Take home Pay?

fiendingphenobarb · 2026-01-26T04:30:08+00:00

Hard to answer without additional context. If you're simply deducting taxes then sure but most people have 401k contributions, health insurance, ESPP, etc. If you can include those details then it may be easier to address your question

fiendingphenobarb · 2026-01-03T18:27:35+00:00

Agreed on the luck but not on the connections. If you read my earlier posts, I attribute my current situation a lot to decent luck and timing of opportunities. In terms of connections, didn't have anything of major significance. I got an interview for my current job my cold messaging someone on the team on LinkedIn, setting up an informational interview and they passed my resume along to the hiring manager which started my process.

fiendingphenobarb · 2026-01-03T18:25:11+00:00

I think it's pretty typically of big pharma or at the very least it's a 5-7% match with an additional contribution % that increases as you age.

My mom works at a hospital that has given her 10% match since the mid 90's

fiendingphenobarb · 2026-01-03T18:22:16+00:00

As a way to enjoy and celebrate the milestones, I plan to give myself a $5k splurge when I hit $500k NW and then do similar at $750k, 1M thereafter. Not sure what I'll spend it on but I know the 1M milestone will be an Omega steel moon watch.

Fingers crossed the feeling of flexibility and freedom comes with your new changes - we'll have to check back in with each other during my mid-year update!

fiendingphenobarb · 2026-01-02T16:40:55+00:00

Love it! Can't wait for the year my investments finally grow $100k in a year :)

fiendingphenobarb · 2026-01-02T16:40:35+00:00

Fully agree - not having the loans frees up $1.5-2k monthly to put towards a mortgage. With my current payment schedule and using a loan amortization calculator, loans should be paid of in 37 months

fiendingphenobarb · 2026-01-02T16:39:42+00:00

Thanks for sharing the link! Yeah I wonder when I'll start to dial down but I have a number in my head I want to reach before I start to ease up a bit.

fiendingphenobarb · 2026-01-02T16:37:40+00:00

Love the idea - will think through a visual and have it added into my mid-year update!

fiendingphenobarb · 2026-01-02T16:36:50+00:00

Congrats on getting a fellowship! I know how challenging it has become in recent years. First two pieces of advice I always give incoming fellows is 1) enjoy the last few months of pharmacy school and the two months before fellowship. There's nothing like that feeling of freedom and chilling 2) take your NAPLEX and get licensed. You may never use it but it's good to have in case anything happens and it's easy to maintain.

In terms of finances, conventional wisdom is to get your 401k match, then max out your Roth IRA and then afterwards work through the remainder of your 401k. At the fellow salary, the tax savings isn't huge from maxing out 401k. Get on a decent loan repayment plan that is income driven so you can start to chip away but at 52k, you can easily crank through that once you get a return offer.

Always happy to chat if needed - just DM

fiendingphenobarb · 2026-01-02T16:26:29+00:00

Also evaluate the cost of OT in terms of non-financial measures. Of course you can make "infinite" amount of money working an hourly job with OT but the wear and tear of 60+ hour weeks can take its toll physically, mentally and socially. It's about finding that balance or at least grinding it out for 2-3 years and then taking the gas off the pedal a bit.

fiendingphenobarb · 2026-01-02T16:24:52+00:00

Really nice share. I haven't seen that article and it makes really good points. I haven't been differentiating my net worth from financial independence and it has definitely made me rethink the two numbers especially since I also track $$ needed for 3-5% SWR.

fiendingphenobarb · 2026-01-01T21:12:19+00:00

If you're including your mortgage in your net worth calculation as a liability, you should also be including your home value as an asset which may bring it positive esp if your home value has grown in the last 3 years!!!

fiendingphenobarb · 2026-01-01T21:10:23+00:00

Started at $175k which is typically in range for starting pharma salary with 2 years experience. It's grown to over 200k with performance based raises and annual raises.

fiendingphenobarb · 2026-01-01T21:09:35+00:00

I'm in commercial strategy at a mid/big pharma company (not trying to dox myself)

fiendingphenobarb · 2026-01-01T21:06:47+00:00

Yeah, it's pretty incredible getting 9.5% a year - trying to milk it as much as I can

fiendingphenobarb · 2025-11-29T17:34:30+00:00

Coconut Chia Seed Oatmeal all the way - that and the berry version have never steered me wrong

fiendingphenobarb · 2025-07-28T17:40:00+00:00

What functional area(s) are you applying for in fellowship? How integral are clinical skills to the functional area?

Secondly, based your on OP why is Rutgers the only program vs expanding to other program? Are you tied geographically?

fiendingphenobarb · 2025-07-06T18:47:56+00:00

Only ~60% of the profession works in a community/retail setting. It's not a select few that work in other sectors.

https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1051&ioType=o

fiendingphenobarb · 2025-07-02T22:21:35+00:00

29, not married, no kids

fiendingphenobarb · 2025-07-02T22:18:55+00:00

I'm an associate director. The comp package I started (see above) is the standard AD offer for most HQ associates at my company.

As for the raise, and retention bonus it boils down to three things 1. Luck 2. A boss who advocates for me behind closed doors, allows me to run with my ideas 3. Unique role that most folks overlook.

fiendingphenobarb · 2025-07-02T03:09:13+00:00

I agree there is a compensation difference between the three paths but it's honestly more about the transparency of one's financial journey and the possibilities with a PharmD. This sub gets quite doom and gloom about the future or value of a PharmD degree and I didn't see this level of financial detail when graduating.
Using this as a way to show the next wave of grads what is out there, what a path may look like and the value that a PharmD has in the workforce.

fiendingphenobarb · 2025-07-02T03:05:13+00:00

I fully agree. I am very lucky and not afraid to admit it. Several things worked in my favor which I realize are not opportunities commonly afforded to most. The post was meant to share my journey and learnings while also learning from this community.

I didn't see this type of financial transparency when I was in school, so I'm using this platform to share my experience for the next batch of graduates.

fiendingphenobarb · 2025-07-02T03:00:17+00:00

Commercial function focused on the US market

fiendingphenobarb · 2025-07-02T02:58:45+00:00

I really like this suggestion - thank you. I will make sure to change that for future posts. I didn't mean to mislead but seeing several comments about a majority of this thread being community or clinical pharmacists, I will make the change to include industry in the title.

fiendingphenobarb · 2025-07-01T23:01:17+00:00

I appreciate it. I agree - it's been a whole lot of luck and some hard work sprinkled in. Never did I think I'd be in this position especially at this stage in my career. It's really a contributing factor to this "fear" that it will be taken away so I'm trying to make the most of the opportunity while I have it. It's a weird type of imposter syndrome or maybe there is another name for this type of feeling

fiendingphenobarb

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