Warren Wang
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Age: 30
Computer systems administrator, Manassas
Warren Wang was the model of fiscal responsibility when he landed his first job, as a systems administrator, in Dallas eight years ago. He lived with his parents, "so I had plenty of money to put away," he said. "That wasn't hard to do." And his 401(k) kicked in his first day of work.
But then Wang moved to the Washington area, got a raise and began to indulge.
"I was like: 'Yes! Money, yeah!' " he said.
There was rent -- very high rent -- to be paid. The monthly deposit into his savings account stopped. And he picked up the pricey hobby of amateur road racing, spending thousands of dollars to ready his Acura Integra for competition.
"I was never horribly in debt," he said. "But there just wasn't much there."
Life in the fast lane came to a halt two years ago after he crashed and totaled the car. Wang realized then that he could either sink money into fixing it -- or begin saving for a down payment on a house. He chose the latter.
"I stopped [racing], and I was like, 'Holy crap, I make a lot of money,' " he said.
Now, the 30-year-old is living in the townhouse he owns in Manassas and squirreling away up to $700 each month in a savings account. He doesn't consider himself financially savvy, but he's learning.
"Actually, my next plan is an IRA," he said.
-- Ylan Q. Mui
