In our How I Manage My Money series, we aim to find out how people in the UK are spending, saving and investing money to meet their costs and achieve their goals.
This week, we speak to Zack Islam, a 22-year-old graduate who lives with his parents and three younger sisters in Luton.
Zack, who recently moved into the charity sector after beginning his career in asset management, began investing while at university.
Monthly budget
I recently switched from a £40,000 graduate analyst role in asset management to a £30,000 role in the charity sector as a programme co-ordinator, which more closely reflects my passions. While this represents a salary reduction, my investments have given me the financial security to prioritise meaningful work over earning the highest possible income. Before deductions, my pay is around £2,500 a month.
My monthly outgoings: I live with my parents, enabling me to keep my expenses to an absolute minimum. Previously, I’d give my parents about £200 to £1,000 a month to help with their mortgage and household bills. My regular monthly expenses now include: public transport, around £200; eating out, between £30 and £300 depending on the month; gym, £25 and mobile phone, £10. The majority of my day-to-day spending is made on a credit card, which I pay off in full at the end of each month. For one-off treats, holidays, larger purchases or gifts, I would usually fund these by realising some of my investment gains.
I grew up in Luton and life was always challenging for us financially. My dad worked as a taxi driver and my mum was unemployed. At school, we were eligible for free school meals because my parents were always on a strict budget and we were careful about everyday costs, like turning off lights when not in use and wearing jumpers instead of putting the heating on.
Growing up in a low-income household showed me how stressful financial insecurity can be and how many opportunities can be limited by a lack of resources.
While studying for a degree in human sciences at the University of Exeter, I always had a job. I worked at McDonald’s, did catering jobs and took on student ambassador roles. The jobs paid about £11 to £13 an hour. Before starting university, I also worked at Greggs and on night shifts at a DPD warehouse.
While at university, I was eligible for the maximum maintenance and tuition fee loans due to my family’s income. My student loan balance is around £65,000. This does not concern me at all as I understand how the student loan system works. I have no intention of making additional repayments beyond those required through salary deduction.
I secured several scholarships and bursaries during my time at university. These included a £9,000 scholarship from the University of Exeter, a £5,000 bursary from The Sutton Trust in partnership with J.P. Morgan, and an Access to Exeter bursary worth £2,200 per year from the University of Exeter.
I was extremely frugal at university and tracked my spending down to the last penny. I kept a monthly net worth spreadsheet which I updated religiously. Watching my net worth grow became a major source of inspiration. I’d walk rather than get the bus and sometimes even skipped meals to keep my spending to a minimum.
I realised that every pound I didn’t spend was another pound I could invest. At university, I spent my evenings researching wealth creation, investing, businesses and financial markets. I looked at charts for stocks like Tesla and assets like Bitcoin and wondered what could have happened had I recognised their potential years earlier.
I started investing while at university to ensure the financial struggles my family experienced when I was growing up wouldn’t continue for the rest of my life. That motivated me to sacrifice short-term impulse purchases and instead invest for the future, with the hope of being able to spend with fewer limitations later in life. Looking back, I genuinely feel that decision has paid off.
After leaving university last year, I joined a global asset management firm as a graduate analyst, earning about £3,300 a month. I have since moved into the charity sector, where I now earn £2,500 a month in a role better aligned with my interests in social mobility and improving access to higher education and top careers. Today, purpose and impact matter more to me than maximising my salary.
Most of my investments are held in a Trading 212 stocks and shares ISA and a standard investment account.
I started by paper trading before investing my own money and found I genuinely enjoyed the process, regardless of the gains and losses. I’ve invested about £60,000 of my own money to date. I’ve also earned about £1,000 by referring people to investing platforms and used this money to make further investments.
I also have investments via Robinhood, Coinbase, InvestEngine, eToro and AJ Bell. My portfolio is highly concentrated, with around 93 per cent invested in Rocket Lab and 6 per cent in Palantir as of July 2026.
I was drawn to Rocket Lab as I wanted to go after a stock which felt undervalued but had real potential.
As Rocket Lab’s share price rose sharply past $100 (£75), my portfolio increased by around £110,000 in a single day. During my strongest week, it gained approximately £210,000. Because my portfolio is highly concentrated, however, its value can also fluctuate dramatically.
My net worth fluctuates significantly with market conditions and is typically between £650,000 and £800,000. However, shares in Rocket Dog have fallen sharply in recent weeks, moving my net worth closer to £300,000. I am not concerned about the fluctuations as I am investing for the long term.My most successful investment to date has been Rocket Lab, which at its peak delivered a return of 3,465 per cent. I am fully aware that this style of concentrated investing involves substantial risk, and it is not an approach I would want to take later in life once I have a wife and children.
I recognise that pensions are important, but my focus at this stage of life is on other investments. My goal is financial independence rather than retiring as early as possible. I don’t believe the state pension alone would provide the standard of living I would want.
I enjoy investing, studying markets, researching businesses and backing my convictions with my own capital. I’ve made mistakes and suffered losses along the way, but those experiences have shaped the way I invest today. Ultimately, financial independence isn’t an end in itself.
I want to use it to best support my family, create opportunities for others and help more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds realise that their circumstances don’t have to define their future.
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