Anonymous wrote:390k DINKs in Rockville and I feel wealthy tbh. Middle class has got to be 100-200k in this area, especially seeing those daycare costs
SINK here, and I agree that no kids makes all the difference.
I’m self-employed, so my income varies. But two years ago, I made $200,000 and felt positively wealthy. This year, I’m probably going to make closer to $130,000 and I still feel well-off. (At least 80% of small business owners that I speak with say their income is down significantly, but sure, we’re not in a recession—the economy is great and it’s a mystery why Trump won.

)
Anyhoo, I’m 43 and have already paid off my mortgage. If you have no kids and no mortgage, even $150,000 is a lot of money: you pay $40,000 in taxes, can have a very good quality of life spending $50,000, and save $60,000. And $60,000 a year into the S&P 500 ($5,000/month) becomes $1 million in 10 years. Pretty easy to get rich if you don’t have kids.