Monica and I were both making over $150,000 a year when we moved to California. We still felt broke. A big paycheck doesn’t build wealth on its own, and nobody teaches nurses how to do it.
These numbers are from April 2025, when this was first written. Pay changes every year, so check current rates in Map My Pay.
Where our money went
Our car payment was $1,270 a month. We had over $25K in credit card debt. We even borrowed $70,000 just for a down payment.
Every month we felt like we were falling behind, even with a big paycheck. We thought working more would fix it, but it didn’t.
If a car payment is eating your paycheck too, read why luxury cars are not an investment.
Why more shifts don’t fix it
Picking up more shifts can make it worse, not better. We break down why in why overtime is keeping nurses broke.
You don’t need more hours. You need a better plan.
What the video covers
In this video, I go through:
- Why nurses think they’re doing well but end up stuck
- How picking up more shifts can make things worse
- What Monica and I did differently to finally start saving and investing
- The move that helped us pay off $128K of debt in under a year
- Why most nurses leave money on the table every single year
If you’ve ever looked at your bank account and wondered where all your money went, this video is for you.
We figured it out the hard way so you don’t have to. For the full story of how we got out of debt, read how we paid off $128K of debt.
Your next move
See what you’d take home, then make the move
Map My Pay shows what nurses take home after taxes and rent at 465+ hospitals and in 21,000+ cities. It’s the app I co-founded so you can compare cities before you pack a single box.
The Nurses to Riches Accelerator is the plan Monica and I used to go from $37 an hour in New York to $143 an hour in California: license, city, hospital, and what to do with the money after.
Get the Map My Pay app See the Accelerator plans
Every Accelerator plan is a one-time payment with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Written by Jason, RN. I went from $37 an hour in New York to $143 an hour in California and paid off $128K of debt in under a year. I share our numbers in the Nurses to Riches newsletter and on YouTube.