At 37, this Chilliwack-based PR executive earns almost $200,000 a year, including freelance and passive income. Armed with a journalism degree and more than a decade of experience building her career, she says she feels fairly compensated for her work—but she’s still constantly thinking about money.
The millennial mom tracks her spending through a spreadsheet and the Wealthsimple app, keeps a close eye on household finances and believes that staying proactive helps prevent small issues from becoming bigger problems. While she wasn’t able to contribute significantly to her RRSP in the early stages of her career, she’s now focused on maximizing retirement savings and taking advantage of tax deductions. Looking ahead, she’d like to start a business or purchase an investment property to create additional income streams for retirement.
Living in Chilliwack has played a major role in her financial story. Buying a home there allowed her to enter the property market and secure enough space for her family—a move she says “would not have been possible in the city.”
Meet the Earner
- Age: 37
- Location: Chilliwack
- Industry: Public relations
- Role: Vice-president
- Pronouns: She/her
Income
- Total Income: $195,000
- Annual Salary: $150,000
- Bonus: $20,000
- Commissions: $8,000
- Side/Freelance Income: $15,000
- Passive Income: $2,000
- Benefits: Extended health care, tech budget
Monthly Spending Estimates
Life in Dollars
What is your biggest splurge?
Annual family vacation to Palm Springs.
What is always a hard pass?
Pre-packaged food.
How do you define rich?
“Being able to provide for my family and not sweat the small emergency expenses that inevitably come up.”
What is your go-to money management tool?
Spreadsheet and Wealthsimple app.
Give us your best piece of wealth wisdom.
“Small habits stack quickly—instead of buying a top from Aritzia, investing the amount you would spend in their stock pays off!”
