Hello fellow BigLaw lawyer. One thing that I do want to note (and is important in people paying off that much debt quickly) is the importance of chucking your bonus and raises at it.
By the end of year three, your total comp will have risen from $235k to $307.5k (once factoring in bonuses). Between bonuses and raises, that’s another $150k in pay by the end of year three, over top of a constant $215k salary. Factoring in taxes, it’s still around $100k or almost a third of your debt load.
Amortizing the remaining $230k over 40 months (stub year + 3 years) and it’s “only” $5,750 per month instead of $10k. Again, this assumes you don’t lifestyle inflate and see diligent about paying off your loans.
But the fact of the matter is that few people have $330k in debt, even in BigLaw. Those people who pay off in 3 years probably have nearer $200k. You’re probably looking at 4+ years (Year 4 alone will give you another $155k gross over the $215k start). End of the day, you made your bed and have to lie in it because you aren’t paying those loans off elsewhere.
I’d also want to warn you to strike a balance—don’t live like a pauper to pay this off at the expense of your mental health. The money in BigLaw is real. It’s hard to get fired as a junior, so leaving is almost always a personal choice of the associate. If spending an additional $2k / month on being near your office keeps you at your firm from Year 3 to 4, that’s $130k “kept.”
FireAway_Burner t1_jaeqg0p wrote
Reply to Help Me Understand What I Can Be Doing Differently by Outrageous_Ad_6993
Hello fellow BigLaw lawyer. One thing that I do want to note (and is important in people paying off that much debt quickly) is the importance of chucking your bonus and raises at it.
By the end of year three, your total comp will have risen from $235k to $307.5k (once factoring in bonuses). Between bonuses and raises, that’s another $150k in pay by the end of year three, over top of a constant $215k salary. Factoring in taxes, it’s still around $100k or almost a third of your debt load.
Amortizing the remaining $230k over 40 months (stub year + 3 years) and it’s “only” $5,750 per month instead of $10k. Again, this assumes you don’t lifestyle inflate and see diligent about paying off your loans.
But the fact of the matter is that few people have $330k in debt, even in BigLaw. Those people who pay off in 3 years probably have nearer $200k. You’re probably looking at 4+ years (Year 4 alone will give you another $155k gross over the $215k start). End of the day, you made your bed and have to lie in it because you aren’t paying those loans off elsewhere.
I’d also want to warn you to strike a balance—don’t live like a pauper to pay this off at the expense of your mental health. The money in BigLaw is real. It’s hard to get fired as a junior, so leaving is almost always a personal choice of the associate. If spending an additional $2k / month on being near your office keeps you at your firm from Year 3 to 4, that’s $130k “kept.”