Hi everyone,

Thanks in advance for reading & any advice you have to offer!

I'm 24 and just beginning a research-based M.Sc in biochemistry.; I have a reasonably good stipend that's structured in lump sum payments at the beginning of each semester (works out to $1750/month). In addition, I'm working as a TA ($550/month), tutoring ($120/month), & have a part-time thing producing educational videos for courses at my university ($800/month). With these sources of income, I'm able to consistently put away a healthy amount after tuition and my living expenses.

My expenses are as follows: ~$975 in predictable costs (rent, phone, internet, utilities) ~$250 for groceries ~$125 budgeted for leisure (Tim's, nights out, movies), though this has been hovering around $200 in practice ~$30 for bus pass

I also worked throughout my undergrad, and so have been able to put together a 20K TFSA which is currently split between QQQ, COST, and MSFT. I contribute a bit as my lump sum stipend payments come in, and outside of this portfolio, I'm holding 3 months of living expenses in cash.

I have a pretty standard BMO CashBack CC, which returns 0.5% on all purchases. I believe my taxable income for this year should be 40K /- 3K, so I'm wondering if there are any better cards I might qualify for (never missed a payment and always pay in full).

I live in a way that's comfortable to me but might be frugal to others. I've bought a couple of dress shirts in the last year but no clothing otherwise. I have no subscriptions (no Spotify, Netflix, etc) & in general don't buy things for pleasure. The one area that I don't skimp out on is food; I'll always look for sales, but I make sure I'm fueling my body well.

My parents gave me a stable upbringing but never made it a point to manage their finances beyond sometimes following a budget. I'm quite busy but enjoy reading about personal finance (hence why I'm on this sub!) & doing whatever I can to get the most out of my money.

If there are any bases I haven't covered here, I'd love to learn about what else I could be doing to set myself up going forward.

Cheers!