Just got a new job making nearly 50k.

Do they have a 401k? Do you have to wait or can you join now? Put as much as you can to grab as much match from them as possible. Open a Roth IRA and max that out. The great thing about a Roth is you can pull out your contributions without penalty if you need them so this is a great place to park your money and earn interest.

what type of job? Office? Career or just job?

I have some things I would suggest but first, what are your priorities?

Do you want to live a simple life and retire asap?

Do you want to live up now and work until 60+ and be a baller in retirement?

You need to decide what type of lifestyle you want to live and how long you want to work before you can get any good advice for your situation.

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I know it's not a lot at all

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Don't sell yourself short. You make more than the majority of people in this country.

Reward yourself before living like your broke

First of all...congrats on the new job.

At that salary just focus on maxing out your Roth IRA (I like Vanguard for this...others may like someone else) and contributing whatever you can to your company's 401k.

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26 and single

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things I should do

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Stay single. Your wallet will think you







But seriously I have been there. Don't buy a new car 120k miles is nothing these days. Auto deduct a set amount into a savings account that you can't easily raid. Contribute your 401k up to the max match. Open a Roth and put as much as you can in there. Should be easy to save 1k+ a month minimum between savings account and roth if you stick to a budget and still have plenty of cash to have fun, eat well, and do some traveling.

My advice as someone that was in your exact situation at one time:

1) contribute to your company 401k once you can
2) try to max out roth IRA

after that...enjoy your single 20s, don't horde too much, but also don't ball out every weekend

but every now and then, it is perfectly ok to go out with your guys and cringe when you look at your charges from the weekend

pick up a drug habit

-Roth401k to match amount at the very least, + as much as you can afford to put in (max is 18k annual) if they have the Roth401k option available through your retirement plan
If not, then 401k to match amount then open a Roth IRA and max that out (if you can afford to - considering living expenses and any other necessary expenses you may have)

-Also set aside cash every month for an emergency fund (set an amount and stick to it)

ETA: Check with your employer to see if your company offers a Roth401k option, after reading the comments it appears many people on this board are not aware that a Roth401k even exists