deadzone, I don’t consider 401k & Roth as cash either. But, , if you make $130-150k, I don’t see how you can’t save $2k/month CASH AFTER maxing out your 401k & Roth IRA.
Let see, a typical RN straight out of nursing school makes about 50-60k/yr. If you work one extra day, that’d bring your yearly income to 70-80k. Add two of those together and you get your 130-150k. Or an entry level engineer making 50-55k a year @ 22 years old. 5 years later with 5 years experience, he should be making at least 70k. I don’t know if that many mid 20s making that much, but there has to be some. Especially ones with decent career. Even at $100k a year, your monthly income after tax and maxing out 401k should be around $4k-4500. If you live in an apartment for $1k/month, spend $1500/month in gas, food, and car payment, you can still save $2k/month. It’s how much you spend, not how much you make that will determine how much you can save.
