What do you consider to be a good salary?

[MDC 5,890]

[NorthernVike 2,080]

I think it falls under the category of... If you have to ask...

[Alias Detective 1,179]

I've asked the same question a different way. At what point do you feel successful?

 

I'd say, since I've never collected a salary in my life, income of $75-100,000 per wage earner.

[IMMensaMind 459]

Same question as 'what's rich'?

[MDC 5,890]

Same question as 'what's rich'?

No, you can earn a good salary without being rich.

[Filthy Fernadez 2,696]

A good salary is based upon what you do.

 

Getting $75,000 to flip burgers would be a great salary. For open heart surgery.........not so much.

[IMMensaMind 459]

No, you can earn a good salary without being rich.

I mean its unanswerability.

 

What possible good answer could there be for either?

[MDC 5,890]

I mean its unanswerability.

 

What possible good answer could there be for either?

I didnt think we were going to reach a consensus. I was just curious what other people consider to be a good salary.

[IMMensaMind 459]

I didnt think we were going to reach a consensus. I was just curious what other people consider to be a good salary.

Ok.

 

$335,000 annual base with bonus incentive and commission structures to provide the potential to at least triple the base.

 

[Filthy Fernadez 2,696]

I think common laborers would be thrilled to earn $50,000 a year.

[Mike Honcho 4,031]

Don't want to get into specifics, but for lunch, I can any sandwich for half price, PLUS any 2 items from the dollar menu, so I'm living pretty large.

[IMMensaMind 459]

Don't want to get into specifics, but for lunch, I can any sandwich for half price, PLUS any 2 items from the dollar menu, so I'm living pretty large.

I'd pay double that to can a sandwich.

[Filthy Fernadez 2,696]

Don't want to get into specifics, but for lunch, I can any sandwich for half price, PLUS any 2 items from the dollar menu, so I'm living pretty large.

 

Jared, is that you?

[posty 2,296]

Depends on where you live...

[Fireballer 2,381]

Depends on where you live...

My wife and I make around 160k combined(me 90-95ish dependant upon my part time) and we live pretty well. I cant say Id be too much happier with alot more. Just a King Ranch F250 vs XL,Mercedes v/s her 4runner, and 3500 sq ft house v/s 6000 sq ft. The more you make, the more you spend.

[cbfalcon 824]

I didnt think we were going to reach a consensus. I was just curious what other people consider to be a good salary.

 

From an article I read awhile back...

 

As people earn more money, their day-to-day happiness rises until you hit $82,000. After that, you can buy more stuff but you don't necessarily gain any happiness with normal increases.

 

I mostly agree with it. When I got to $82K, I could mostly do what I wanted day to day and not have too many worries. Any happiness gains since then have been more so due to being in a better position long term, but not as immediate.

[Djgb13 2,338]

When I was in the military $30K-$35K a year was difficult but doable. Once I started making over $40K a year it got easier so $40K is livable. $60K-$75K is living comfortably. $90K+ is a good salary to have a good house, good cars, good vacations, good savings, and enough money to play around with.

 

All this is just for one person. So naturally if you have a spouse who's working anything more is just extra.

[bandrus1 413]

Depends a lot where you live as stated above. I only make 62k and I live at a level somebody 3 hours away from me would need to make over well over 200k to live at

[penultimatestraw 473]

Most places $75-100K is more than enough for a couple to live comfortably. Even in HI it ain't that bad.

[penultimatestraw 473]

My wife and I make around 160k combined(me 90-95ish dependant upon my part time) and we live pretty well. I cant say Id be too much happier with alot more. Just a King Ranch F250 vs XL,Mercedes v/s her 4runner, and 3500 sq ft house v/s 6000 sq ft. The more you make, the more you spend.

While I think this is true in general, it's fairly easy to opt out of all the consumerism and still live a good life. My wife and I make quite a bit more than you guys, but drive two cars worth < $25K total and live in an 1800 sq ft. home.

[penultimatestraw 473]

 

From an article I read awhile back...

 

As people earn more money, their day-to-day happiness rises until you hit $82,000. After that, you can buy more stuff but you don't necessarily gain any happiness with normal increases.

 

I mostly agree with it. When I got to $82K, I could mostly do what I wanted day to day and not have too many worries. Any happiness gains since then have been more so due to being in a better position long term, but not as immediate.

People undervalue their free time, which is far and away more valuable than extra $$.

[tanatastic 2,061]

Completely subjective and pointless to discuss other than for veiled look at me purposes. I have plenty of disposable money every month and make garbage. My friend makes 6-7 times as much and is always broke.

[IGotWorms 3,314]

Boy depends on so much including education, work history, profession, geographic region, etc.

 

I guess generally no matter where you lived or what you did, if you told me you made $70,000+ per year (individually) I would think that was solid. Maybe not great (that depends), but decent.

 

[MDC 5,890]

I ask because Im looking for a new job right now but in a non technical type field I feel I may have neared my salary ceiling without some major shakeup and I feel stuck. My wife is fine with the $ I make and says Plenty of people feel stuck and they DONT make X per year. She has said that she thinks I compare my success to my dad, who was wildly successful in business. There may be some truth there.

 

Dunno just figured Id ask. Its probably a midlife crisis and Ill feel better after buying a Corvette and having an affair.

[tanatastic 2,061]

I’ll consider myself rich when I have “Drobeski money”.

[Strike 3,974]

I ask because Im looking for a new job right now but in a non technical type field I feel I may have neared my salary ceiling without some major shakeup and I feel stuck. My wife is fine with the $ I make and says Plenty of people feel stuck and they DONT make X per year. She has said that she thinks I compare my success to my dad, who was wildly successful in business. There may be some truth there.

 

Dunno just figured Id ask. Its probably a midlife crisis and Ill feel better after buying a Corvette and having an affair.

 

Do you enjoy your job? And are YOU satisfied with the money? Because I've had two jobs, including my current one, where I got to a point that unless I change positions or move companies I'm looking at cost of living raises for the next x number of years. But I'm ok with that. I make pretty good money and enjoy what I do. You don't have to continually be increasing your income by leaps and bounds. You can get to a point where you're satisfied.

[vuduchile 1,941]

When I was last in the corporate world I was making a base of $80K plus bonuses.

 

When I went out on my own, I had a couple of years when I pocketed less than that. For the last 3, I've done considerably better. But, I have no illusions about this income being any more or less secure than a salary.

 

It's not always about how much you earn. What matters is how much time you have to trade to get it and ultimately, how much you keep.

[penultimatestraw 473]

Do you enjoy your job? And are YOU satisfied with the money? Because I've had two jobs, including my current one, where I got to a point that unless I change positions or move companies I'm looking at cost of living raises for the next x number of years. But I'm ok with that. I make pretty good money and enjoy what I do. You don't have to continually be increasing your income by leaps and bounds. You can get to a point where you're satisfied.

It's not always about how much you earn. What matters is how much time you have to trade to get it and ultimately, how much you keep.

These guys get it.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

Usually right around the time that AMT kicks in

[Baker Boy 1,485]

$15 an hour for flipping burgers is a great salary!

[parrot 789]

$15 an hour for flipping burgers is a great salary!

 

$15 an hour is a wage not a salary. HTH.

[Baker Boy 1,485]

$15 an hour is a wage not a salary. HTH.

 

$30,000 a year to flip burgers is a great salary!

[parrot 789]

$30,000 a year to flip burgers is a great salary!

There ya go!

[supermike80 1,285]

I pay my servants about 50k. They seem happy with that.

[cmh6476 751]

One hundred million dollars

[supermike80 1,285]

Rain man says about a hundred dollars

[Kopy 491]

I pay my servants about 50k. They seem happy with that.

Slave owner!

[Filthy Fernadez 2,696]

Slave owner!

 

Nah; they're out of work Hollywood actresses.

[drobeski 3,061]

Ill consider myself rich when I have Drobeski money.

maybe start charging me rent ?

[penultimatestraw 473]

An article which looks at cost of living in major cities, with the amount to live "comfortably" based on spending 50% on essentials, 30% discretionary and 20% savings: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/gobankingrates/how-much-money-you-need-t_b_9728876.html

Philadelphia: $59,384

• Income needed: $59,384
• 50 percent for necessities: $29,692
• 30 percent for discretionary spending: $17,815
• 20 percent for savings: $11,877

The typical Philadelphia household earns an income of $37,460, which falls $21,924 short of the ideal income required to match the city’s high cost of living.

Here's an often cited study that determines $75K salary is all that is necessary for happiness: http://www.pnas.org/content/107/38/16489.full

More money does not necessarily buy more happiness, but less money is associated with emotional pain. Perhaps $75,000 is a threshold beyond which further increases in income no longer improve individuals’ ability to do what matters most to their emotional well-being, such as spending time with people they like, avoiding pain and disease, and enjoying leisure.