Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently broke into a seven figure income (think junior c-suite at a mid-sized tech company). As a former public servant, this is both unexpected and unfamiliar. It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized this was even a possibility let alone a likelihood. I feel exceptionally fortunate.

But this situation is new enough that I haven't yet built up an equivalent nest egg, so the income/wealth doesn't feel permanent. The "problem" is that I now find myself perpetually concerned about the ethereal nature of the situation. I like my job and am unlikely to lose it, but stranger things have happened - an issue I'm blamed for, an acquisition by a larger company that make my role duplicative, etc. And while I think I could probably land an equivalent role, I find my thoughts frequently drifting toward what-if scenarios regarding a loss of my income.

For those who have been in high-paying jobs for a while, does this eventually go away? Is this just the new situation jitters, or will this now preoccupy my spare thought cycles? I don't want to be a person who thinks about money all the time, even if it's from a position of privilege.



And just to head off the inevitable... I don't post this with the intention to rub my good fortune in the faces of others. I'm not trolling. I recognize the cry-me-a-river aspect of this, but it's a legitimate situation and, for obvious reasons, I don't really have anybody to talk to in real life about it. So here I am.

Don't change your lifestyle. Love below your means. I am very high income and my lifestyle has remained the same. I still take free flights using credit card points. I don't go to 5 star Michelin restaurants. I don't drink alcohol. I do a lot of free things such as hiking kayaking. I do road trips and stay at cheap hotels. I never worry about how much things cost or how much I have in savings because I am constantly doing things under budget.

Now if you feel as an "executive" you need to live in a mansion and drive an s-600 Benz then yeah you should freak out cause that lifestyle isn't cheap.

There’s some space in between what you’re describing and living in a mansion.

You only live once and can’t take it with you. I throughly enjoy my luxury hotel stays, dining out and not hassling with hotel points and airline miles.

Anonymous wrote:Try not to let lifestyle creep take over. Save aggressively for a few years, and build up a 6 month emergency fund. I think then you will feel more comfortable.
- a former fed ($125k) who has a $500k/yr job and felt this way at first

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently broke into a seven figure income (think junior c-suite at a mid-sized tech company). As a former public servant, this is both unexpected and unfamiliar. It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized this was even a possibility let alone a likelihood. I feel exceptionally fortunate.

But this situation is new enough that I haven't yet built up an equivalent nest egg, so the income/wealth doesn't feel permanent. The "problem" is that I now find myself perpetually concerned about the ethereal nature of the situation. I like my job and am unlikely to lose it, but stranger things have happened - an issue I'm blamed for, an acquisition by a larger company that make my role duplicative, etc. And while I think I could probably land an equivalent role, I find my thoughts frequently drifting toward what-if scenarios regarding a loss of my income.

For those who have been in high-paying jobs for a while, does this eventually go away? Is this just the new situation jitters, or will this now preoccupy my spare thought cycles? I don't want to be a person who thinks about money all the time, even if it's from a position of privilege.



And just to head off the inevitable... I don't post this with the intention to rub my good fortune in the faces of others. I'm not trolling. I recognize the cry-me-a-river aspect of this, but it's a legitimate situation and, for obvious reasons, I don't really have anybody to talk to in real life about it. So here I am.

Don't change your lifestyle. Love below your means. I am very high income and my lifestyle has remained the same. I still take free flights using credit card points. I don't go to 5 star Michelin restaurants. I don't drink alcohol. I do a lot of free things such as hiking kayaking. I do road trips and stay at cheap hotels. I never worry about how much things cost or how much I have in savings because I am constantly doing things under budget.

Now if you feel as an "executive" you need to live in a mansion and drive an s-600 Benz then yeah you should freak out cause that lifestyle isn't cheap.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently broke into a seven figure income (think junior c-suite at a mid-sized tech company). As a former public servant, this is both unexpected and unfamiliar. It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized this was even a possibility let alone a likelihood. I feel exceptionally fortunate.

But this situation is new enough that I haven't yet built up an equivalent nest egg, so the income/wealth doesn't feel permanent. The "problem" is that I now find myself perpetually concerned about the ethereal nature of the situation. I like my job and am unlikely to lose it, but stranger things have happened - an issue I'm blamed for, an acquisition by a larger company that make my role duplicative, etc. And while I think I could probably land an equivalent role, I find my thoughts frequently drifting toward what-if scenarios regarding a loss of my income.

For those who have been in high-paying jobs for a while, does this eventually go away? Is this just the new situation jitters, or will this now preoccupy my spare thought cycles? I don't want to be a person who thinks about money all the time, even if it's from a position of privilege.



And just to head off the inevitable... I don't post this with the intention to rub my good fortune in the faces of others. I'm not trolling. I recognize the cry-me-a-river aspect of this, but it's a legitimate situation and, for obvious reasons, I don't really have anybody to talk to in real life about it. So here I am.

Don't change your lifestyle. Love below your means. I am very high income and my lifestyle has remained the same. I still take free flights using credit card points. I don't go to 5 star Michelin restaurants. I don't drink alcohol. I do a lot of free things such as hiking kayaking. I do road trips and stay at cheap hotels. I never worry about how much things cost or how much I have in savings because I am constantly doing things under budget.

Now if you feel as an "executive" you need to live in a mansion and drive an s-600 Benz then yeah you should freak out cause that lifestyle isn't cheap.

Countering this with go ahead and change your lifestyle a little IF you want to...stay in nicer hotels, occasionally go out to a splurge dinner, whatever is your thing go ahead and do it. As long as you aren't making big spending changes there is no reason not to enjoy your money. If you're happy with what you have, more power to you. If you enjoy a few of the more expensive (notice I didn't say finer) things, go ahead and do it without guilt.

“Save now” poster and agree with this. The key early on imho is to indulge in things that are “one-off” (vacations, dinnners etc). Long term financial commitments (club membership, second home, etc) can be difficult to manage in a downturn. I like knowing we could easily scale back spending if need be - without too many monthly or yearly expenses locked in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently broke into a seven figure income (think junior c-suite at a mid-sized tech company). As a former public servant, this is both unexpected and unfamiliar. It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized this was even a possibility let alone a likelihood. I feel exceptionally fortunate.

But this situation is new enough that I haven't yet built up an equivalent nest egg, so the income/wealth doesn't feel permanent. The "problem" is that I now find myself perpetually concerned about the ethereal nature of the situation. I like my job and am unlikely to lose it, but stranger things have happened - an issue I'm blamed for, an acquisition by a larger company that make my role duplicative, etc. And while I think I could probably land an equivalent role, I find my thoughts frequently drifting toward what-if scenarios regarding a loss of my income.

For those who have been in high-paying jobs for a while, does this eventually go away? Is this just the new situation jitters, or will this now preoccupy my spare thought cycles? I don't want to be a person who thinks about money all the time, even if it's from a position of privilege.



And just to head off the inevitable... I don't post this with the intention to rub my good fortune in the faces of others. I'm not trolling. I recognize the cry-me-a-river aspect of this, but it's a legitimate situation and, for obvious reasons, I don't really have anybody to talk to in real life about it. So here I am.

Don't change your lifestyle. Love below your means. I am very high income and my lifestyle has remained the same. I still take free flights using credit card points. I don't go to 5 star Michelin restaurants. I don't drink alcohol. I do a lot of free things such as hiking kayaking. I do road trips and stay at cheap hotels. I never worry about how much things cost or how much I have in savings because I am constantly doing things under budget.

Now if you feel as an "executive" you need to live in a mansion and drive an s-600 Benz then yeah you should freak out cause that lifestyle isn't cheap.

Countering this with go ahead and change your lifestyle a little IF you want to...stay in nicer hotels, occasionally go out to a splurge dinner, whatever is your thing go ahead and do it. As long as you aren't making big spending changes there is no reason not to enjoy your money. If you're happy with what you have, more power to you. If you enjoy a few of the more expensive (notice I didn't say finer) things, go ahead and do it without guilt.

“Save now” poster and agree with this. The key early on imho is to indulge in things that are “one-off” (vacations, dinnners etc). Long term financial commitments (club membership, second home, etc) can be difficult to manage in a downturn. I like knowing we could easily scale back spending if need be - without too many monthly or yearly expenses locked in.

Anonymous wrote:Money saved/“in-the-bank” is the best way to remove stress imho. Save heavily for a few years, then adjust as you see fit. Or don’t. I’m older and am thankful we saved earlier because at some point it can be harder to earn depending on healthcare and things that happen out of your control. We don’t have throwaway money, but we can live decently and safely.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently broke into a seven figure income (think junior c-suite at a mid-sized tech company). As a former public servant, this is both unexpected and unfamiliar. It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized this was even a possibility let alone a likelihood. I feel exceptionally fortunate.

But this situation is new enough that I haven't yet built up an equivalent nest egg, so the income/wealth doesn't feel permanent. The "problem" is that I now find myself perpetually concerned about the ethereal nature of the situation. I like my job and am unlikely to lose it, but stranger things have happened - an issue I'm blamed for, an acquisition by a larger company that make my role duplicative, etc. And while I think I could probably land an equivalent role, I find my thoughts frequently drifting toward what-if scenarios regarding a loss of my income.

For those who have been in high-paying jobs for a while, does this eventually go away? Is this just the new situation jitters, or will this now preoccupy my spare thought cycles? I don't want to be a person who thinks about money all the time, even if it's from a position of privilege.



And just to head off the inevitable... I don't post this with the intention to rub my good fortune in the faces of others. I'm not trolling. I recognize the cry-me-a-river aspect of this, but it's a legitimate situation and, for obvious reasons, I don't really have anybody to talk to in real life about it. So here I am.

Don't change your lifestyle. Love below your means. I am very high income and my lifestyle has remained the same. I still take free flights using credit card points. I don't go to 5 star Michelin restaurants. I don't drink alcohol. I do a lot of free things such as hiking kayaking. I do road trips and stay at cheap hotels. I never worry about how much things cost or how much I have in savings because I am constantly doing things under budget.

Now if you feel as an "executive" you need to live in a mansion and drive an s-600 Benz then yeah you should freak out cause that lifestyle isn't cheap.

Countering this with go ahead and change your lifestyle a little IF you want to...stay in nicer hotels, occasionally go out to a splurge dinner, whatever is your thing go ahead and do it. As long as you aren't making big spending changes there is no reason not to enjoy your money. If you're happy with what you have, more power to you. If you enjoy a few of the more expensive (notice I didn't say finer) things, go ahead and do it without guilt.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently broke into a seven figure income (think junior c-suite at a mid-sized tech company). As a former public servant, this is both unexpected and unfamiliar. It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized this was even a possibility let alone a likelihood. I feel exceptionally fortunate.

But this situation is new enough that I haven't yet built up an equivalent nest egg, so the income/wealth doesn't feel permanent. The "problem" is that I now find myself perpetually concerned about the ethereal nature of the situation. I like my job and am unlikely to lose it, but stranger things have happened - an issue I'm blamed for, an acquisition by a larger company that make my role duplicative, etc. And while I think I could probably land an equivalent role, I find my thoughts frequently drifting toward what-if scenarios regarding a loss of my income.

For those who have been in high-paying jobs for a while, does this eventually go away? Is this just the new situation jitters, or will this now preoccupy my spare thought cycles? I don't want to be a person who thinks about money all the time, even if it's from a position of privilege.



And just to head off the inevitable... I don't post this with the intention to rub my good fortune in the faces of others. I'm not trolling. I recognize the cry-me-a-river aspect of this, but it's a legitimate situation and, for obvious reasons, I don't really have anybody to talk to in real life about it. So here I am.

Don't change your lifestyle. Love below your means. I am very high income and my lifestyle has remained the same. I still take free flights using credit card points. I don't go to 5 star Michelin restaurants. I don't drink alcohol. I do a lot of free things such as hiking kayaking. I do road trips and stay at cheap hotels. I never worry about how much things cost or how much I have in savings because I am constantly doing things under budget.

Now if you feel as an "executive" you need to live in a mansion and drive an s-600 Benz then yeah you should freak out cause that lifestyle isn't cheap.