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Anonymous wrote:Double biglaw. But remember I am happier to disclose my income on this board than other stats. Like, say, how many hours of screen time a day my kids have. When it’s a “good” number for you, you post it willingly. When it isn’t, you skip the thread.

Exactly this. Much happier to talk about my salary than my weight, for example. People like to bragg, even anonymously. All the people earning $50k don’t post about it here.

The OP didn’t ask us poors to post. Actually I’m not poor (in my mid-50s as a capped GS15 I’m almost up to OP’s standard but never will be) but I’m not exceptional on DCUM. On the plus side, I weigh the same 125 lbs as I did when I got married. So I’ll brag about that instead.

That’s something to brag about for sure.

I do too but I also earn $230K.

A capped GS-15 isn’t far off from that when you consider the pension benefits.

That depends. I work for a non-profit for 250K with an annual bonus of 50K. I also receive a 6% 403b contribution with 100% matching (vs. 5% in the Fed), much better health and dental benefits. I also receive a 1.5% pension for every year of service (vs. 1% in the Fed). In my case, the nonprofit sector is much better than the Fed.

DP - that's great, but also extremely rare, as you likely know. Very few non-governmental employers offer pensions anymore - and most non-profits don't pay that well, either. So if you work for a non-profit unicorn, it may be better than a capped GS-15, but you also have to get that unicorn job in the first place.

Anonymous wrote:Ad agency exec.
Here’s how I did it:
- I work insanely hard and over the past 10y have worked every evening and weekend. I don’t have a ton of boundaries
- I changed jobs every 2 ish years.
- I am always job hunting. Always.

Anonymous wrote:It seems like everyone who discloses their income makes over $200K as an individual/$400K HHI.

I'm sure you realize how exceptional you are, given that even in high-cost, high-income areas, you are the cream of the crop. What exactly is it that you do? Are you all big law partners and plastic surgeons? C-Suite executives? And you have time to trawl around internet forums during the work day?

I felt like I scored when I landed a six-figure job in my early 30s. I still live pretty modestly, especially since I'm single. I make enough to have a condo, a car, and a dog. I still make above the median FAMILY/HOUSEHOLD income in MOCO as a household of one. I have a great job at a great company.

And yet... here you all are making multiples of what I make. And I know there has to be some truth to that, because the cost of SFHs require those kind of incomes. So somebody is making that kind of money, lots of somebodies. I don't feel myself a slouch making $130K at 35, but I don't see myself on track to making $300K anytime soon. In fact, and it could be a degree of imposter-syndrome here, I'm worried that if i ever did get laid off, I'd have trouble finding a similar job for similar pay, and I face the issue that if I continue to get promoted, I'll be too expensive and more likely to be cut. So what are all these uber-lucrative jobs around here? We can't ALL be senior management and executives. Where are all these crazy-paying jobs (and how can I get one?)

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Anonymous wrote:Double biglaw. But remember I am happier to disclose my income on this board than other stats. Like, say, how many hours of screen time a day my kids have. When it’s a “good” number for you, you post it willingly. When it isn’t, you skip the thread.

Exactly this. Much happier to talk about my salary than my weight, for example. People like to bragg, even anonymously. All the people earning $50k don’t post about it here.

The OP didn’t ask us poors to post. Actually I’m not poor (in my mid-50s as a capped GS15 I’m almost up to OP’s standard but never will be) but I’m not exceptional on DCUM. On the plus side, I weigh the same 125 lbs as I did when I got married. So I’ll brag about that instead.

That’s something to brag about for sure.

I do too but I also earn $230K.

A capped GS-15 isn’t far off from that when you consider the pension benefits.

That depends. I work for a non-profit for 250K with an annual bonus of 50K. I also receive a 6% 403b contribution with 100% matching (vs. 5% in the Fed), much better health and dental benefits. I also receive a 1.5% pension for every year of service (vs. 1% in the Fed). In my case, the nonprofit sector is much better than the Fed.

DP - that's great, but also extremely rare, as you likely know. Very few non-governmental employers offer pensions anymore - and most non-profits don't pay that well, either. So if you work for a non-profit unicorn, it may be better than a capped GS-15, but you also have to get that unicorn job in the first place.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Double biglaw. But remember I am happier to disclose my income on this board than other stats. Like, say, how many hours of screen time a day my kids have. When it’s a “good” number for you, you post it willingly. When it isn’t, you skip the thread.

Exactly this. Much happier to talk about my salary than my weight, for example. People like to bragg, even anonymously. All the people earning $50k don’t post about it here.

The OP didn’t ask us poors to post. Actually I’m not poor (in my mid-50s as a capped GS15 I’m almost up to OP’s standard but never will be) but I’m not exceptional on DCUM. On the plus side, I weigh the same 125 lbs as I did when I got married. So I’ll brag about that instead.

That’s something to brag about for sure.

I do too but I also earn $230K.

A capped GS-15 isn’t far off from that when you consider the pension benefits.

Anonymous wrote:Ad agency exec.
Here’s how I did it:
- I work insanely hard and over the past 10y have worked every evening and weekend. I don’t have a ton of boundaries
- I changed jobs every 2 ish years.
- I am always job hunting. Always.

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Anonymous wrote:Double biglaw. But remember I am happier to disclose my income on this board than other stats. Like, say, how many hours of screen time a day my kids have. When it’s a “good” number for you, you post it willingly. When it isn’t, you skip the thread.

Exactly this. Much happier to talk about my salary than my weight, for example. People like to bragg, even anonymously. All the people earning $50k don’t post about it here.

The OP didn’t ask us poors to post. Actually I’m not poor (in my mid-50s as a capped GS15 I’m almost up to OP’s standard but never will be) but I’m not exceptional on DCUM. On the plus side, I weigh the same 125 lbs as I did when I got married. So I’ll brag about that instead.

That’s something to brag about for sure.

I do too but I also earn $230K.

A capped GS-15 isn’t far off from that when you consider the pension benefits.

That depends. I work for a non-profit for 250K with an annual bonus of 50K. I also receive a 6% 403b contribution with 100% matching (vs. 5% in the Fed), much better health and dental benefits. I also receive a 1.5% pension for every year of service (vs. 1% in the Fed). In my case, the nonprofit sector is much better than the Fed.

DP - that's great, but also extremely rare, as you likely know. Very few non-governmental employers offer pensions anymore - and most non-profits don't pay that well, either. So if you work for a non-profit unicorn, it may be better than a capped GS-15, but you also have to get that unicorn job in the first place.

Those unicorn nonprofit jobs tend to be in two places…associations and trade unions. Preferably ones with a stable source hefty recurring or mandatory dues revenue and lobbying activities.

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Anonymous wrote:Double biglaw. But remember I am happier to disclose my income on this board than other stats. Like, say, how many hours of screen time a day my kids have. When it’s a “good” number for you, you post it willingly. When it isn’t, you skip the thread.

Exactly this. Much happier to talk about my salary than my weight, for example. People like to bragg, even anonymously. All the people earning $50k don’t post about it here.

The OP didn’t ask us poors to post. Actually I’m not poor (in my mid-50s as a capped GS15 I’m almost up to OP’s standard but never will be) but I’m not exceptional on DCUM. On the plus side, I weigh the same 125 lbs as I did when I got married. So I’ll brag about that instead.

That’s something to brag about for sure.

I do too but I also earn $230K.

A capped GS-15 isn’t far off from that when you consider the pension benefits.

That depends. I work for a non-profit for 250K with an annual bonus of 50K. I also receive a 6% 403b contribution with 100% matching (vs. 5% in the Fed), much better health and dental benefits. I also receive a 1.5% pension for every year of service (vs. 1% in the Fed). In my case, the nonprofit sector is much better than the Fed.

DP - that's great, but also extremely rare, as you likely know. Very few non-governmental employers offer pensions anymore - and most non-profits don't pay that well, either. So if you work for a non-profit unicorn, it may be better than a capped GS-15, but you also have to get that unicorn job in the first place.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Double biglaw. But remember I am happier to disclose my income on this board than other stats. Like, say, how many hours of screen time a day my kids have. When it’s a “good” number for you, you post it willingly. When it isn’t, you skip the thread.

Exactly this. Much happier to talk about my salary than my weight, for example. People like to bragg, even anonymously. All the people earning $50k don’t post about it here.

The OP didn’t ask us poors to post. Actually I’m not poor (in my mid-50s as a capped GS15 I’m almost up to OP’s standard but never will be) but I’m not exceptional on DCUM. On the plus side, I weigh the same 125 lbs as I did when I got married. So I’ll brag about that instead.

That’s something to brag about for sure.

I do too but I also earn $230K.

A capped GS-15 isn’t far off from that when you consider the pension benefits.

That depends. I work for a non-profit for 250K with an annual bonus of 50K. I also receive a 6% 403b contribution with 100% matching (vs. 5% in the Fed), much better health and dental benefits. I also receive a 1.5% pension for every year of service (vs. 1% in the Fed). In my case, the nonprofit sector is much better than the Fed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Double biglaw. But remember I am happier to disclose my income on this board than other stats. Like, say, how many hours of screen time a day my kids have. When it’s a “good” number for you, you post it willingly. When it isn’t, you skip the thread.

Exactly this. Much happier to talk about my salary than my weight, for example. People like to bragg, even anonymously. All the people earning $50k don’t post about it here.

The OP didn’t ask us poors to post. Actually I’m not poor (in my mid-50s as a capped GS15 I’m almost up to OP’s standard but never will be) but I’m not exceptional on DCUM. On the plus side, I weigh the same 125 lbs as I did when I got married. So I’ll brag about that instead.

That’s something to brag about for sure.

I do too but I also earn $230K.

A capped GS-15 isn’t far off from that when you consider the pension benefits.

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people are exaggerating or rounding up.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Double biglaw. But remember I am happier to disclose my income on this board than other stats. Like, say, how many hours of screen time a day my kids have. When it’s a “good” number for you, you post it willingly. When it isn’t, you skip the thread.

Exactly this. Much happier to talk about my salary than my weight, for example. People like to bragg, even anonymously. All the people earning $50k don’t post about it here.

The OP didn’t ask us poors to post. Actually I’m not poor (in my mid-50s as a capped GS15 I’m almost up to OP’s standard but never will be) but I’m not exceptional on DCUM. On the plus side, I weigh the same 125 lbs as I did when I got married. So I’ll brag about that instead.

That’s something to brag about for sure.

I do too but I also earn $230K.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH & I are both 40.

My comp as an exec at a mid-cap public company:
$220K base
$90K+ bonus (not guaranteed)
$90K equity

DH’s comp as an in-house lawyer
$300K base
$100K bonus (guaranteed)

To answer your second question, there are plenty of middle class people in this country, even in HCOL areas such as the DMV, and more in LCOL areas such as the South and Midwest.

What’s the point of a guaranteed set bonus? Why not just make his base higher?

Anonymous wrote:DH & I are both 40.

My comp as an exec at a mid-cap public company:
$220K base
$90K+ bonus (not guaranteed)
$90K equity

DH’s comp as an in-house lawyer
$300K base
$100K bonus (guaranteed)

To answer your second question, there are plenty of middle class people in this country, even in HCOL areas such as the DMV, and more in LCOL areas such as the South and Midwest.