| Month | Gross (pre-tax) | − SE tax (14.1%) | − Income tax (~47%) | = Net you keep | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2026 | $6,782 | −$958 | −$2,975 | $2,849 | Ramping up |
| April 2026 | $11,000 | −$1,554 | −$4,825 | $4,621 | ★ Normalized estimate |
| May 2026 | $12,000 | −$1,696 | −$5,264 | $5,041 | ★ Normalized estimate |
| YTD Total | $29,782 | −$4,208 | −$13,064 | $12,510 | 58% goes to tax |
Annualized at the $11–12k/mo normalized rate: ~$132,000–144,000/yr gross → ~$55,000–60,000/yr net after federal, CA, SE, and Medicare surcharge. This effectively replaces about 15–18% of your prior NBC W-2 income.
As 1099 income, Mundial doesn't withhold anything. On every Mundial deposit, set aside ~40% in a dedicated HYSA:
YTD March–May Mundial gross is $29,782 → you should already have ~$11,900 sitting in a "Taxes" HYSA. The IRS expects quarterly estimated payments (next due dates: June 16, 2026 for Q2 and Sep 15, 2026 for Q3).
At $11–12k/mo, Mundial covers your entire Lifestyle bucket ($3.75k/mo) AND the 529 + emergency fund contributions ($1.5k/mo combined), with ~$5k/mo left over for retirement and taxes. The math now works.
1099 income makes you eligible for a Solo 401k — you can contribute up to ~$23,000 as "employee" + ~20% of net SE income as "employer." At $130k SE income, that's roughly $23k + $26k ≈ $49k/yr pre-tax. At your 47% marginal rate, that's ~$23,000/yr in tax savings. The single biggest pre-tax shelter available to you.
Every legitimate business expense (home office, software, internet share, travel, professional fees) reduces taxable SE income at ~58% combined. So a $100 software subscription only costs you $42 net. Start a "Mundial Expenses" folder now so April 2027's tax filing is clean.
My earlier projection of -$54k for 2026 assumed only NBC + unemployment income. Adding Mundial at $12k/mo for the remaining 7 months = +$84k more gross / +$35k more net. That flips 2026 from drawing down savings to roughly breakeven, possibly slightly positive.
| Year | Income | − Must Pay (excl. tax) | − Taxes | − Lifestyle | − Future You | = Net left | Net % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 (partial) | $226,923 | −$95,000 | −$0.64 | −$33,500 | −$70,000 | +$28,422 | 13% |
| 2023 | $426,990 | −$120,000 | −$115,119 | −$46,800 | −$70,000 | +$75,071 | 18% |
| 2024 ★ best year | $491,903 | −$107,339 | −$22,661 | −$45,000 | −$95,000 | +$221,903 | 45% |
| 2025 ← P/T from Mar | $299,529 | −$105,990 | −$14,010 | −$42,500 | −$60,000 | +$77,029 | 26% |
| 2026 YTD (4.5 mo) | $93,251 | −$31,065 | −$18,935 | −$30,000 | −$25,000 | −$11,749 | −13% |
|
Income includes salary, business income, unemployment, AND $42,000/yr Gulana rental (Schwab deposits). "Future You" outflows are saved, not spent — they end up as your assets. "Net left" is what's sitting in checking after every category is funded.
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Now factoring Mundial at the normalized $11–12k/mo rate from June onward:
| Projected NBC + other base income (your prior estimate) | $248,000 |
| + Mundial Media Jun–Dec 2026 (7 mo × $11.5k) | +$80,500 |
| Updated projected income | $328,500 |
| − Must Pay (excl. tax) | −$107,000 |
| − Taxes (now incl. Mundial SE + income tax) | −$78,000 |
| − Lifestyle (current pace) | −$80,000 |
| − Future You (current rate) | −$70,000 |
| = Projected net | −$6,500 |
Translation: Mundial moves 2026 from drawing down ~$54k to roughly breakeven (~$6k drawdown). If May's $12k holds or grows, you could actually end the year positive. The bigger story: the new income mix works — you don't need to cut anything dramatic, but you DO need to start treating tax pre-funding as non-optional given the 1099 component.
2024 → 2025 income dropped ~$192k. Must Pay stayed steady at ~$120k. That used to be 24% of income; now it's 40%+. Lifestyle barely budged. This is the single most important pattern in the data.
$3,500 rent × 12 = $42,000 minus $23,991 mortgage = +$18,009 cashflow per year. Plus the mortgage interest reduces your taxable rental income. Don't lump it with primary housing — it's an asset that pays you.
At ~$95k of $492k income, you saved ~19% for retirement/college/emergency — most Americans save 5%. The challenge now is matching the contribution rate to your new income level so you don't drain other buckets to maintain it.
$8,486 in 4.5 months → ~$23k full year if pace continues. 2024 was $7,678; 2026 is on track for 3× that. Some is committed (May Travix $4,896 + Gotogate $1,504).
167 orders in 2024 = 3.2 per week. Per-order amount is small (~$25), but the decision cost is real. Try a 24-hour cart-cooling rule.
$1,438 (2022) → $27,088 (2023) → $30,389 (2024). That's the Santa Catalina + after-care + 529 stack. Healthy long-term, but it's ~$8k more than your annual lifestyle dining + entertainment + travel combined.
Average CA bundled (auto+home) is $340–$420/mo. You're ~$1,000–$2,000/yr above market. One quote from a broker takes 20 minutes.
$806 (2023) → $5,912 (2024) → $2,771 (2025). Something recurring started in 2024. Likely a subscription, supplement service, or wellness program worth auditing.
$0.64 (2022) → $115,119 (2023) → $22,661 (2024) → $14,010 (2025). 2023's $90,894 IRS hit was likely a 1099 catch-up. Set aside 25–30% of each variable-income deposit into a separate "Taxes" HYSA.
Shopify Purchase $3,848 (Jan 10) drives it. If business expense, reclassify as deductible — don't let it sit in personal Lifestyle.
If income stays at the 2026 YTD pace (~$248k annualized), here's what your three buckets look like as a share of income:
| Bucket | Current annual | % of 2024 income | % of 2026 projected | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Must Pay | $129,800 | 26% | 52% | Tight — over half your income |
| Lifestyle | $45,000 | 9% | 18% | Worth trimming 15–25% |
| Future You | $80–122k | 20% | 32–49% | Likely needs to dial back temporarily |
| Total outflow | $240–270k | 52% | 100% | No room for the lumpy stuff |
Bottom line: at the new income level, you're spending or saving essentially every dollar coming in — with no buffer for lumpy items (travel splurges, tax true-ups, home repairs). The "easy" lever is Lifestyle. The harder but bigger lever is temporarily pausing 1–2 Future You streams (probably taxable brokerage, not 401k or 529) until income stabilizes.
| Child | Age now | Years to college | Current 529 | Monthly contrib. | Projected at college start (6%) | Covers state ($120k)? | Covers private ($320k)? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caetano | 16 (17 in Sept) | ~1.5 yrs | $148,000 | $300/mo | ~$168,000 | ✓ + $48k surplus | Gap: ~$152k |
| Camila | 9 (10 in Dec) | ~8.5 yrs | $45,000 | $1,000/mo | ~$210,000 | ✓ + $90k surplus | Gap: ~$110k |
It looks backwards but it isn't. Three reasons:
Watch-out: if Caetano picks a state school and leaves a ~$48k surplus in his 529, two great options exist — (a) change the beneficiary to Camila (free, no penalty) or (b) roll up to $35k into a Roth IRA for him over a few years (SECURE 2.0, new feature). The Roth rollover essentially turns leftover college money into seed retirement money — one of the best new tax moves available.
Federal law lets you withdraw up to $10,000/yr from a 529 for K-12 tuition tax-free. You're paying Santa Catalina $22k/yr from cash; redirecting $10k of that through Camila's 529 each year shields any gains. Caveat: California taxes this and adds a 2.5% penalty on the gains portion, so only worthwhile if Camila's $45k has appreciated meaningfully.
You and Carlos together can use the 5-year gift averaging rule to contribute up to $190,000 into Caetano's 529 in one shot (5 yrs × $19k × 2 parents) without gift-tax filings. The whole amount then grows tax-free for ~1.5 years. Only do this if your flexibility cash is robust — once it's in a 529, it's locked to qualified education use.
If Caetano wins a scholarship, you can withdraw an amount equal to it from his 529 without the 10% penalty (you still pay regular tax on the gains portion). So even if he's overfunded, the downside is small.
For the 2027–2028 FAFSA he'll file in fall 2026, your 2025 tax return is the basis (prior-prior year). That means: AGI $713k. You're highly unlikely to qualify for need-based federal aid, so the planning conversation is about which school + merit scholarships rather than need-based grants.
Your 2025 return shows you paid $4,000 to Culver City Unified School District for Camila's aftercare and got a $600 federal credit (20% rate — the lowest because of your AGI). California gave $0 credit (income above CA limit). So your net is $3,400 — not the $3,100 you estimated. There's a meaningfully better way to pay this:
| Approach | Pre-tax shielded | Tax savings | Net cost of $4,000 care |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current (federal credit only) | $0 | $600 | $3,400 |
| Dependent Care FSA via Carlos or NBC | $5,000 | ~$2,350 | ~$1,650 |
| Annual benefit of switching: | ~$1,750/yr | ||
DCFSA caps at $5,000/yr for married filing jointly. At your combined federal+CA+FICA marginal rate of ~47%, shielding $5,000 saves ~$2,350. You lose the $600 credit (can't double-dip) but net ahead by ~$1,750/yr. Bonus: day-camp expenses for kids under 13 also qualify, so you can easily fill the $5,000 with aftercare + summer camp. Sign up at next open enrollment through Carlos's Protege Health or your NBCU benefits.
Federal 35% + CA 11.3% + Medicare 1.45% ≈ 47%. That means every pre-tax dollar shielded (401k, FSA, HSA, business deductions) is worth almost 2× a post-tax dollar saved. The Dependent Care FSA is the easiest win you're leaving on the table.
You filed a Schedule C — meaning you have side/freelance income. At ~47% marginal you should be maximizing deductions: home office, equipment, software, mileage, internet share, professional dues. Even a $5,000 increase in deductions = ~$2,350 saved. Worth one focused hour with your CPA.
You can contribute up to ~20% of net self-employment income into a Solo 401k or SEP IRA. On $28k of SE income, that's ~$5,600 pre-tax = ~$2,600 saved in tax. If you're not already doing this, it's one of the highest-leverage moves for self-employed parents.
Carlos's W-2 Box 12-D shows $10,228 in pre-tax 401k. Yours shows none on the 2025 W-2. If NBCUniversal offers a 401k and you've been there long enough to be eligible, even contributing up to the match would save ~$1k–3k in tax annually plus the match itself is free money.
I can't confirm without the raw Rocket Money transaction list — the tax return doesn't break this out either. Most likely candidates based on the timing (jumped from $806 in 2023 to $5,912 in 2024):
• A new recurring wellness subscription (Ritual, Athletic Greens, Care/of, etc.) — typically $30–80/mo each
• A therapy or counseling service paying out-of-pocket — often $150–250/session weekly = $7,800/yr
• Functional medicine / hormone therapy programs — typically $200–500/mo
• A new gym + boutique studio combo (SoulCycle, Pilates, Equinox) — $200–400/mo
To find it: in Rocket Money, filter category = Health & Wellness, sort by amount descending. The top 2–3 merchants in 2024 will explain ~80% of the spike.
Rocket Money shows refunds as negative-amount transactions in the same category (e.g., "Amazon.com Returns" or just "AMZN.COM" with a negative sign). The $4,118 I cited for 2024 is likely gross Amazon spend.
Typical net rate after returns is 80–90% of gross. So your true 2024 Amazon cost is probably closer to $3,300–$3,700. The number of orders (167) is unchanged — that's still ~3.2 per week and still the right thing to compress.
To find it: in Rocket Money, filter merchant = Amazon, look for negative amounts (refunds). I can recompute the net if you export that CSV.
Confirmed from 2025 return: you paid $4,000, got a $600 federal credit, $0 CA credit. At your ~47% marginal rate, a $5,000 DCFSA via Carlos's or NBC's benefits saves ~$2,350 in tax. Net cost of aftercare drops from $3,400 to ~$1,650.
Carlos's W-2 shows $10,228 in pre-tax 401k. Alejandra's shows none. If NBC offers a 401k and you're eligible, even matching contributions save ~$1k–3k in tax + free employer match. Highest priority during your part-time transition: don't miss the match.
Keep 401k matched contributions and both 529s — those are tax-advantaged and habit-critical. But the variable Fidelity MoneyLine flows ($2k–$15k/mo) likely have room to scale down with the new income level. Even dropping the high months back to a $2k floor would free up real cashflow.
$1,999/mo is your 2nd biggest fixed line. Even though it's a tax shield, if the rental income consistently exceeds the mortgage, accelerating payoff increases your cash-flow positive position — especially with lower income. Run the numbers with a CPA before changing tax strategy.
2023's $90,894 IRS bill is the cautionary tale. Set aside 25–30% of every variable-income deposit into a dedicated HYSA. Removes the "panic withdrawal" risk and earns ~4% interest until April.
You're pacing $23k vs $7.7k baseline. Some is already booked, but committing to no new bookings after a $12k cap puts $10k+ back in your pocket without ending vacations.
$508/mo bundled is meaningfully above CA market. One broker call comparing Geico, Progressive, and an independent agent.
$5,912 in 2024 came from somewhere new. Pull the merchants and decide which to keep.
3.2 orders/week → 1 batched weekly order. Same purchases, fewer impulse adds.
42 visits in 2025 ≈ ~$67/visit. Even halving keeps the treat — and removes a weekly habit.
The $3,848 Shopify charge in Jan 2026 may be deductible against business income. Tag it now so it doesn't get missed at tax time.
AT&T is gone in 2026 — you're now Mint Mobile only. ✓
$134k (2025) and $77k (2026 YTD) are sitting Uncategorized — mostly internal transfers. Tagging them once means your savings rate finally reads accurately.
$3,400/yr is healthy spend on childcare, but if Alejandra's part-time status means more home time, this is one place where the new schedule may already be saving money.
| Cadence | Time | What you update | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly 1st weekend of each month |
~15 min | • Add prior month's Mundial + Mom's Agency income • Confirm tax set-aside (40%) was moved to HYSA • Check Rocket Money for any new "Uncategorized" lines • Tick off any pinned reminders that got done |
Catches creep + keeps tax fund accurate |
| Quarterly Mar 31 · Jun 30 · Sep 30 · Dec 31 |
~45 min | • Refresh all 3 bucket totals from Rocket Money • Recompute Net Left in the flow table • Pay quarterly estimated taxes (Q2 Jun 15, Q3 Sep 15, Q4 Jan 15) • Update lifestyle category trends + spot creep • Solo 401k contribution status check |
Aligns with tax milestones |
| Annually April 15 (after taxes filed) |
~90 min | • Reset baselines using actual tax-return numbers • Update gross income, AGI, marginal rate • Refresh insights and savings tips • Compare year-over-year on every line • Archive the prior year's dashboard |
Anchored to real tax data, not estimates |
Open Rocket Money + this dashboard, then walk through:
Here's why monthly is the sweet spot for you specifically:
Want me to set up a recurring reminder? I can create a scheduled task that pings you on the 1st of each month with the template above pre-filled. Just say the word.
Pausing taxable brokerage temporarily + Gulana strategy review + tax pre-funding + 2026 travel cap would free up $30,000–$60,000+ in cashflow per year without touching 401k, 529, or your daily lifestyle. That's the difference between "tight at the new income level" and "still comfortably ahead."
Your Must Pay is honest. Your Lifestyle is reasonable. Your Future You discipline is impressive. The only real adjustment 2025+ asks of you is: match the size of Future You to the new income level — temporarily — until things stabilize.