money but they still live check to check. She is at $180K but her luxuries, shoes and business trips cost more than 50k. She needs someone to go through her money and do a budget plan for her. She has zero in the bank. If she continues on this path, she's going to be penniless and in debt.

I'm getting stressed financially just listening to it. I hope she can achieve what she wants and also save.

You should do more of these Rachel.

She has a decent income, although not that high for NYC. She's trying to live a wealthy lifestyle when not wealthy. Trying to be something we're not never leads to good things.

Today is Nov 1st. I haven't spent anything out of my budget. I feel empowered!! 😂😂

I don't know exactly what the "CEO of an influencer agency" does, but it looks like projecting the aspirational lifestyle is a big part of how she makes money. So she's got herself trapped on a treadmill of constantly having to earn more money to spend more money to earn more money to spend more money. And I wonder if there's a natural time limit on how much longer she can do all this. I don't mean to be unkind, but I don't think there are that many 40-something influencers.

Goals on the road to achievement cannot be achieved without discipline and consistency.” - Denzel Washington.

Cut out all the subscriptions and buy cheap shoes. Grocery budget for I and my husband is 280.00 a month. Sometimes I have left over cash that I can roll into the next month. Yes. You can cook super healthy meals on a low Grocery budget. Only thing that I buy frozen is sometimes pizza pockets. Normally I make those from scratch. And of course ice cream. Hit up the sales. Be creative and think outside the box.

Her job is 100% online so she could move almost anywhere and save $50-75K per year. Wow!!!

If you work from home why would you need so many expensive shoes ? That rent made me gasp. I know people who make that much and do not pay any where near that. Plus relying on someone who is not your legal partner would worry me. Anything happens girl you moving on down in life.

I’m scared for her. If something happens and her career goes south or relationship ends, she has no way to sustain her lifestyle! Great shoes are fun, but not when they are your investment! No home equity, no savings, major debt! 😳 hopefully see will start soon!

3:53 I’m pretty certain that they won’t combine. I also get the feeling that they’ve been engaged for five years and they’ll probably remain engaged for another 17 years before they get married.

I will never understand why some people choose to make other people rich. Paying $9000 a month for something you'll never own is absolutely absurd. Just buy a house. Even if it's $1 million at 6% for 15 years it's $8,500 a month.

$4400 is pretty much half her monthly net pay. She's spending way too much unless she has a pile of cash in her bank account.

Dear fiancé : Run ! Quickly

Did anyone else do the math? She lists $182,400 in annual expenses, and doesn’t give any numbers for decorating, clothes, gifts, giving, Seattle apartment cost etc. Either she makes way more than $180k (after tax) or gets her business to pay a lot of these expenses. This girl is in for a rude awakening. She is living a lifestyle for someone earning $350k, but her fiancé is contributing to the insanity.

I never understand how people with such a great income can have debt. 1000 a month on shoes???? Good Lord.

9,000 dollars a month on rent? 🤦‍♀️

This is such a scary position to be in as a woman because literally the ONLY reason she's living the way she is because of her boyfriend. She's not being fully honest about how he financially supports her because 180K in NYC is NOT a lot of money and she could not spend the way she is on that salary.

9:42 When does she have time to watch all of that content?

Waiting for the video of Graham Stephan reacting to Rachel Cruz reacting to Glamour.

This woman needs serious help. She's addicted to the adrenaline rush of the "feast or famine" cycle. She admitted to being irresponsible with money before. If she's in her 30's and hasn't learned to moderate her spending, she's in big trouble. Her businesses could fail or her relationship could end, tanking her income and access to credit. She's made herself so vulnerable with no safety net. And as a potential business lender, I would see her as a bad risk.

Contrary to what she claims, this woman is clearly utterly dependent on her fiance. There is absolutely no way her lifestyle is affordable on 180k in NYC.

I loved this, it’s so interesting to see what others do with their money. Her lifestyle is to die for, but I am scared for her, no savings and $30k in debt that’s a disasters waiting to happen. I’m guessing she may have her boyfriend to fall back on, that’s why she’s not concerned.

I like that she said she doesn't use credit cards because she is not disciplined with them. That is a good thing.

10:27 One thousand dollars per month on shoes and $500 per month on debt repayment…

This just doesn't math for me.... the spending she mentions is $9000 per month, plus the travel expenses. Based on 15 trips at $1000-5000 each, even if only one of those was $5000 and all the others were $1000 (unlikely since she traveled to 6 countries) that's nearly $20,000. Her annual spending is already over $120,000 and this hasn't discussed taxes, medical expenses, or purchases related to household, wellness products, makeup, clothing etc.

her fiance should run as far away from her as possible. this guy is setting himself up for an utter failure in life. She paid $30 for a candle.

Very interesting. I guess one of my first questions would be, whose name is on the lease? Is the fiancé obligated to pay part of the rent. Secondly, if they order or eat out, why not take a look at that and cut it back. If she rarely leaves the apartment why does she need so many shoes. I have certain things that I buy, that are hard to resist, but come on, be realistic. Buy 1 pair of shoes and put the rest toward the debt, and once it’s paid, pretend it isn’t and save that amount every month. To be honest, I couldn’t sleep at night if I knew that my lifestyle was dependent on me working 10 hours a day to keep it going. If something unforeseen happens she’s going to be in trouble. Rachel, you were nicer than I would be, I see red flags everywhere 😀

Gosh all those subscriptions! Where do you find the time to watch them all 🙈🙉🙊

So interesting that a higher income is not the answer in her situation. Often, I believe most of us think, “If I just made more money, then my money issues would be solved.” Sometimes this is is true, but I think more often than not, it’s making a budget that solves money issues.

Agree with all your comments about debt/savings and SHOES (What IS it with women and shoes?!?). Maybe a trick she can use is every time she buys shoes she also sends an equal amount to pay off debt or savings or BOTH. Cost is obviously not too much of an issue on the shoes, so if she can double or triple the amount she pays for shoes in her mind, it could both limit her shoe-buying (without going cold turkey) and use it to solve her other issues. I also worry about plans for a family when she wouldn’t be able to work as much. She’s 31 and probably hasn’t given it too much thought YET. (And regardless of plans, there’s always accidents. 😁) And even though they’re engaged, I always worry about a break-up for a couple living together. I also would trim down all those subscriptions. Another thing I don’t see is a separation between her business finances and living expenses. This is particularly important to keep track of for online/gig-economy workers. She might not realize that one of her businesses costs much more than it brings in. That may be a desirable choice, but one that must be consciously made. UPDATE: She should also read The Millionaire Mind in order to learn the difference between High Income and High Net Worth.

I just couldn’t help seeing the prices of some of the things in home and thinking to myself how fast she could get herself out of debt if she sold just one of the art pieces. Also, her subscriptions could trim $50. my husband and I are working so hard to pay off our house and to live debt free. It’s interesting how it is so popular to live a certain lifestyle even if you can’t afford it. I hope she can see where to simplify her life because debt is an unnecessary burden.

$180k is not a good income for a CEO and definitely not great for Manhattan. She's one breakup or bad deal away from being homeless.

What's 1k in savings supposed to do with monthly expenses that high? 😂

180K is 15K a month, and that's before taxes, by my calculations she's spending more than that per month. Woman is broke. The only good thing here, and Graham Stephan would agree, is that she makes coffee at home.

Since she is almost 100% WFH, she should move to a less expensive city.

She said ‘my space’ as opposed to ‘our space’

Rachel please review THIS ONE next: search "How a 24-Year-Old Making $75K in NYC Spends Her Money | Money Tours | Glamour" in youtube. You will like her life style a lot better...

Wow! We make a really good amount but our 15 year mortgage is $1,350/month. Also, 150-180 is very low for a CEO anywhere. I think she said it's a startup but dang. I'm not trying to be a chief anything officer for under $250+ in a MCOL area. I've worked closely with many, seen their hours, and their workload and it's generally obscene. We are on steps 4&6 so I worked much more earlier, I just don't want to do it now. Edit** she spends roughly $131k on the things she listed per year in that first snip. Her take home would be roughly $120k if she made $150 a year, so that's not good.

180k is nothing when you are living in NYC I made 250k but still feels like i needed to work more to pay off my house and i live in NC.

This a great video, I learn alot watching your videos and it has been helpful to me. building a steady income is quite difficult for newbies. Thanks to Katherine Jeter for improving my portfolio, Keep up with good videos.

$13 for a writing pen. $125 slippers..... There is a LOT of squish in this budget.

who gives her these expensive gifts? her partner? Then that is weird that he buys 'gifts' that are just pieces of decoration of a space they both pay for. Not really gifts. I would never want to pay 4/5K on rent while making just 180K a year. After taxes that's like $115K a year. and more than half it just goes on renting. She is living like she is a millionaire while she isn't. Millionaires would have so many problems with her living style. lol what success? Lol 30K in debt while only paying $500 a months towards it. That is not being successful. She makes good money, sure. but she also spends it all. Rachel is way too nice lol 😆

I was confused. She has a 'business', but there are no details around her business revenue and expenses. There doesn't seem to be a separation between her business and her income. As an entrepreneur, your salary should be a line item in your budget. Anything related to your business should be business expenses. You would only re-invest if your revenue exceeded your expenses. This, to me, is a train wreck waiting to happen.

I noticed the prices of artwork on the walls - $8,000 & $32,000. Yikes. Okay for a millionaire, but not when you’re still in debt & have no savings & no backup plan…

I live in Miami and $180k is not a lot money to live the way she does in a comparable neighborhood in Brickell. If her boyfriend is soooo successful, why isn't he paying proportionally a more fair share of the rent? With $180k she could mortgage a modest place on her own since she doesn't have people meet at her place anyway.

I know there are ways she can improve, but I think we should focus on some of the things she's doing right. I think it's great she doesn't have any credit cards. She learned from her past mistakes. She is aware/willing to do some of the photography work herself to save on costs. She is putting money back into her business to help it grow. Kudos to her! With the Tweeks that Rachel suggests, I think she will be able to succeed and not have that debt hanging over her anymore. I like these videos Rachel! I would love to see more!

Sorry, but $180,000 per annum is not an income. It looks like the revenue for the business is $150,000-$180,000, the net income from the business is more like $60,000… take 12 months of rent out of that and you have practically zip

She has way too many streaming subscriptions… She works 10 hours a day… I doubt she has any time to watch TV. Even if she dis have time to watch TV why does she need all these subscriptions for…? 🤷🏻‍♂️

Wow $180K for a CEO and in New York is really a low income. I’m shocked. She should be making at least $300K.

I have been watching Dave Ramsey/ Rachele Cruze since Oct 2021 here in Canada. So much wisdom and practical advice. Totally changed our family's perspective on how to handle money. We are now in out step 3 and excited to level up. Thanks Dave, Rachel and the entire Team! God bless your ministry more. I hope that one day i will be able to be an instrument to help people on their finances as well. God bless

Oh Mylanta! I'm still trying to pick my jaw up from the floor lol! Thanks to the Baby Steps, I've learned to be quite frugal And to not care At All what other people think of my lifestyle. So freeing. BUT- 20 years ago, I would have thought, "Yeah Girl, you're killin it!" Fast forward to now... this person clearly doesn't have the ability to tell herself "No". She mentioned having 30k in Personal debt. I'd wager her Business debt is at Least 10 x's that.

She definitely needs to save and have an emergency fund and more. If she cut back spending she could pay off all her debt and invest a good chunk.

If you work from home why would you need so many expensive shoes ? That rent made me gasp. I know people who make that much and do not pay any where near that. Plus relying on someone who is not your legal partner would worry me. Anything happens girl you moving on down in life.

She should spend $1.8 million per year like normal women. 10X of what she makes.

Wow. With that kind of salary, if managed and invested correctly, she'll have way enough money to last her a lifetime and even for her future children if they so decide to have them. But the way she's spending it all, then always ends up with no money is quite scary. Hopefully, she'll be able to change her lifestyle and mindset.

Does she need to live in New York if she runs a blog and e-commerce sites 🤷‍♂️

Being paid $180 K per year and living in NYC is expensive esp with her habits and working from home. She can live anywhere I think.

She said 150-180 so we can’t assume she’s always making 180 and that rent, even half isn’t it almost double what 25 of her take home pay would be or is my math wrong? But geez I’m surprised she doesn’t have savings and isn’t saving at all, I’d be scared of that

I didn’t hear her mention any health insurance and having no savings will be a catastrophe if she gets Iill with no way to make income during that time.

This is the same reason I watch " My 600 LB Life " and " Hoarders ". Would not trade my humble life here in the Midwest for anything in NYC.

The shoe price tag killed me..... throw that on your debt

Really enjoyed this. I’m at the $145k yearly mark and she made me feel a lot better about my shoe addiction. I have not paid more than $200 for a pair and that was a serious splurge for me. About to finish up BS3 in Dec so still have that rice and beans mentality. Hope she sees your video and gets gazelle. ☺️

If her boyfriend/fiancée left her it’s over.

Omg. I was feeling guilty for stopping at Panera for lunch when I had groceries at home. Seeing this makes me feel better

Way too much debt and bills/expenses for her income which she says can fluctuate by almost 30K a year, so I'm guessing that contributes to her debt as her expenses seem fixed no matter what. $1000 a month for shoes is a lot. She probably has enough pairs now that she can stop that for a while. How many shoes can you wear in a week? Maybe look at the subscriptions too -- how much television can you watch, especially while managing several businesses. and travelling a fair amount. There are places she can cut without causing a big impact on her lifestyle, and I think she'd feel much better with money in the bank. My thoughts anyway. Thanks for sharing this!

She considers her wealthy boyfriend as her "emergency fund" if the bottom ever drops out...

Many people even making good money are just a few paychecks away from being homeless. No way could I live like that. Gotta pay yourself and build up some emergency funds.

Good on her.... keeping her shoe budget under $1k a month. I just can't.

Sell the two paintings. They are worth a combined $33,000. If she sold them she could pay off the debt right away.

That 180 is her income, the company income might be different

Her boy friend should run for his life while he has the chance!

Okay, I do not understand her. I would have zero debt with that income. She can easily cut back

Nonetheless, this is an interesting video! I enjoyed it

I don't think that she knows business engineering. That's what a CEO is.

She seems to have no net worth…. and spends everything coming in. Interesting… as long as she is happy 😬

8:54 At that rate it’s going to take her five years to pay that debt off. But I don’t think she’s going to pay the debt off.

$9,000 on rent!!!! Bruh

Anyone only making $180k shouldn’t really have a “C Level” job title.

Keeping accounts apart. 👍🏻

I don't see how she uses her subscriptions, especially her streaming subscriptions if she is working 10 hours a day. I don't know about her cable bill. Also, living in New York City I'm not sure an antenna would work for her television and have that instead of her a cable. Since she works at home I don't see why she has to buy that many shoes unless they're going out clubbing every night. I can see having a nice pair of shoes or maybe two but at their price, it would be like one pair. She is definitely living above her income. And I know food in New York City, everything in New York City is a lot more expensive but she could definitely pay off her debt by cutting out buying a new pair of shoes every month and cutting out her subscriptions, including The food subscription & she did not include those in her subscriptions. Even $150 a week per person on food is out the roof. I'm sure she could cook at home with food that she would buy at the grocery store and save a lot of money.

3:06 If the relationship works because they are financially independent, then maybe they should be relationally independent as well.

Continue with my success? What?

She has the potential for such margin. My guess is her fiancé may not let her go below their means. Not sure why i feel that way but she does do her fair share of overspending. WOW. Also I found the original video...this was pre pandemic. Goodness knows how this woman fared during that timeframe.

Ohhh she’s an influencer! So ok she may technically be a “ceo” but that’s a lot different than say CEO of a hospital or a Fortune 500 company

Rachel was far more generous than Suze Orman would have been. Suze would have gone ballistics. Just too much waste. A grand on shoes!!!! By Rachel being extremely generous with her evaluation, maybe the woman will subscribe to Rachel's channel and learn a heckuva lot more about being financially savvy.

180k is middle class in both NYC and major cities in California. It sounds like a lot, but look what she's paying in rent for what would be an average house in South Carolina.

$180k for a CEO is actually pretty low especially for New York City!!!!

That actually doesn’t seem like a high salary for a CEO of any company. No offense to her at all but my co workers make the same amount and work in tech.

I’m shocked at how oblivious she is. She better get out of la-la land before things go sideways

Just taking the amount she spends on shoes and cutting it in half and putting the rest towards her debt would wipe it out in a year. She can still buy shoes, but maybe every other month, instead of every month. Plus, the anticipation of buying something that you save and wait for has a bigger payoff emotionally.

I’m shock she has no savings.

She could sell used shoes

I am scared for her.

One word. Entitled