美國的職場新人如何支配自己的收入?示例

Einstein once said that the most powerful force in the universe was compound interest.

愛因斯坦曾經說過：宇宙中最強大的力量就是複利。

No one is in a better position to harness this force than those who have just started earning a regular salary. But popular wisdom tells you that it is just this demographic that has a tough time saving. Salaries are typically lower.

而那些剛剛開始拿薪水的人，就是最能從這股力量中獲利的人了。但是，衆所周知，這恰好就是那羣不擅長存錢的人。而且他們的工資通常也不算高。

Here's how that paycheck gets divvied up across the nation.

以下是一個普通美國人對自己收入的支配情況：

1. Housing (31.9%)

住房——佔總收入的31.9%

Among households in this age group, 61% are renting.

在這個年齡的人當中，61%的人是租房住的。

The average rent/mortgage check is $894 per month（60% of the total cost on housing）. Obviously, this figure will vary widely based on location.

他們平均每月的租金或房貸是894美元（佔住房總花銷的60%）。不過顯然，這個數字隨着地區不同而不同。

The rest of the balance of housing money is devoted to utilities, household supplies, furniture, and appliances.

而住房花銷中剩下的那部分，用在了水電燃氣、日用品、傢俱和各種小物件上面。

2. Transportation (16.3%)

交通——佔總收入的16.3%

This includes monthly payments for the purchase of new/used cars, which runs roughly $296 per month.

這包括買車的錢以及車貸平均到每月的花銷，大概是296美元。（這對於中國的畢業生來講不太一樣，畢竟在中國還是以公共交通爲主）

Last year, an average of $204 per month was spent on gasoline.

去年，在汽油上的平均花銷是204美元。

The rest is used on maintenance, insurance, and "other vehicle expenses."

其他的部分花在了維護費用、保險以及其他交通花銷上。

3. Healthcare (4.9%)

健康——佔總收入的4.9%

Here's where it really pays to be young.

這就是年輕真正的好處。（健康方面可以少花錢）

Healthcare spending is one of the only categories that consistently inches upward throughout life.

健康是唯一一個隨着年齡增長而花銷變大的門類。

Of this total, 70% is used to cover insurance premiums, which likely means that employers are chipping in a significant percentage of the total cost of coverage.

而這裏面的70%是花在了健康保險上面，所以基本上可以說是用人單位覆蓋了裏面的大部分。（在中國的普遍情況就是公司交掉一半）

4. Food (12.1%)

飲食——佔總收入的12.1%

Typically, 45% is spent on eating out.

一般來講，這其中的45%是花在了外出就餐上面。

Meats, fish, eggs, fruits, and vegetables make up over 40% of the money that is spent monthly for food at home.

而在家吃的那一部分花銷裏，肉、魚、雞蛋、水果、蔬菜等食材佔據了40%。（剩下的可能是零食吧）

5. Entertainment (4.4%)

娛樂——佔總收入的4.4%

When you think about it, it's a pretty good deal when you're able to spend as much on entertainment as you do on healthcare.

仔細想一下的話，娛樂的花銷可以和健康花銷等量，還是一件挺划算的事。

I should note that these figures include the costs of pets, TVs, hobbies, and any type of event you might attend.

我要指出，這部分花銷包括了寵物、電視、興趣愛好以及其他一切你可能參與的活動。

6. Pensions and Social Security (9.8%)

社保、養老金——佔總收入的9.8%

As you'll see at the end, though, even with reduced benefits in the future, Social Security can play a key role in your retirement.

你們最終會明白的，雖然這些東西以後的價值會變低，但社保在你退休之後還是舉足輕重的。（在中國，這部分一般是公司在發薪前就代繳了，而公司負擔其中大部分）

7. Education (2%)

教育——佔總收入的2%

Many will argue that this number should be higher. After all, the graduation is only a beginning. Your career just started and there's a lot of skills to acquire if you wanna get promoted and paid better.

很多人都覺得這一部分應該更高一些。畢竟，畢業只是一個新階段的開始。你的職業生涯纔剛剛起步，如果你想升職加薪的話，還有不少技能要學。

8. Other (9.3%)

其他——佔總收入的9.3%

This covers a lot of different categories: clothes, alcohol, personal care products, cigarettes, donations, and even alimony payments. Lump all of them together and this is what you get.

這一部分包含很多門類：服裝、酒、個人護理產品、煙、慈善捐贈甚至贍養費。把它們全部加起來就是你能自由支配的那一部分了。（能存下來的最大值）

That leaves the average household of 2 people with $423 per month.

這對於一般的家庭（兩口人）來說，就是每月423美元（約合人民幣2800元）

This may sound like a lot or a little, depending on your point of view. But let's put it in perspective. This is equivalent to saving $5,076 per year.

這在你看來可能算多，也可能算少。不過且讓我們用不偏不倚的視角來看看，這相當於每年5076美元（約合人民幣34000元）。

If we assume that a couple, aged 30, is able to put away this much every month until they retired at age 67, adjusted for inflation, and assuming a return of 9% (just below the stock market's historical average), they would have an equivalent of $484,000 in their nest egg come retirement time.

如果我們假設，一對30歲的夫妻，每月能存下這麼多錢，一直存到67歲退休，然後假設他們的投資回報率是9%（剛好低於股票市場歷史回報率的平均值），再算上通貨膨脹，那他們在退休的時候就會有一筆484,000美元的財富（約合人民幣326萬元）。

Obviously, not everyone who reads this will represent the "average" household for this age group. There's tons of variability.

不過顯然，並不是所有讀這篇文章的人都恰好是這個年齡段中的平均水平，變量是非常多的。

If nothing else, a key takeaway should be that if you want to super-charge your savings, focus on the Big Three of housing, transportation, and food to leverage your efforts.

但拋開一切不談，最重要的一點建議是：如果你想讓你的積蓄髮揮最大的價值，你應該着重在住房、交通、飲食這三個大頭上面精打細算。