I Save Half Of My $250K A Year Salary As An AI Scientist | Millennial Money

Hassam Sheikh, 33, lives in Orlando, Florida and earns around $250,000 a year working as an AI research scientist. He owns a 6-bedroom home, two cars, and plans to save over half of his salary.
This is an installment of CNBC Make It's Millennial Money series, which profiles people across the globe and details how they earn, spend and save their money.
What's your budget breakdown? We're looking for stories from all ages, not just millennials! Share your story with us for a chance to be featured in a future installment of Millennial Money: cnb.cx/3OxbJ71
Produced and Edited by: Raffi Paul
Senior Managing Producer: Eric M. Clark
Camera: Clint Boland
Animator: Elham Ataeiazar
Reporter: Ryan Ermey
Additional Footage: Hassam Sheikh, Getty Images
Subscribe to CNBC Make It: cnb.cx/2kxl2rf
About CNBC Make It: CNBC Make It is a new section of CNBC dedicated to making you smarter about managing your business, career, and money.
Connect with CNBC Make It. Online
Get the latest updates: www.cnbc.com/make-it
Find CNBC Make It. on Facebook: cnb.cx/LikeCNBCMakeIt
Find CNBC Make It. on Twitter: cnb.cx/FollowCNBCMakeIt
Find CNBC Make It. on Instagram: bit.ly/InstagramCNBCMakeIt
#CNBC
#CNBCMakeIt
#MillennialMoney
I Save Half Of My $250K A Year Salary As An AI Scientist

[@hassamsheikh]

Thank you CNBC for letting me share my story.

[@Nash0303]

Well done

[@i_love_god10]

Congrats Hassam! At what age are you planning to retire?

[@hassamsheikh]

@@i_love_god10 around 40.

[@user-ms8hd7fk9c]

Well done!! You're doing incredibly well and have built such a wonderful daily life!

[@kaze987]

Well done, sir!!

[@tamarasmith9155]

It’s so nice to see great stories about smart people who worked hard for what they have!

[@SuperKiloSunny]

Hassam’s phone is about to be blowing up with aunties who have single daughters 😂

[@bilalabdi9148]

YOU know alot

[@rawan5804]

100%😂

[@AyaAya-fh2wx]

😂

[@shantanushekharsjunerft9783]

😂I was thinking the same. The only saving grace is those aunties don’t watch CNBC!

[@hassamsheikh]

I am still waiting for that time even after 5 months

[@wavegod_tee]

THIS IS AMAZING! Hassam and I were roommates during his PhD days! He truly changed my life. Every bit of what he's gone to become was due to his hard work and he truly deserves it! He is one of my life long friends! ( Btw I live 25 mins away and Hassam only comes to see me once a year 🤣🤣🤣)

[@Ambrosha385]

wait are you serious? He is trying to improve but it sounds like you need to reach out b/c he may not be good at reaching out. OMG this makes me so sad, please please change that. I would do anything to see my friends far away more, and you are so close.

[@wavegod_tee]

We still talk pretty often, Hassam is just a home body ya know 🤣

[@eurekacomment5719]

Sounds like he is whipped and has been domesticated! People had great hopes in him! But alas! We lost him to the dark side!

[@V3NOMXIII]

The call out 😂

[@TomNook.]

Omg Hassam, this guy just publicly roasted you! Getttem 😅

[@IamTonySy]

FYI just to be clear to those who have big delusions of grandeur, this is not an entry level or junior position and often requires masters degree at minimum, he himself has a PHD and wasn't until his 30s he starting making the big bucks

[@Matys1975]

Yup, I work in the same field with only a masters degree and 10+ years of experience and only make like 180-190k per year. His position is near the top end of what you can make in a non-management role that is not in Silicon Valley.

[@SummerSausage1]

No. You are just being scammed. How long have you worked in each job for the last 10 years? If you haven't moved around every 2-3 years, then that would explain your low salary. The rest of us are eating puss after 2-3 years per company. The upper bound on his skillset and education would be closer to 350k before management.@@Matys1975

[@JohnSmith-hr7fl]

Well yeah, you can't really get a job in Artificial Intelligence without a PhD, or in some cases a master's degree would suffice, but a bachelor's degree won't be getting you any AI jobs.

[@patriciaetienne5070]

@@JohnSmith-hr7fllol yes you can. I’m an AI Language Engagement Strategist and I do not have a PhD. I do have a masters but it’s in education since I transitioned from that career.

[@JohnSmith-hr7fl]

@@patriciaetienne5070 I see. Wow, that's good to know. I thought differently since some people I know who are in the field, say bachelor's degree jobs are pretty scarce, and when I go on job websites, a lot of AI jobs have a minimum requirement of a master's degree. How hard was it for you to get in the field? Do you think your master's degree in education is helping you get the job since that could be put to good use in the field?

[@karimmanzur9886]

Hassam deserves it, always nice to see hardworking people bear the fruits of their labor.

[@d.supreme8592]

What I love most about his situation is that he lives like someone who is making average money. No fancy cars, clothes just pure enjoyment of life. ❤❤❤

[@02nupe]

Just like the book “the millionaire next door” 🎯

[@greentea_]

3 cars. Yeah just like my neighbor…

[@dec1slh]

​@@greentea_he says has had 3 cars not currently have 3 cars, which is normal.

[@hassamsheikh]

​@@dec1slh i never had 3 cars. I always had 1 car. I switched every year. The honda in the video is not mine. It belongs to my tenant

[@dec1slh]

@@hassamsheikh I'm not the one that said you currently had 3 cars. I said that you have had 3 cars meaning you had a car, replaced it with a different car, then replaced that with a different car.

[@b5thomas7]

hard-working, smart, genuine, down-to-earth guy - much better role model than the finfluencers

[@alp.9672]

Wish I was as smart as him. I sucked at math.

[@nagamaheshg711]

we loved your story hassam! cheers to your hard work

[@thetestlead]

Love that you guys are showing more love to us tech nerds!

[@BendyChoy]

Well done hassam👍 It is always good to have a financial plan. I work with a professional planner and a fixed-income strategist in NY. the fixed-income portion of your portfolio won't simply serve as a buffer to the volatility of the equity portion of your portfolio but will provide legitimate income.

[@BraddPaisley]

Female financial advisors are doing way better than the male ones now. The likes of Lauren Simmons, Kathy lien and the most successful of them all LUCY ROSE CARTER 🔥

[@RaphaelSafr]

Having an investment adviser is the best way to go about the market right now especially for near retirees. I've been in touch with LUCY ROSE CARTER for a while now mostly because I lack the depth knowledge and mental fortitude to deal with these recurring market conditions. I netted over 70k$ during this dip, that made it clear there's more to the market that we average joes don't know

[@evenbetterthanyouthink]

⚠️⚠️⚠️

[@kaylarose9985]

Great job. What an amazing story!

[@akirebara]

I hope he befriends local dads in the area so they can nerd out on tools once or twice a month, maybe enjoy some bbq, etc. Because human connection is still very important, no matter how much you are making. And he seems like such a good person. Hope he eventually find his tribe.

[@teenytinytoons]

Awesome idea. He should def do that. Seems like such a great guy.

[@mytravls]

He has his tribe at the mosque. Don’t worry about thatS

[@teenytinytoons]

My favorite part of this story is that regardless of his lack of social life he finds these little things that brings him joy and he goes all in on them giving him little nuggets of happiness. Really enjoyed his story.

[@yazdani0466]

Oh my God this is Hassammm 😲. I have known this guy since 2005. I always used to call him a geek. Feeling so proud at the moment to see him where he is mashaAllah. He always has been bringing up something different to the table even during his studies. He has always been like this, simple outside and genius inside. Never boasted off his intellect and always been a low profile. never talked much but always been a keen observer. Used to be exceptional in Robotics. and one thing that I have always liked about him is that he has a caring and empathetic heart inside. He never tells much about himself but has always kept an eye on people in his surroundings. I can't explain how much I am happy to see this video. All his batch mates are so super proud of him. Way to go man 😃 keep shining. The sky is the limit for you.

[@MalluStyleMultiMedia]

👍

[@jrex3575]

he's all that but you still didn't date him?🤣

[@yazdani0466]

@@jrex3575 was it necessary? Can't a man and a woman just be good friends?

[@Buaastroctyes]

That’s amazing! All that hard work you deserve the best 🎉❤

[@fullmetal216]

As an immigrant myself and someone who grew up poor, it’s inspiring to see that all ur hard work has paid off.

[@priscillasalas9589]

Truly fabulous! LOVE the cats' names, too funny! Wishing you all the best in life!

[@JessicaMachiavelli]

he motivates me to get my homework done. One step closer to graduating with my bachelors and learning how to save!!

[@michaelandrenio993]

Jobs will pay your bills business will make you rich but investment makes and you keep you wealthy the future is inevitable, I pray everyone here becomes successful

[@chrispaul3778]

Everyone needs more than their salary to be financially stable. The best thing to do with your money is to invest it rightly because money left for savings always ends up used without returns

[@christianajoe8563]

Be a goal achiever Always aim high so your dreams can come to reality Use your job to finance your goals✅ You can't be an employee forever! Consistent efforts in trading/investment will put you in a position where success will find you

[@madiezancanellatl9205]

Starting early is the best way to getting ahead of build wealth, investing remains the priority

[@popsarah7805]

Last year I was working full time budgeting groceries, unable to afford date nights, and missing time with my kids. Now I learn how to make money online. Now I'm a SAHM, homeschooling and making profits every week.

[@lindapoplin7150]

I'm looking for something to venture into on a short term basis, I have about $6k sitting in my savings

[@pathakkkk]

thank you Hassam for your inspiring story

[@RockyMountainGardener]

Nice work Hassan! You’re an inspiration!😊

[@lupaman100]

Pure inspiration, keep on elevating and lock on.

[@JujuGurgel]

I would love to hear more about his car purchasing strategy.

[@sarahkirk4380]

This is amazing! You seem like a great person and I hope you have happiness!

[@MillionaireHouseholdFinance]

Great job on saving money! My husband and I did many similar things throughout our 20's, which allowed us to reach financial independence! It's so important to save when times are good so you don't find yourself in trouble when the unexpected occurs.

[@Lregofins34]

It’s really difficult to make friends as an adult

[@shunaras]

Down to earth and hard working man, thanks for sharing his story

[@JustineMfulama]

Such a great story!!!

[@brithegenius]

Thanks so much for sharing this. I literally was just thinking about my financial situation before clicking on this video. This is so inspiring! And go Fellow Knight!

[@flyguy22190]

Anyone have more content on his car buying strategy? I’ve never heard of this way.

[@abrahamkuruvilla1987]

Very nice. He is smart and know early in life the meaning of saving money. Good luck Hassam, you will do well in life.

[@BlackManTravels]

Interesting video. Love this type of content.

[@yasirshafiullah3016]

Proud of your journey, wow !!

[@KynaNg123]

Kudos! This is a great example of a good person who did not grow up in a privileged background and built up his career from scratch.

[@Asaji14]

Seems like a nice guy that knows what he wants in life

[@nurlanshukurlu]

Amazing story

[@matteojosue8041]

This guy has character!! So funny and smart

[@Neonb88]

Another pro tip: you can also rent out your car on Turo. It's like the AirBnB of cars; you become the Enterprise Rent a car of your local neighborhood

[@ericg1222]

Awesome story 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 your the Man Hassam 😎 Keep it up !

[@amhomestead3437]

This man 😍😍😍 keep doing you dude!

[@shantanushekharsjunerft9783]

This is what makes America so awesome! You can come anywhere in the world and shine through your hard work, contribute to the state coffers and build your life unhindered!

[@BassBwoy3]

What's interesting is he doesn't mention wanting to be in a relationship, and he's around the same age as me. I'm seeing commonalities these days with highly skilled millennials caring less about 'settling down' and more about financial freedom.

[@dreadinajeep]

Pretty cool video.I admire him.Good role model

[@rodgertim2881]

Managing money is different from accumulating wealth, and the lack of investment education in schools may explain why people struggle to maintain their financial gains. The examples you provided are relevant, and I personally benefited from the market crisis, as I embrace challenging times while others tend to avoid them. Well, at least my advisor does too, jokingly.

[@braytoncornell9678]

Investors should exercise caution with their exposure and exercise caution when considering new investments, particularly during periods of inflation. It is advisable to seek guidance from a professional or trusted advisor in order to navigate this recession and achieve potential high yields

[@buhlerfabii2784]

This is superb! Information, as a noob it gets quite difficult to handle all of this and staying informed is a major cause, how do you go about this are you a pro investor?

[@georgeearling905]

Through closely monitoring the performance of my portfolio, I have witnessed a remarkable growth of $485k in just the past two quarters. This experience has shed light on why experienced traders are able to generate substantial returns even in lesser-known markets. It is safe to say that this bold decision has been one of the most impactful choices I have made recently

[@christopherherbert2407]

Wow, that's stirring! Do you mind connecting me to your advisor please. I desperately need one to diversified my portfolio

[@andrefontaine3058]

I've actually been looking into advisors lately, the news I've been seeing in the market hasn't been so encouraging. who's the person guiding you?

[@U23721]

Great story! Love the cats name :D Deborha Donatella🔥

[@mechalovessquirrels]

This is so good . I got encouraged as a PhD student in stem

[@dend5965]

Beautiful story Hassam. You’re an inspiration, thank you.

[@afaqahmed831]

So inspirational. Best wishes to Hassam!

[@francescadelight]

I really enjoy these videos, they make me think about a lot of things that I haven't considered yet. I almost fell into a point of no salvation in my mid 40’s but thankfully now I’m close to retiring in a satisfactory manner and have majority of my boxes ticked. Dr Hassam is very good at budgeting.

[@kevincooper0]

This AI guy is gonna have an amazing retirement no doubt but dude needs a few buddies and a chic

[@ramonfred]

I was honestly surprised how his house hacking aspect was not brought up in more detail. This is how I managed to live in my house for free. Renting out 2 of the bedrooms while I lived in the master bedroom and working full time. Such a great way to save money.

[@weicaihon]

You say you where in a crisis in your mid 40's? whats your story and how did you navigate through it? I'm in a bit of a sh*thole myself haha

[@francescadelight]

@@weicaihon well I went through a d i vorce at 46 and it basically wrecked my me, before that I never really looked at what my r e t i r e ment would be like but after the whole situation I just had to look at things differently because I knew needed to get my life together before 65 at least.

[@francescadelight]

Luckily for me I was r e f erred to a p a r ticular f i r m in Colorado by an a d visor. Fast forward to today through the firm in a couple years I've been able to amass 340k for my r e t i r ement and still going.

[@Neonb88]

The tactics for using borrowed money are very good to know I feel like I would fail to check. I have to remember to check the used car cost index and use that to get the loan now and best price for paying it off Same with credit score and all, but I feel less urgent as I currently don't have a car

[@dt6750]

nothing wrong with buying tools. You’re my kind of guys to hang out with.

[@rubabajmal1016]

What a great great guy! The cats are amazing, especially the orange one

[@nileshpatel7449]

He's a good guy. Bravo

[@trooper1972]

Nerds deserve that kind of money.

[@davidc4408]

He is a jock salary earner

[@selfridgesforever4399]

Amazing! Saving 50% of salary is great! Hope he makes it to the 50m saving goal.

[@teenytinytoons]

He will. He’ll be up to $500k in no time

[@farzana6676]

10m was his goal. Not 50m

[@teenytinytoons]

@@farzana6676 i think we all got that smartass

[@Neonb88]

I need to stop being so scared of loss that I fail to succeed. The path to success involves some risk and growth, and it will also make you happier 🙂

[@EdgeBauer]

Genius car buying hack!!! I will try that with my next one!

[@seharbutt2085]

Hassam! Many prayers for you my brother! All the best for future!

[@ttech4313]

Learning that he grew up all the way in Pakistan and seeing where he is now is very inspiring to see. Hassam if you read this I wish you so many more blessings 🙌

[@hassamsheikh]

Thank you

[@Mr.Purrfect]

I bet he'd be a very good friend!

[@CueTheStage]

Very inspiring story, just shows how immigrants can easily change their lives by studying for hardcore jobs like STEM, and come out of college with close to $300K after nearly 10 years of schooling. In America, you don’t need a PhD to make this happen, you can become an entrepreneur by saving your coins and becoming a content creator or opening your own business. I would lose my marbles studying for complex gigs like “scientist” 😂😂

[@justinspencer9894]

Girls, put a ring on this one!!!!

[@aldralee]

Watch his social life blow up now! DIY project buddies will start coming out of the woodwork. What a smart, interesting dude.

[@shadowxoxx]

I expected him to talk about giving his family back and helping..

[@hassamsheikh]

I did the help.

[@sivakrishnat5471]

I love power tools. You have good collection of them.

[@areebshaikh8253]

Shaikh sahib chaa gaye! I would recommend putting more into tax advantaged accounts.

[@risa-ru]

I'm near Orlando. I wish i could meet Hassam. He seems very chill

[@hassamsheikh]

LinkedIn?

[@risa-ru]

@@hassamsheikh I'm at Lisa Lu, PharmD Dunno if KZbin will let me post my URL

[@Jazzy869]

I can only think of one word.. Impressive

[@JBoy340a]

Cool. Glad to see people still view the US as the land where dreams come true. And are willing to work to make sure that happens!

[@amitpalbains9361]

Having a social life is over exaggerated. If you want to have it, great work towards it. If you don’t, just do what makes you happy.

[@missgui4400]

Praying to get to this level of salary so we could invest in a couple of properties.

[@mknothe]

Congratulations Hassam!

[@msf8297]

father god! what am i doing wrong???? i do love how he splurges on the things he likes.

[@fiftyseventh]

Great video especially the closing statement! Thanks @hassamsheikh !

[@ssarkar2996]

This is great. However, I hope the audience doesn't get the wrong idea that you need to make 250K a year to be able to save and invest for future.

[@kdp844]

Congratulations!

[@k.i.1700]

I find Hassam so endearing. Well done Hassam! You're a great inspiration.

[@neverhomepnw]

I am impressed he lives simply unlike other people in Florida who only care about what others think of them. We need more Hassams in this world.

[@mikea5745]

Our entire economy is based on the vast majority of people spending all of their money. If everyone became financially responsible, we would suffer the worst economic depression in history

[@travisscott9359]

Bravo on saving the money, but he lives like a hermit. It's so much beautiful in this world to see. Save but live at the same time.

[@msthing]

No social life? No problem! Do what you love, and relevant people will come around

[@mastercng]

can someone explain how he'll have around 10M saved for early retirement if he's only socking away 100k/year?

[@slee2843]

The vid never says how much he already has saved. That’s probably a big factor. He is also saving 100k a year while still renovating his house and paying mortgage. Right now he’s saving at least 8.5k a month, after the house is done he will probably save 12.5k a month. Assuming he has a pretty huge nest egg already and might be foreseeing more pay raises it’s definitely possible.

[@mastercng]

@@slee2843 sure, if he has 9 million in prior savings it makes sense. I think that's misleading and defeats the point of the video.

[@TheBlackManMythLegend]

I like that his splurging wagyyu, caviar, foie gras. I would do the same. I am a computer scientist too. But not as strong as him( unfortunately ). Also doing something with the hands give direct pleasure because with IT you don't always get to see the result of the hard work directly with the eyes. And engineers we actually like to do stuffs, make stuffs. But for sure he is building the future with his hard work

[@erikgonzalez2278]

this guy is like me spending on normal a lot on things like food and tools that makes me happy more than cars or clothes.

[@jungunanta8931]

Erik one difference you most likely have friends, social activities , a social life he doesn't..

[@SlickRick135]

Agreed, this guy stays home playing with power tools and cats. WTF? He should be out living life.

[@scottpetrovic]

This story turned out way different than I was expecting. I usually feel bad after watching these high-earner videos, but this one just makes me feel more motivated and optimistic about life. Wishing the best for Hassam and his future.

[@Jd-zd6bh]

wow!! from barely having to afford anything to having reached the education of a Phd and work as an AI scientist is very amazing. Congrats!!! Hassam Sheikh is an inspiration.

[@1803sunnyday]

love his cats ❤

[@Dliu1116]

Real life Dexter in the making

[@cigdemylmaz1532]

I also worked very hard to get a PhD in mathematics, but not enjoying the fruits of my hard work. I work as a full time lecturer at a very well known university based in Manhattan, and the university is enjoying the fruits of my 7 years of hard work, and they are paying me 69K a year in return.

[@KeepKuul]

Go into Computer Science/AI and you will at least tripple your salary. Good luck

[@alp.9672]

69k a year in NYC? PhD in mathematics? You screwed up. You could at least be a data analyst.

[@ninana143]

start uploading your lectures on youtube and monotise your account. If you have 0 views no worrys as you already got paid for that lecture, but imagine if you get views then you get paid twice for 1 lecture.

[@dubstepjunkie9584]

That's your fault for not pursuing opportunities during undergrad/grad schools

[@nocheapdopamine725]

Also might I recommend either looking at private high schools in Manhattan or public schools elsewhere, you’d be surprised what directors of math departments at public school systems can make, really

[@kevinreber]

might just be me, but I was getting anxiety watching his VSCode stuck trying to SSH 😅

[@catarinak2543]

Love the cat names too!

[@rafaelpaun1907]

Kudos to this guy, he clearly is great with money. But why buy a 6 bedroom house if you live by yourself? Seems excessive. No hate tho, congrats to this guys success.

[@hassamsheikh]

Long story but it was a calculated risk that paid off really well.

[@fiftyseventh]

I think he also said that he occasionally rents out rooms as well

[@jungunanta8931]

Rafael all these things are to curb the loneliness ie no social life. Why do you think he is spending most of his income on home improvements, and fancy food that he eats at home. Apart from that job he has no life if they fired him tomorrow i doubt he would leave his house unless to buy groceries.

[@rafaelpaun1907]

@@hassamsheikh I’m not hating on you man! I’m glad it worked out, I also own a huge home but I have 3 kids lol.

[@neff7857]

Its called House Hacking. Its a smart investment strategy and excellent way to make passive income. Yeah 6 rooms is excessive for just him but if he is able to rent out the rest of the rooms, imagine how much more he makes per month.

[@sitrakaforler8696]

Bravo 👏

[@50gramsof]

The car thing, bad financing to get the price down, I would like more information on how to negotiate worse financing and a better price now please!

[@MrGriff305]

That title is a great humble brag! You're so awesome!!

[@traderstatusquo]

Ladies and gents what’s stuck out to me is, this guy makes 250k/year SINGLE in ORLANDO! That’s like making $450-550k/year in NYC, LA, CHICAGO (+surrounding areas)..

[@habitsofsuccess4322]

I was honestly surprised how the house hacking aspect was not brought up in more detail. This is how I managed to live in my house for free. Renting out 2 of the bedrooms while I lived in the master bedroom and working full time. Such a great way to save money.

[@pakigangsta5]

Why not just buy a smaller home? Seems counterproductive

[@michaelhahn8564]

​@@pakigangsta5 Newer houses are skewing larger due to zoning/permitting. If you buy an older house, you tend to inherit a lot of maintenance / issues.

[@mikea5745]

@@pakigangsta5 In the US, homes are investments. The government heavily restricts the building of new homes to ensure they continue to go up in value. Due to that, historically buying a home far larger than you need has a good financial decision

[@Neonb88]

I should do this as well

[@Neonb88]

Can also rent out your car on Turo. It's like the AirBnB of cars; you become the Enterprise Rent a car of your local neighborhood

[@lowbudgetpokemon]

Can someone verify whether that car purchase strategy works or not? I've never heard of lowering the dealership like that before.

[@msf8297]

it works for him

[@anirband]

Well done Hassam!

[@paul_domici]

It's nice to see a millennial that is doing well and not blowing all his money!!! I hope he's investing in an SP500 fund for the long term!!!

[@hassamsheikh]

That's my majority of portfolio

[@paul_domici]

@@hassamsheikh That's fantastic! You'll be a millionaire many times over if you keep it up! Money is security!! Enjoy and stick to it!

[@ferripradana4265]

He's literally enjoying his LIFE