GEMMA MAY, 30

$80,000

WHAT DO YOU DO?

I’m a social-media specialist.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN ON $80K?

Just under two years.

HOW MUCH DO YOU PAY PER WEEK IN RENT?

alone in Sydney. $400; I live

DO YOU MAKE VOLUNTARY SUPER CONTRIBUTIONS?

No.

WHAT ARE YOUR CURRENT FINANCIAL GOALS?

I’d like to start investing, but I don’t know that much about it, so I need to research it and learn more. I’m keen to do more with my savings than just have them sitting in a term deposit at the bank.

ARE YOU FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT?

Yes, I’ve been paying my own bills for a long time now. I’m single and proud to say I can pay for anything I want or need on my own.

HOW MUCH DEBT DO YOU HAVE?

I don’t have any debt; I’ve never even had a credit card. I try to lead a fairly austere lifestyle in terms of my finances and prefer to only spend on the things I really

need or want. It’s too easy to go beyond your means with personal credit. I’ve seen it happen to friends and I’ve just never wanted to put myself in that kind of position.

WHAT WAS YOUR LAST BIG SPLURGE?

I bought myself a Chanel Boy wallet ($1,200) and an Olympus PEN E-PL8 camera ($899) at Christmas, and the last holiday I took was two weeks in LA to celebrate my 30th birthday. That came to about $7,200.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU WORRY ABOUT MONEY?

Less than I did when I was younger. In the past few years, I’ve become better at managing my money; now I have an annual budget, a yearly savings goal and a back-up fund.

HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU THINK YOU NEED TO LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT?

I couldn’t put a number on it, but honestly I’m quite happy with where I am.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR FINANCES IN FIVE YEARS?

Hopefully, I’ll have a large mortgage to pay off but be living in a nice apartment near the beach somewhere.