Poll

How much money do you make a year?

Under 30K (Or Student)
14 (25%)
30-60K
11 (19.6%)
60-80K
10 (17.9%)
80-100K
8 (14.3%)
100-150K
4 (7.1%)
150-200K
2 (3.6%)
More than 200K
7 (12.5%)

Total Members Voted: 55

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Re: How much money do you make a year?
« Reply #15 on: April 02, 2014, 11:01:00 AM »

Offline krumeto

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The international comparison is interesting. I make way more than 30K but in Sofia, Bulgaria it is more than enough to support my family (I am the only one working). The price/earning level disparities worldwide are still enormous.

For info, Sofia - Boston cost of living comparison:

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Bulgaria&city1=Sofia&country2=United+States&city2=Boston%2C+MA&displayCurrency=USD
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Re: How much money do you make a year?
« Reply #16 on: April 02, 2014, 11:04:58 AM »

Offline Moranis

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enough to live a comfortable lifestyle for my wife and I, but not so much where I ever feel all that secure.

And for the record I live in Ohio where the cost of living is much less than many parts of the country, which causes more issues with the actual numbers.
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Re: How much money do you make a year?
« Reply #17 on: April 02, 2014, 12:25:56 PM »

Offline oldmanspeaks

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How much money anyone makes doesn't make any difference without knowing WHERE they live. Livestyle costs vary an incredible amount. You can buy a home in upstate Pennsylvania for less than 50K and buy a high end house for 150K. You can't buy an outhouse in eastern MA for that. And therefore all of the people who service appliances, etc, etc make much less money but live much better than their higher priced brothers in the big cities. Living in cities is a trap because you can pay all your bills with the big salaries but if you get unemployed even for a few months, it can wipe out your savings in no time. That doesn't happen in the country.

Re: How much money do you make a year?
« Reply #18 on: April 02, 2014, 01:04:37 PM »

Offline PaulPierce34G

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I make enough to pay my bills, save for retirement and make an occasional purchase.  I do not make 100K, and I make under 60K, I'll leave it at that.  To me, money is just all about proper management.  Obviously there are outside factors which can contribute to spending more than this person or that person, but in the end, it all boils down to proper fiscal responsibility.  My sister makes more money than God, but she is the cheapest person I know.  She once told me that it doesn't matter if you make 30K a year or 100K, if you spend it in a dumb fashion, you will be poor. 

Re: How much money do you make a year?
« Reply #19 on: April 02, 2014, 01:09:42 PM »

Offline CelticG1

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Id say spending money in a dumb fashion is pretty subjective  :D

Re: How much money do you make a year?
« Reply #20 on: April 02, 2014, 01:23:37 PM »

Offline PaulPierce34G

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Id say spending money in a dumb fashion is pretty subjective  :D

This is very true.  To me, buying, say, 50 of some item may be a good purchase.  To yo, it may not make any sense.  In the end, everybody has varying circumstances by which they have to survive monetarily.  A single person making $50K per year will have an easier time surviving than a single parent with 3 children.  Someone making 50K per year and only having 5,000 dollars worth of debt will have an easier time surviving than someone making the same salary, but with 30,000 dollars worth of student loans on top of everyday bills, ie rent/mortgage, utilities, food, etc.

Re: How much money do you make a year?
« Reply #21 on: April 02, 2014, 01:30:07 PM »

Offline kozlodoev

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The international comparison is interesting. I make way more than 30K but in Sofia, Bulgaria it is more than enough to support my family (I am the only one working). The price/earning level disparities worldwide are still enormous.

For info, Sofia - Boston cost of living comparison:

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Bulgaria&city1=Sofia&country2=United+States&city2=Boston%2C+MA&displayCurrency=USD
Even within the continental US, the disparities between the cost of living in different locations is so large that a straight income comparison is next to meaningless.

This being said, a monthly haul of 3,500+ leva in my hometown is pretty good.

Also, in terms of comparison, I'd note the relative parity in consumer prices, and the huge difference in rental prices.

The price levels seem accurate, although the Boston numbers mostly indicate the low end of the spectrum, especially for groceries.
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Re: How much money do you make a year?
« Reply #22 on: April 02, 2014, 02:05:39 PM »

Offline krumeto

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The international comparison is interesting. I make way more than 30K but in Sofia, Bulgaria it is more than enough to support my family (I am the only one working). The price/earning level disparities worldwide are still enormous.

For info, Sofia - Boston cost of living comparison:

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Bulgaria&city1=Sofia&country2=United+States&city2=Boston%2C+MA&displayCurrency=USD
Even within the continental US, the disparities between the cost of living in different locations is so large that a straight income comparison is next to meaningless.

This being said, a monthly haul of 3,500+ leva in my hometown is pretty good.

Also, in terms of comparison, I'd note the relative parity in consumer prices, and the huge difference in rental prices.

The price levels seem accurate, although the Boston numbers mostly indicate the low end of the spectrum, especially for groceries.
Reading my comment once again, I meant way LESS THAN 30K. Clarifies quite a bit.

@Prices - some internationally tradable goods  (i.e. Coke, VW Golf, Nike shoes) have very similar prices indeed. Internet price difference is huge! I expected way cheaper connection (like with mobile tariffs).

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Re: How much money do you make a year?
« Reply #23 on: April 02, 2014, 02:39:40 PM »

Offline kozlodoev

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I knew the Rilski Sportist signature was not a coincidence :)
Nope, it isn't. Although, in fairness, I've lived in the Greater Boston area for close to 10 years now, so I understand Boston prices better than I understand Sofia ones :P
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Re: How much money do you make a year?
« Reply #24 on: April 02, 2014, 02:55:36 PM »

Offline bdm860

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One thing I've noticed about money/salary discussions is how often people lie or mislead.  A lot of people tend to be insecure about what they make, thinking they’re not keeping up with the Joneses, so they tend to embellish, or at least round up very generously.  Personally witnessed this multiple times, hearing someone state a figure that I knew wasn’t true, or extremely misleading.  Some things I’ve seen (and some I’ve heard about from others):

A guy makes $44k base salary, for ease of discussion he’ll round it up to $50k (even though it makes more sense to round to $40k or $45k).  Eligible for a 5%-20% annual bonus.  So he calculates 20% of his rounded up $50k salary which comes out to $10k, so now he’s at $60k total.  What he doesn’t tell you is the company has never (or very rarely) ever performed well enough to give a 20% bonus, what he typically gets every year is more like 5%-7%.  Did he also get a work laptop that he takes home and doubles as his personal computer? Work cellphone? Work tablet? Is there a free or discounted gym facility on site? Discounted Stock Purchase plan? Does his boss give him $5 Dunkin Donuts gift card a couple times a year?  Well then he adds at least another $5k onto his salary to account for all that.  If he drives a company car/truck/van, he tacks on another $10k minimum.  That’s how a guy making $44,000 in base salary + $3,080 annual bonus for a grand total of $47,080 tells you he makes $65,000 a year and makes you feel like you make less than him even though you earn relatively the same amount.

Or then there’s the guy who legitimately makes $60,000 per year.  Sold something that he doesn’t normally sell (inherited a piece of land, grandmother bought him $100 worth of Apple stock 30 years ago that he finally sold, found a rare artifact in his basement, etc.).  Even though it’s a one time, rare occurrence, he takes the $40k he got selling whatever and tells you he made $100k last year.  Doesn’t tell you it was one year only, and he’ll likely never make that much again.  Very misleading.

Then you have the guy who makes $30k per year, but married to a lawyer, doctor, nurse, executive, etc.  He makes $30k, she makes $80k-$120k, so he adds them together and tells you he makes $150k.  He either lets you think he earns all that himself, knowingly misleading you (when confronted will feign ignorance “oh I thought you meant household income”), or he’ll split it in half and says he makes $75k (since $150k/2 = $75k).  Won’t say anything when you say “wow, you make $75k, and your wife makes a lot in her big time job, wow you guys make over $200K!”

Or the guy who makes $35k working the night shift or weekends and watches the kids during the day.  Because he doesn’t have to pay for daycare now, he estimates he saves $15k per year (generously rounded up of course).  Adds that savings to his salary, tells you he makes $50k.

Or the guy who invested some money but has no idea what he’s doing.  Bought some big name stocks at the right time and is up $10k-$20k currently.  Hasn’t sold anything yet so he hasn’t realized any actual gains, but adds that extra $10-$20k his portfolio is up into what he makes.  When his portfolio is down $10k though, he conveniently doesn’t subtract any losses.

Or the guy who tells you what he projects he’ll make next year as his salary now.  Always thinks his big break is right around the corner, he thinks he’s just about get that dream job, or big promotion, or whatever.

I’ve seen a lot of these things happen, so if you feel bad about where your salary is at, take it with a grain of salt.  Not saying everybody does this, but I think it happens enough to be wary of.

I joke with friends/family about this.  I don't care what so-and-so says they are making, show me their last 5 years tax returns, and we’ll see what they really make.  :)

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Re: How much money do you make a year?
« Reply #25 on: April 02, 2014, 03:01:30 PM »

Offline action781

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I think the choices in the poll could be better.  The second option spans a $30k range.  The next few options only span $20k. 

There's a notable difference between the lower end ($31k/yr) and upper end ($59k/yr) of that $30k - $60k range.
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Re: How much money do you make a year?
« Reply #26 on: April 02, 2014, 04:56:04 PM »

Offline boscel33

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This is always one of those questions I never answer, and never ask. It's almost more taboo than bedroom questions or politics.

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Isn't he one of the 1%?
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Re: How much money do you make a year?
« Reply #27 on: April 02, 2014, 05:12:40 PM »

Offline Donoghus

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This is always one of those questions I never answer, and never ask. It's almost more taboo than bedroom questions or politics.

Don't be shy about your billionaire status IP

Isn't he one of the 1%?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO0JaecRWy0



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Re: How much money do you make a year?
« Reply #28 on: April 02, 2014, 06:54:22 PM »

Offline Neurotic Guy

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It's true that income doesn't tell the whole story.   First want to say that I am not complaining.  So many things I (probably we, but I shouldn't speak for anyone) take for granted would be luxuries in other places in the world.  I have a house that's warm in winter/ cool in summer and plenty big for my wife and me (kids are out), safe neighborhood, privacy, cars (not nice ones, but reliable), cable tv, cell phones, internet, refrigerator, dishwasher, am NEVER hungry, plenty of clothes, computers, an IPOD, etc. 

The realtive ease of my life compared to most people in this world should be embarrassing.   

I am self-employed and while work is sometimes stressful, I usually don't work more than 40 hours/wk.  I look forward to retirement (or semi-retirement)but  I generally enjoy the work I do. 

My gross income is in the 2nd highest of the poll options, but the expenses are significant.  I pay family health insurance (more than $25K per year in health insurance and medical costs), college tuition (about 30K a year for 8 years starting in 2009), mortgage (principal, interest and taxes = about 25K a year), and of course, taxes that amount to about 25% of my gross income.   When it all boils down, I don't save a penny and we don't do anything too extravagant (no real vacations or expensive items beyond what we view as necessities).   Things will get better when college tuition ends!

That said, I really have no complaints.  I feel incredibly fortunate to have the ease of life that I have in the USA.

Re: How much money do you make a year?
« Reply #29 on: April 02, 2014, 07:06:49 PM »

Offline jambr380

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One thing I've noticed about money/salary discussions is how often people lie or mislead.  A lot of people tend to be insecure about what they make, thinking they’re not keeping up with the Joneses, so they tend to embellish, or at least round up very generously.  Personally witnessed this multiple times, hearing someone state a figure that I knew wasn’t true, or extremely misleading.  Some things I’ve seen (and some I’ve heard about from others):

A guy makes $44k base salary, for ease of discussion he’ll round it up to $50k (even though it makes more sense to round to $40k or $45k).  Eligible for a 5%-20% annual bonus.  So he calculates 20% of his rounded up $50k salary which comes out to $10k, so now he’s at $60k total.  What he doesn’t tell you is the company has never (or very rarely) ever performed well enough to give a 20% bonus, what he typically gets every year is more like 5%-7%.  Did he also get a work laptop that he takes home and doubles as his personal computer? Work cellphone? Work tablet? Is there a free or discounted gym facility on site? Discounted Stock Purchase plan? Does his boss give him $5 Dunkin Donuts gift card a couple times a year?  Well then he adds at least another $5k onto his salary to account for all that.  If he drives a company car/truck/van, he tacks on another $10k minimum.  That’s how a guy making $44,000 in base salary + $3,080 annual bonus for a grand total of $47,080 tells you he makes $65,000 a year and makes you feel like you make less than him even though you earn relatively the same amount.

Or then there’s the guy who legitimately makes $60,000 per year.  Sold something that he doesn’t normally sell (inherited a piece of land, grandmother bought him $100 worth of Apple stock 30 years ago that he finally sold, found a rare artifact in his basement, etc.).  Even though it’s a one time, rare occurrence, he takes the $40k he got selling whatever and tells you he made $100k last year.  Doesn’t tell you it was one year only, and he’ll likely never make that much again.  Very misleading.

Then you have the guy who makes $30k per year, but married to a lawyer, doctor, nurse, executive, etc.  He makes $30k, she makes $80k-$120k, so he adds them together and tells you he makes $150k.  He either lets you think he earns all that himself, knowingly misleading you (when confronted will feign ignorance “oh I thought you meant household income”), or he’ll split it in half and says he makes $75k (since $150k/2 = $75k).  Won’t say anything when you say “wow, you make $75k, and your wife makes a lot in her big time job, wow you guys make over $200K!”

Or the guy who makes $35k working the night shift or weekends and watches the kids during the day.  Because he doesn’t have to pay for daycare now, he estimates he saves $15k per year (generously rounded up of course).  Adds that savings to his salary, tells you he makes $50k.

Or the guy who invested some money but has no idea what he’s doing.  Bought some big name stocks at the right time and is up $10k-$20k currently.  Hasn’t sold anything yet so he hasn’t realized any actual gains, but adds that extra $10-$20k his portfolio is up into what he makes.  When his portfolio is down $10k though, he conveniently doesn’t subtract any losses.

Or the guy who tells you what he projects he’ll make next year as his salary now.  Always thinks his big break is right around the corner, he thinks he’s just about get that dream job, or big promotion, or whatever.

I’ve seen a lot of these things happen, so if you feel bad about where your salary is at, take it with a grain of salt.  Not saying everybody does this, but I think it happens enough to be wary of.

I joke with friends/family about this.  I don't care what so-and-so says they are making, show me their last 5 years tax returns, and we’ll see what they really make.  :)

Absolutely agree with all of this - tp. In my experience, the people who are doing well actually talk down their success (unless they are total jerks). It is amazing to hear how much people say they make compared to the actual figures.

It gets even more interesting when you get into 'millionaire' status. You see a guy with a nice Mercedes and an expensive house and think he must be rich...when actually they have a LOT of debt and are just spending all their money to play the part.


I think the choices in the poll could be better.  The second option spans a $30k range.  The next few options only span $20k. 

There's a notable difference between the lower end ($31k/yr) and upper end ($59k/yr) of that $30k - $60k range.

I thought this, as well. I think there are a lot more people [in general] in that lower range than really want to admit it - not necessarily here, just in society in general.