I’d be careful with something like golf because that takes a lot of patience and understanding how to set up your body also a lot of fields can get muddy and the course could close.
Idk if it would be any better but bowling might be good start before golf because that’s another one where your taught how body movement effects how the ball lands, it’s also inside so weather isn’t a factor on how it’s played and the people are a lot more easy going.
Friend, lol, "don't take up golf because mud and what if the course closes"?
Bowling is also fine!, but I don't think there's a cap on recreation, and broadly speaking, depending on area, personal preferences, and intentions, golf may be a better (albeit more expensive) bet for networking. It's all good, though.
Tennis is also a good social sport. I had a friend who didn't start playing until his 40s, but went all-out with private lessons and absurd personal training/specialists and ended up playing competitively for years, and making a ton of friends and acquaintances. But you don't even have to be that good to enjoy the social aspects of it (nor do you need the hyper-intense focus my friend acquired - a local rec or large gym with courts has plenty of opportunity to join in/learn). And you can do it (like bowling and golf) for most of a lifetime. I know an 80 yo who still plays. The other thing about those 3 activities is that both women and men play, and there are both single-sex leagues and mixed leagues, at about all levels. People around here got into pickleball in the last decade or so, too.
@Irregardless, you guys are making great money! (Yes, even now. I ran
this calculator on 300k, and on 2022 numbers, that would be 95th percentile for household incomes in the US). Maybe getting a basic financial plan created with a financial planner would be a good place to start. A standard financial plan (made solo or with someone) is good for direction and accountability and is typically structured to help you figure out how to allocate money across a range of needs/ purposes: immediate/ operating amounts; rainy-day/house/vacation funds; education funds even before having kids (either as a taxable account, which you can roll to a
529 (education account ) once a child is born), or as a
529 before then (in which case you have to name a beneficiary & then can change the beneficiary once a child is born (beneficiaries have to have a ssn)); short-term savings (6 months of income is typical minimum ideal, usually in a relatively liquid, conservative account without withdrawal penalties or volatility); retirement savings (a 401k/equivalent and/or
IRAs*); and investments. The longer-term stuff at your age can have a greater portion in riskier places like individual stocks or more volatile/ speculative markets like speciality/ emerging growth/ international funds; otherwise, index funds or industry-specific funds are a balancing part of a portfolio; bonds to different degrees in climates climates/points in life; hard metals if you want, too). And if there's any debt, a plan can help you balance maximizing positive credit impact by having some but not too much, and balance the cost of borrowing vs the potential cost of not investing/growth in different economic climates.
*
Roth and traditional IRAS both have tax benefits, but the benefits occur at different points. Like 401ks, IRAs are typically locked up to a certain point (age 59 1/2 rn) to withdraw without penalty), but they may have different rules and flexibility.
A 1/3/5 year financial plan can help you apply discipline to building wealth/solid financials, and to socking away money for stability when/if kids come into the mix or someone wants to scale back/change work - and it's something you only need to revisit formally every 5 years or so or with a major life/life plan change. (Or as often as you want; it's up to you.). If you hire someone to help you shape one, you're not necessarily locked into working with them or having to trust one person with all your money if you don't want to be. At this point sounds like your needs aren't that complex and maybe just having a plan will help some of the overwhelm of "what do/where to start."
Working with a financial planner is a fairly low-cost and low-risk way to get a plan and orientation if you're uneasy about how to start, and after that you can either manage your money yourself or pay someone for ongoing management or periodic check-ins. Many places also provide complimentary planning resources. If you or your wife is with a company that provides a 401k, you might peruse your benefits materials to see what could be available. Or open an account at a place like Vanguard (just a random example) - iirc they/other fund managers also provide some advice/planning help that doesn't cost you. Is that as good as a plan from a personally paid cfp? I don't know, but it might be a place to start. If it's free/no obligation you can always ignore it and hire someone.
I'd also recommend looking into
what funds have good ratings (Morningstar (article linked/you can get to more from there) is a good place to start looking at fund manager ratings). Fund sites usually allow no/ low-fee self-management of your investments, or if you prefer, more in-depth/ongoing support, and they don't typically limit you to their own funds.
The usual advice is to max out your 401k (or iras) and other tax-deferred options before getting into after-tax investing, but ymmv. Also make sure your real estate is sufficiently insured and that you're choosing your health insurance well. The good news for you is that you're in a good place right now and sounds like young enough to plan well for current, future, and unexpected events.
