How old are you, how much do you make, are you satisfied with your life, etc.

[Anonymous]

How old are you? 34

How much money do YOU make? (This is only your individual income- not your HHI) $100k

Do you consider yourself successful? (based on your own definition of successful) Yes. I have a career that I like and a job that values my contributions and is engaging and stimulating. Also has great work/life balance.

What do you think contributed to your success or your lack thereof? (example- an ivy education, good parents, etc? ) PhD in a marketable field, strong parental support (they paid my in-state tuition, so I had no loans), and luck!

Are you satisfied with your life? Yes. Sure, more money and a shorter commute would be nice, but we have everything that we need and then some.

Is your level of satisfaction connected to how much money you have? To an extent. If we had to worry about how we were going to eat or if we were going to be evicted for not paying rent, that would be terrible. But once you have enough to make sure the basics + a little extra are covered, then I don't know how much happier you'd be with a ton more money. We can't afford fancy vacations and we probably won't be able to pay full freight at a private college for our kids, but we have a comfortable home in a great school district, drive reliable cars, take modest vacations, and generally enjoy life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:50 years old, make $150K working part-time (~25-30 hours/week). DH makes $100K.

I don't measure success in economic terms. I do feel successful because we have about the best work-life balance imaginable and lots of family time. I work part-time and mostly from home, and see my kids and DH a lot. DH works a mile from our house and sometimes comes home to have lunch with me. We each have about 6 weeks of vacation a year, so take some nice trips as a family and occasionally take a day off together to see a movie. We are both well-respected at work and are happy with our professional lives.

Life is good here.

What kind of work do you do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:50 years old, make $150K working part-time (~25-30 hours/week). DH makes $100K.

I don't measure success in economic terms. I do feel successful because we have about the best work-life balance imaginable and lots of family time. I work part-time and mostly from home, and see my kids and DH a lot. DH works a mile from our house and sometimes comes home to have lunch with me. We each have about 6 weeks of vacation a year, so take some nice trips as a family and occasionally take a day off together to see a movie. We are both well-respected at work and are happy with our professional lives.

Life is good here.

What kind of work do you do?

I am a lawyer.

[Anonymous]

Happy days are here again!

[Anonymous]

How old are you? 39
How much money do YOU make? (This is only your individual income- not your HHI) $108K
Do you consider yourself successful? (based on your own definition of successful) Yes
What do you think contributed to your success or your lack thereof? Mostly luck (I was lucky to have good parents, good education, married good man) but I guess I contributed to that luck by recognizing good things and sticking with them and not screwing them up
Are you satisfied with your life? Yes
Is your level of satisfaction connected to how much money you have? Yes. Having money means no fear about having the basics covered for myself and the people I love. That is huge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I could have written this but not Asian (Tiger Irish Catholic mom) and only make 110 (primary care doc).

How old are you? 33
How much money do YOU make? (This is only your individual income- not your HHI) $400k
Do you consider yourself successful? (based on your own definition of successful) yes
What do you think contributed to your success or your lack thereof? (example- an ivy education, good parents, etc? ) worked my ass off during 10 years of medical school and training. Had Asian tiger mom hovering over me from age 0-18... Okay, she still hovers over me now!
Are you satisfied with your life? Yes, but worried what obamacare will do to my income in the future.
Is your level of satisfaction connected to how much money you have? Yes, because i grew up poor in an immigrant family. Making this kind of money is a big deal for me. I bought my parents their first new car they have ever owned. They are in their late sixties.

What area of medicine do you practice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I could have written this but not Asian (Tiger Irish Catholic mom) and only make 110 (primary care doc).

How old are you? 33
How much money do YOU make? (This is only your individual income- not your HHI) $400k
Do you consider yourself successful? (based on your own definition of successful) yes
What do you think contributed to your success or your lack thereof? (example- an ivy education, good parents, etc? ) worked my ass off during 10 years of medical school and training. Had Asian tiger mom hovering over me from age 0-18... Okay, she still hovers over me now!
Are you satisfied with your life? Yes, but worried what obamacare will do to my income in the future.
Is your level of satisfaction connected to how much money you have? Yes, because i grew up poor in an immigrant family. Making this kind of money is a big deal for me. I bought my parents their first new car they have ever owned. They are in their late sixties.

What area of medicine do you practice?

PP here, I'm a cardiologist

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I could have written this but not Asian (Tiger Irish Catholic mom) and only make 110 (primary care doc).

How old are you? 33
How much money do YOU make? (This is only your individual income- not your HHI) $400k
Do you consider yourself successful? (based on your own definition of successful) yes
What do you think contributed to your success or your lack thereof? (example- an ivy education, good parents, etc? ) worked my ass off during 10 years of medical school and training. Had Asian tiger mom hovering over me from age 0-18... Okay, she still hovers over me now!
Are you satisfied with your life? Yes, but worried what obamacare will do to my income in the future.
Is your level of satisfaction connected to how much money you have? Yes, because i grew up poor in an immigrant family. Making this kind of money is a big deal for me. I bought my parents their first new car they have ever owned. They are in their late sixties.

What area of medicine do you practice?

PP here, I'm a cardiologist

[Anonymous]

How old are you? 31

How much money do YOU make? (This is only your individual income- not your HHI) $124K

Do you consider yourself successful? (based on your own definition of successful)
Yes, although reading about other people always makes me feel slightly less successful.

What do you think contributed to your success or your lack thereof?
Ivy education in addition to graduate degrees, hard work, supportive family, and a bit of luck.

Are you satisfied with your life? Yes, married with one child on the way.

Is your level of satisfaction connected to how much money you have?
Like others have stated, it is connected in that it gives me some sense of security. It also allows us to live a very comfortable life.

[Anonymous]

39

$88K (that's my income, but it's also my entire HHI)

Yes.

Honestly, for me one contributing factor was a lack of high expectations. Nobody expected much of me as a kid, but conversely, I wasn't told I COULDN'T do things. I have carved out a very satisfying career that pays me enough to live on and raise my child. Other factors: HARD WORK, and also DUMB LUCK.

Oh yes. I am satisfied.

It's not directly attributed to the money, but being able to breathe comfortably certainly helps.

[Anonymous]

How old are you? 43

How much money do YOU make? (This is only your individual income- not your HHI) About $250k

Do you consider yourself successful? (based on your own definition of successful) yes


What do you think contributed to your success or your lack thereof? Educated parents who believed in me and let me go my own way, and who also had a strong social justice ethic. Genetic luck (smart, found school easy). No family money, and I think that was a good thing: my parents always impressed on me the need to support myself, and my mom impressed on me the extreme importance of women always being able to support myself. After two kids and a divorce, I sure as hell am glad I have always been able to support myself!

Are you satisfied with your life? Yes, very much so. Great kids, interesting and meaningful work, professional recognition, recently remarried (to a guy who makes half what I make, which-- since I make enough-- is fine!)

Is your level of satisfaction connected to how much money you have? Yes insofar as security: perhaps b/c we had little money when i was a kid, i sleep better at night knowing that I can support myself and the kids comfortably and that i have enough saved to ride out all but a really horrendous crisis. Money certainly buys comfort: i am glad i can afford to take a taxi when its cold and rainy and just not worry about the cost of dinner. But that said, i could get by on a lot less if I had to: i save a lot and don't spend that much. And I don't feel like I need "more" money: I have turned down many more lucrative jobs b/c what I do now offers a ton of freedom, flexibility and autonomy, and I have everything I need for myself and the kids.