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Portfolio Check · by Tola Ibrahim · 2026-09-04

my year in numbers from a teacher salary, not sexy but real

37, public school teacher, side income from tutoring around exam season. Here's the annual snapshot because I always appreciate these from non-tech salaries.

Started year: 92k invested
Ended: 131k invested
Contributed: 24k
Pension contribution happened automatically
Extra tutoring income invested: 6.5k

Portfolio outside pension:
403b target date 51%
Roth total market 29%
457 international fund 12%
cash 8%

No tricks. I meal prepped harder, said no to two weddings out of state, and tutored exhausted teenagers in algebra.

18 sparks · 6 comments

Comments

Miguel Santos · 6 likes

Tutoring exhausted teenagers should count as hazard pay.

Valeria Flores · 0 likes

Congrats. This is grindy in the best way.

Tola Ibrahim · 1 likes

Appreciate it. It felt unglamorous all year and then the spreadsheet finally said oh, okay.

Mango Mango · 4 likes

These posts calm my nervous system more than any hot-take thread.

Solar Coder · 0 likes

Also shoutout to pensions. Half this orbit forgets some of us still have one.

Pim Anong · 0 likes

24k contributed on a teacher salary is beast mode.