What HHI is "success" to you?

[Anonymous]

Anything north of $500K/yr, imo.

[Anonymous]

Really, OP?

I need enough to retire, travel and also to educate my children well.

Right now my HHI of 120K is barely enough, but I make do. I certainly don't need 500K to be successful!

[Anonymous]

Two income house, parents with graduate level degrees from strong colleges, 10-15 years of experience, in DC = $500K isn't all that unrealistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two income house, parents with graduate level degrees from strong colleges, 10-15 years of experience, in DC = $500K isn't all that unrealistic.

When you look at the statistics, clearly it's a tiny minority.
You forget that many people with graduate degrees go on to academic positions because they don't so much care about money as about furthering knowledge and all that jazz. Would you say they were unsuccessful?

[Anonymous]

Success to me is paying off this dang 80k school loan. As soon as it's paid off, I'll be rich.

[Anonymous]

Yep, $500,000 is the mark for me. Not there yet (also at $120,000).

[Anonymous]

When I was in college, I used to think breaking six figures was the magic threshold. That seems almost cute now. I don't know what the real threshold should be, but definitely a lot more than that...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anything north of $500K/yr, imo.

Thanks for sharing.

[Anonymous]

There is no HHI that is "success" to me.

Successful marriage, maybe well-adjusted children. Positive relationships with friends and family. Being in a position to give back to my community (and following through on that).

THAT is success.

[Anonymous]

As long as I have a job that isn't miserable, I'm happy. I can manage at whatever HHI, because I live below my means.

[Anonymous]

well, not where we currently are is the only answer I can give. We're currently in debt and can't afford much past our regular monthly expenses. It all went south 2.5 years ago when I was basically furloughed from my job after finding out I was unexpectedly pregnant and we just have been digging a hole ever since that we can't get out of.

[Anonymous]

Our HHI is $375. We have a nice house, great holidays, amazing fun kids, everything we need and a lot of stuff we don't.

But I guess we are failures

[Anonymous]

Where do you live?

[Anonymous]

A rich person is not that who has more, but that who needs less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was in college, I used to think breaking six figures was the magic threshold. That seems almost cute now. I don't know what the real threshold should be, but definitely a lot more than that...

Me too! My parents never made 100k together before they retired. I would have never guessed I'd be at 120k in my 30s and not live like a king.