This story is part of CNBC Make It’s Millennial Money series, which details how people around the world earn, spend and save their money.
Lauren Perraut has “always been drawn to blood, body parts, gross things,” she says.
The 32-year-old’s mom worked as a medical laboratory scientist at a blood bank for decades before retiring. Perraut would visit her mother’s lab as a kid and see those elemental parts of the body up close.
She liked “seeing things that most people don’t get to see,” she says.
That’s why when it came time to forge her own career path, Perraut opted to become a pathologists’ assistant. Pathologists diagnose medical conditions by observing patient specimens in a lab. As a PA, Perraut dissects organs and tests body tissue to prep them for the pathologist, and helps come up with a patient’s diagnosis.
Two perks of Perraut’s job: It offers high pay and doesn’t require a lengthy medical degree. She currently makes about $122,000 per year.
Perraut lives with her husband, Dylan, and 2-year-old son, Reed, in Lexington, Kentucky. Here’s how she built her career and how the couple manages their money.
A career that’s ‘high impact’ and in ‘really high demand’
Perraut attended Eastern Kentucky University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory science, knowing she wanted to work in health care. But she didn’t want to spend nearly a decade going to medical school and completing a residency program.
“I really value work-life balance,” she says.
As an undergrad, she discovered the pathologists’ assistant path, which only required a two-year master’s program. She graduated from Duke University School of Medicine with her master of health science, pathologists’ assistant in 2017 and started working full-time a week later.
Lauren Perraut doing her job at Pathology and Cytology Laboratories.
Jessica Mathis | Zachary Annecchini
“There’s a national shortage of medical laboratory workers,” she says. As a result, “there’s a really high demand for PAs right now.”
Perraut works about 40 hours per week and loves her day-to-day. “When I get to work, we usually have specimens set up for us to start working on,” she says. “Those can range from small biopsies that come from a colonoscopy to larger, more complex cancer resections.”
She also loves being a critical piece in a patient’s treatment. “I feel like my career is really high impact,” she says. “But most people don’t even know that I exist.”
Saving up ‘to have the flexibility to retire when we want’
Perraut is the primary breadwinner in her family of three. Her husband makes about $60,000 per year as an academic advisor at the University of Kentucky.
Here’s how the family spent their money in June 2025.
Christina Locopo | CNBC Make It
- Savings and investments: $3,899 into retirement funds and a shared brokerage account
- Insurance: $3,333 for health, dental and vision insurance, as well as Dylan’s life insurance
- Discretionary: $2,176 for Amazon purchases like a hat and sunglasses for Reed, child care and home goods
- Housing: $1,966 toward their mortgage, electricity, water, sewage and Wi-Fi
- Food: $1,057 for groceries and a few outings to local restaurants
- Transportation: $442 for gas, parking and an oil change
- Subscriptions and memberships: $168 for Spotify, Peloton and their annual Sam’s Club membership
- Phones: $77
Saving is a top priority for Perraut and her husband, and they put around $3,900 into savings and investments per month. As of June, they had around $400,000 in retirement savings and about $113,500 in a shared brokerage account and a high-yield savings account. They also regularly contribute to a 529 college savings account for Reed, which has about $11,500 in it.
“Our goal is to save up enough to have the flexibility to retire when we want,” Perraut says.
In June, the couple’s second-biggest expense was insurance, including health, dental and vision. The bill’s not usually a cumulative $3,333 — they happened to pay Dylan’s annual life insurance of $2,968 that month.
The couple bought a three-bedroom house in 2021, and the only debt they currently have is their mortgage. They also pay about $1,696 for homeowners insurance annually, and their property taxes were about $3,427 in 2024.
Car insurance is annual as well and comes out to $1,537.
Perraut with her husband, Dylan, and son, Reed, at their home in Lexington, Kentucky.
Jessica Mathis | Zachary Annecchini
Surprise expenses in June included various medical supplies, like eyelid cleanser. And other than the occasional trip to McDonald’s or a local restaurant, the family doesn’t spend much on going out to eat.
“I feel like Dylan and I are both relatively frugal people,” says Perraut. “I don’t feel the need to buy super expensive things or go out to super expensive restaurants.”
‘I find a lot of joy in my job’
Perraut is very happy with the balance they’ve struck. “We both enjoy our jobs and we enjoy our routine,” she says. She doesn’t think she’ll want to retire early, even if she can afford to.
She loves their location as well. “I really enjoy living in Kentucky,” she says. “We’re pretty centrally located to bigger cities like Nashville or Indianapolis or Washington, D.C. We can drive to the beach within a day. We’re surrounded by horse farms and lots of bourbon.”
Perraut wants to encourage others to consider a similar career path in health. “Even since I’ve graduated, the salary range has increased significantly,” she says about pathologists’ assistant roles.
“I find a lot of joy in my job, and I really want to share that with others.”
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