40% of people making 500K/year are living paycheck to paycheck

[Anonymous]

My spouse took a fed VERa and we have taken a 25 % hit to our net HHI as he is figuring out what’s next.

We literally just sat down and went through what we are cutting in our budget. Our budget is “tight”, but it still accounts for retirement savings and savings for our big ticket items over the course of the year. HHI was 450K, the drop was probably 1/3 but because of tax shifts it is only a 1/4 drop in net.

In any event, we can make it work with some adjustments to our spending and we continue to save. Accounting for every dollar through either budget or savings is not paycheck to paycheck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My spouse took a fed VERa and we have taken a 25 % hit to our net HHI as he is figuring out what’s next.

We literally just sat down and went through what we are cutting in our budget. Our budget is “tight”, but it still accounts for retirement savings and savings for our big ticket items over the course of the year. HHI was 450K, the drop was probably 1/3 but because of tax shifts it is only a 1/4 drop in net.

In any event, we can make it work with some adjustments to our spending and we continue to save. Accounting for every dollar through either budget or savings is not paycheck to paycheck.

are you rich? can you fly first class (not business) to europe or have a private jet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My spouse took a fed VERa and we have taken a 25 % hit to our net HHI as he is figuring out what’s next.

We literally just sat down and went through what we are cutting in our budget. Our budget is “tight”, but it still accounts for retirement savings and savings for our big ticket items over the course of the year. HHI was 450K, the drop was probably 1/3 but because of tax shifts it is only a 1/4 drop in net.

In any event, we can make it work with some adjustments to our spending and we continue to save. Accounting for every dollar through either budget or savings is not paycheck to paycheck.

are you rich? can you fly first class (not business) to europe or have a private jet?

Is that relevant to living paycheck to paycheck?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you look at the chart?

It says only 16% making $200-$300 live that way and only 25% making $100-$200.

How about this…the people making $500k can live like those making $300k…and then they will saving like 50%.

The most difficult spot to live is that 300k-500k spot, as those are not really rich, and you've lost all the subsidies and tax breaks from the government.

We make $330k and I don't find it difficult at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My spouse took a fed VERa and we have taken a 25 % hit to our net HHI as he is figuring out what’s next.

We literally just sat down and went through what we are cutting in our budget. Our budget is “tight”, but it still accounts for retirement savings and savings for our big ticket items over the course of the year. HHI was 450K, the drop was probably 1/3 but because of tax shifts it is only a 1/4 drop in net.

In any event, we can make it work with some adjustments to our spending and we continue to save. Accounting for every dollar through either budget or savings is not paycheck to paycheck.

are you rich? can you fly first class (not business) to europe or have a private jet?

I know you're being sarcastic, but the cost jump from first class to private is HUGE. It's typically $10k per hour with up front >$200k investments.


It's unlikely even the typical very rich DCUM person flies private.

[Anonymous]

This was heavily discussed already:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1304715.page

Fwiw the definition is about making progress on long term financial goals. So if the study is trusted then it means those people really are over extended by their lifestyle and are not saving for retirement or emergencies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you look at the chart?

It says only 16% making $200-$300 live that way and only 25% making $100-$200.

How about this…the people making $500k can live like those making $300k…and then they will saving like 50%.

Yep. It's crazy that this needs to be explained, but here we are.

[Anonymous]

Pay check to pay check literally means there are no savings - no retirement - and no money at the end of the pay period.

So many here just do not understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pay check to pay check literally means there are no savings - no retirement - and no money at the end of the pay period.

So many here just do not understand.

Wrong , pay check to pay check means the way the life is setup you spend everything going into your bank account each pay check. .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pay check to pay check literally means there are no savings - no retirement - and no money at the end of the pay period.

So many here just do not understand.

Agreed. DCUM paycheck to paycheck is you make $1M but save and spend it all so therefore it’s paycheck to paycheck. It’s girl math on steroids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pay check to pay check literally means there are no savings - no retirement - and no money at the end of the pay period.

So many here just do not understand.

Wrong , pay check to pay check means the way the life is setup you spend everything going into your bank account each pay check. .

Yes. Spend. Not save or invest. If you are putting money in retirement or other savings/investment accounts every month, it's not paycheck to paycheck.

Also if you have a savings cushion and/or investment income, that's also not paycheck to paycheck. Jeff Bezos only makes 82k annually from Amazon as income, which I'm sure he spends all of. He does not live paycheck to paycheck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pay check to pay check literally means there are no savings - no retirement - and no money at the end of the pay period.

So many here just do not understand.

Wrong , pay check to pay check means the way the life is setup you spend everything going into your bank account each pay check. .

I agree with PP. Paycheck to paycheck means if you don't get paid for some reason (let go, furlough, you're hourly and couldn't work due to illness), then you don't eat and can't pay rent/mortgage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pay check to pay check literally means there are no savings - no retirement - and no money at the end of the pay period.

So many here just do not understand.

Wrong , pay check to pay check means the way the life is setup you spend everything going into your bank account each pay check. .

You’re wrong. PP is correct.

[Anonymous]

Lulz. I'm in this category and this is hilarious. Laughing from my tiny townhouse

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is how we get communist regimes sending out the "elite" into the fields for re-education. I'm wealthy. Those people are giving wealthy people a bad name. They need to be re-educated.

Is that your worry? That you’ll be given a bad name?

It’s not hard to believe that people start to need every dollar of their paycheck going to monthly expenses. They overextended themselves with a $2 million dollar house and top of the line everything.