Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy to me, see page 20:

https://am.gs.com/cms-assets/gsam-app/documents/insights/en/2025/am-retirement-survey-102025.pdf?view=true

Lots of wild details in this document on “The Future of Retirement”

I can relate. We are in the same income bracket. We live paycheck to paycheck after maxing out 401k, hsa, saving 10k per kid in 529, saving 60k in our brokerage account. We don’t have much left.

Similar. We make 3M/yr but it's almost entirely stock. In terms of cash by the time we put 70k each in 401k, back door roth, max HSA, 10k per kid in 529, 60k in brokerage, then there's only enough cash left to pay all the bills and live an UMC lifestyle. Our NW is growing rapidly, but it takes discipline to never dip into the investments and fit our life into the cash flow.

Same except we make $10M/yr and I’m a historian and my spouse keeps bees

You should go on a House Hunters episode with that bio. 😆

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy to me, see page 20:

https://am.gs.com/cms-assets/gsam-app/documents/insights/en/2025/am-retirement-survey-102025.pdf?view=true

Lots of wild details in this document on “The Future of Retirement”

I can relate. We are in the same income bracket. We live paycheck to paycheck after maxing out 401k, hsa, saving 10k per kid in 529, saving 60k in our brokerage account. We don’t have much left.

THAT IS NOT PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK.
Sorry for yelling but come on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy to me, see page 20:

https://am.gs.com/cms-assets/gsam-app/documents/insights/en/2025/am-retirement-survey-102025.pdf?view=true

Lots of wild details in this document on “The Future of Retirement”

I can relate. We are in the same income bracket. We live paycheck to paycheck after maxing out 401k, hsa, saving 10k per kid in 529, saving 60k in our brokerage account. We don’t have much left.

Similar. We make 3M/yr but it's almost entirely stock. In terms of cash by the time we put 70k each in 401k, back door roth, max HSA, 10k per kid in 529, 60k in brokerage, then there's only enough cash left to pay all the bills and live an UMC lifestyle. Our NW is growing rapidly, but it takes discipline to never dip into the investments and fit our life into the cash flow.

Same except we make $10M/yr and I’m a historian and my spouse keeps bees

and were drunk when you posted this? I assume that you are joking but I'm blown away by this thread. HHI 500-700K and we cannot possibly spend all of our take home even after maxing all that stuff out. But we live in a very modest house. I think that makes a huge difference.

I was mocking the PP who makes $2M or whatever and said they’re still paycheck to paycheck but that went over your head.

I laughed PP. Some people are just dense and don’t get the joke.

While folks are right that many of these high income earners are not truly “paycheck to paycheck”, they are only one job loss and extended unemployment away from materially falling out of this lifestyle. So yes, they may be funding a full 401k, 529, and maybe private school, but those are not enough to fully retire on or replace their income if there’s a job loss. Yes, they’d likely have to move and sell the $2+ million home walking away with 30-50% equity. I’m not going to shed tears over this but I do sympathize with the fact that their financial position is not as strong as their income would suggest. It’s worse for the true middle class, which probably can’t fully find any of these things and has few assets and lots of debt and leases.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy to me, see page 20:

https://am.gs.com/cms-assets/gsam-app/documents/insights/en/2025/am-retirement-survey-102025.pdf?view=true

Lots of wild details in this document on “The Future of Retirement”

I can relate. We are in the same income bracket. We live paycheck to paycheck after maxing out 401k, hsa, saving 10k per kid in 529, saving 60k in our brokerage account. We don’t have much left.

Similar. We make 3M/yr but it's almost entirely stock. In terms of cash by the time we put 70k each in 401k, back door roth, max HSA, 10k per kid in 529, 60k in brokerage, then there's only enough cash left to pay all the bills and live an UMC lifestyle. Our NW is growing rapidly, but it takes discipline to never dip into the investments and fit our life into the cash flow.

Same except we make $10M/yr and I’m a historian and my spouse keeps bees

and were drunk when you posted this? I assume that you are joking but I'm blown away by this thread. HHI 500-700K and we cannot possibly spend all of our take home even after maxing all that stuff out. But we live in a very modest house. I think that makes a huge difference.

I was mocking the PP who makes $2M or whatever and said they’re still paycheck to paycheck but that went over your head.

It seems that most people in the wealthy DMV suburbs (Bethesda, McLean, etc.) are making something like $300-$600 in income, mostly depending on whether both spouses work. It is not possible to afford a $2.5M home mortgage, two private school tuitions followed by full-pay college, 2-3 $50K cars, fund the 401(K), pay for cleaners / lawn, and maintain a "high end" lifestyle (clothes, charity giving, shops, dining) and have anything left. Math: $10K mortgage; $2K car payments; $8K tuition; $3K 401(K) = $276 a year or around $425 pre-tax. You have to cut something or have family money. I assume in most cases it's family money--mainly grandparents paying tuition. It's really tuition that is the dagger.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The incomes listed here are astounding. It is impossible for me to believe that you all do not have an emergency fund and are living paycheck to paycheck. I guess, I should be astounded by the lack of financial understanding and education.

Are you not reading how everyone is maxing out their 401k, HSA, 529, iRA…?

Sounds like they have pretty good financial acumen to me. I think their use of “paycheck to paycheck” is not the traditional use.

Perhaps the people inclined to post on the Money and Finances board are not the ones mismanaging their money and living paycheck to paycheck.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy to me, see page 20:

https://am.gs.com/cms-assets/gsam-app/documents/insights/en/2025/am-retirement-survey-102025.pdf?view=true

Lots of wild details in this document on “The Future of Retirement”

I can relate. We are in the same income bracket. We live paycheck to paycheck after maxing out 401k, hsa, saving 10k per kid in 529, saving 60k in our brokerage account. We don’t have much left.

Similar. We'd live paycheck to paycheck, no matter how much we make, because my spouse is an overspender and would be at any income level. Instead of one country club and house, we'd have five. I max out 401k, 529 plans ($19k per kid per year), and put over $50k per year into my brokerage account; spouse can't access any of those accounts. We are effectively broke in our joint checking account at the end of most months.

Be careful. With an over spender you need to have joint accounts for everything or you’re just kicking the can down the road until retirement to face the music.

It’s impossible to have joint accounts for everything when one person is highly motivated to have secret debt accounts.

You have to monitor their credit. I get monthly reports and updates if there's an unusual credit charge or a new application. They know this. It's like being married to a child who can't control themselves.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The incomes listed here are astounding. It is impossible for me to believe that you all do not have an emergency fund and are living paycheck to paycheck. I guess, I should be astounded by the lack of financial understanding and education.

Are you not reading how everyone is maxing out their 401k, HSA, 529, iRA…?

Sounds like they have pretty good financial acumen to me. I think their use of “paycheck to paycheck” is not the traditional use.

NP- It's the wrong use. If you can easily transfer money to cover expenses then you are not paycheck to paycheck.

Anonymous wrote:The incomes listed here are astounding. It is impossible for me to believe that you all do not have an emergency fund and are living paycheck to paycheck. I guess, I should be astounded by the lack of financial understanding and education.

Are you not reading how everyone is maxing out their 401k, HSA, 529, iRA…?

Sounds like they have pretty good financial acumen to me. I think their use of “paycheck to paycheck” is not the traditional use.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to know what is accurate in this area. High end shops here seem filled with buyers. Are there that many wealthy people, or are people throwing money away that they can’t afford? I assume both.

What kind of high end shops are you talking about?

I’m specifically talking about the 20-30 minutes waits to get help at Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton I experienced on Saturday. Lots of men and women walking out with big bags. Mostly young people in the line.

The people I see at these shops don’t look like they make $400K. They’re buying $4000 bags but wearing spandex and pushing junky strollers.

They don't make 400k. So what? Why the desperate need to make a comment about "spandex and pushing junky strollers"? We see you.

Not to pile on the stereotypes but to me, they look like they are spending some other country's oil money.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy to me, see page 20:

https://am.gs.com/cms-assets/gsam-app/documents/insights/en/2025/am-retirement-survey-102025.pdf?view=true

Lots of wild details in this document on “The Future of Retirement”

I can relate. We are in the same income bracket. We live paycheck to paycheck after maxing out 401k, hsa, saving 10k per kid in 529, saving 60k in our brokerage account. We don’t have much left.

Similar. We make 3M/yr but it's almost entirely stock. In terms of cash by the time we put 70k each in 401k, back door roth, max HSA, 10k per kid in 529, 60k in brokerage, then there's only enough cash left to pay all the bills and live an UMC lifestyle. Our NW is growing rapidly, but it takes discipline to never dip into the investments and fit our life into the cash flow.

Same except we make $10M/yr and I’m a historian and my spouse keeps bees

and were drunk when you posted this? I assume that you are joking but I'm blown away by this thread. HHI 500-700K and we cannot possibly spend all of our take home even after maxing all that stuff out. But we live in a very modest house. I think that makes a huge difference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy to me, see page 20:

https://am.gs.com/cms-assets/gsam-app/documents/insights/en/2025/am-retirement-survey-102025.pdf?view=true

Lots of wild details in this document on “The Future of Retirement”

I can relate. We are in the same income bracket. We live paycheck to paycheck after maxing out 401k, hsa, saving 10k per kid in 529, saving 60k in our brokerage account. We don’t have much left.

That is not paycheck to paycheck. wtf? Are people this ridiculous for real?

This is rich people convincing themselves that they are not rich so they can complain about not having enough, paying too much in taxes and the poor people who don’t pay their “fair share.”

Anonymous wrote:Guys in that income level, I don’t believe people answered this truly “paycheck to paycheck” meaning they don’t have any emergency savings and would be at a food bank if they lost their job. Look at all of the PP responses - people are putting money into 401ks and 529s. I don’t believe for a minute people in that income bracket don’t have savings. Technically those things are optional.

Still does not make sense to me people would not have some sort of liquid savings at that income level, like a HYSA.

Guys in that income level, I don’t believe people answered this truly “paycheck to paycheck” meaning they don’t have any emergency savings and would be at a food bank if they lost their job. Look at all of the PP responses - people are putting money into 401ks and 529s. I don’t believe for a minute people in that income bracket don’t have savings. Technically those things are optional.

What kind of person earning $500k/yr would waste their time filling out a stupid GS survey?