What do you consider a "comfortable" yearly salary?

[ChipnDale79]

Yeah, so i read some of these, and after feeling like total crap, because our house hold makes nothing near what some that live in the same area that posted on here say is comfortable, i looked up the median household income for my area.

These numbers are quite silly IMO, I'm seeing numbers in the 175k range for "comfortable" in an area where the median house hold income is less than 60k.

To the people that maybe felt like I did, please know that some of these people are throwing out some numbers that do not require you to make near that much to live comfortable.

These numbers are totally subjective.

 

[punkin]

The median household income in my town is over $173k. IMO, in the DC suburbs, that is not "comfortable." It's definitely livable though.

 

[NewRVLady]

Christine

It's hard for me to think that one of the highest COL places only charges $300-$450K for homes. That's not high COL at all. No wonder you can do it (live comfortably) under $100K. $300-$450 is a run down house here OR you are in a VERY, VERY far flung suburb of the work center.

OP-I quoted $400k for a small townhouse where you walk to parking lot-NOT FANCY
I am sure most of the nicer homes in Darien and Greenwich CT are in the 1-2 million plus plus range

http://www.williampitt.com/search/real-estate-sales/darien-ct/

 

[bdcp]

And I think that right there is as big a factor as where you live. If one has access to good public schools and an employer-provided "Cadillac" healthcare plan, one can be "comfortable" at a much lower income than someone who doesn't.

Almost no one has a "cadillac" health plan anymore (exceptions are some unions and Congress). Any company that has one has to pay a 40% tax on the cost of the plan in order to have it. DH's company had a fabulous plan and it was considered "cadillac" so in order to not increase premiums even more they have changed it. Thanks to our wonderful (sarcasm) health "reform" we now no longer have a cadillac plan and have higher co-pays and deductibles. Thanks a lot. We make very good money, but pretty much high average where we live, but now we make even less than we did 5 years ago thanks to the health care reform and no raises. Are we comfortable? Yes, but we are 55 and 58 and have worked for years and we are losing ground every year. We are in our "dream" home and have been for 12 years, but we will have to downsize in a few years. Anyone who thinks health care reform hasn't increased costs much faster than the normal rate, has no clue.

 

[kandb]

Northern NJ, I would say $200-$250K

 

[hsmamato2]

Christine
OP-I quoted $400k for a small townhouse where you walk to parking lot-NOT FANCY
I am sure most of the nicer homes in Darien and Greenwich CT are in the 1-2 million plus plus range

http://www.williampitt.com/search/real-estate-sales/darien-ct/

yep..... that's even higher. I guess you could say I live in a 'far flung' area that is located within those high COL places..... funny,even tho I live in a 'dump' in a 300k+ neighborhood- I agree-the 'median' prices that are put out in the media usually aren't a true picture of actual life in these areas..... To app -don't feel bad! my point remains-everyone's level of 'comfort' is different'- and a FANTASTIC life has nothing to do with these numbers....

 

[Colleen27]

Anyone who thinks health care reform hasn't increased costs much faster than the normal rate, has no clue.

It is all about perspective - it hurt some and helped some. Those who were in the best situations got hit pretty hard, and those who were in the worst situations were helped a lot.

We're on the other side of the coin - affording heath insurance had gotten to be the reason we weren't comfortable prior to the reform, because DH was self employed and five-figure premiums with double-digit percentage annual increases had been our normal for more than a decade. Between premiums and deductibles we'd have been spending almost half our household income on health care if we'd ever needed to use our insurance, and that was cutting into our ability to save for retirement and college without adopting a beans and rice lifestyle. The ACA is quite literally the only reason I consider us to be fairly comfortable now.

 

[Art 1]

It is all about perspective - it hurt some and helped some. Those who were in the best situations got hit pretty hard, and those who were in the worst situations were helped a lot.

We're on the other side of the coin - affording heath insurance had gotten to be the reason we weren't comfortable prior to the reform, because DH was self employed and five-figure premiums with double-digit percentage annual increases had been our normal for more than a decade. Between premiums and deductibles we'd have been spending almost half our household income on health care if we'd ever needed to use our insurance, and that was cutting into our ability to save for retirement and college without adopting a beans and rice lifestyle. The ACA is quite literally the only reason I consider us to be fairly comfortable now.

Your first statement. That's the new way, I guess. Take from some, and give it to the others. Kind of like Robin Hood.

 

[Colleen27]

Your first statement. That's the new way, I guess. Take from some, and give it to the others. Kind of like Robin Hood.

That's nothing new when it comes to insurance. Those of us buying it without benefit of the negotiating power of a large group have always paid more, and the uninsured pay more for services than those with an insurance company negotiating prices on their behalf. The whole system is based on some paying more to cover others who use more. I fail to see how leveling the playing field somewhat and opening up access to relatively affordable (still not cheap, but much better) rates for those who don't work for large corporations is a bad thing.

 

[tvguy]

I'll agree that employers should have nothing to do with employee health care. None at all.

Problem with that is, it brings up the coverage of a group probably equal in size to those whose coverage would be lowered. I would be nice if we had a higher level of healthcare mandated, and then employers could offer more to lure workers.

Of course, the issue with that, as we found with the Affordable Healthcare act, there are people who actually don't want healthcare. They tend to be young, and single, and they are the exact people we need to be paying premiums to make healthcare more affordable.

 

[FINFAN]

Yeah, so i read some of these, and after feeling like total crap, because our house hold makes nothing near what some that live in the same area that posted on here say is comfortable, i looked up the median household income for my area.

These numbers are quite silly IMO, I'm seeing numbers in the 175k range for "comfortable" in an area where the median house hold income is less than 60k.

To the people that maybe felt like I did, please know that some of these people are throwing out some numbers that do not require you to make near that much to live comfortable.

These numbers are totally subjective.

here are the stats for my town

The median income for a HOUSEHOLD in the city was $105,585, and the median income for a FAMILY was $130,164.~ We are a family of 4...I am sticking with 175,000 for comfortable.

 

[punkin]

Just wondering if anyone on this thread ever read "Coming Apart" by Charles Murray? I found it interesting and it's apropos of this conversation.

 

[eliza61]

Just wondering if anyone on this thread ever read "Coming Apart" by Charles Murray? I found it interesting and it's apropos of this conversation.

I'll put it in my que. i'm an avid reader, lol which freaks my kids out

 

[Hrhpd]

,

I'll put it in my que. i'm an avid reader, lol which freaks my kids out

Just be forewarned that this author claims that people of African descent have lower IQ scores. He is rather racist.

 

[kandb]

,

Just be forewarned that this author claims that people of African descent have lower IQ scores. He is rather racist.

Anyone who gives their opinion in this day and age, is called a racist. It's so out of control.

 

[Hrhpd]

Anyone who gives their opinion in this day and age, is called a racist. It's so out of control.

I tend to agree with you that political correctness is out of control.

However, that doesn't mean that there isn't any racism anywhere. His books, particularly The Bell Curve, seem to suggest, no, right out say, that the white population is the cognitive elite and the black population has genetically lower IQs, thus keeping the black population from moving up in the American class structure.

Wonder how he explains Neil deGrasse Tyson and many, many other erudite scholars of African descent.

 

[punkin]

,

Just be forewarned that this author claims that people of African descent have lower IQ scores. He is rather racist.

I don't know if he's racist, but the book in question discusses IQ, income and social disparity between white people in America, so racial disparity is not an issue in this particular book. I will say that he is definitely a classist.

 

[Bebella]

I have to ask: Where do you live to have this viewpoint?

I'd probably agree with this poster...I live in southwest Michigan (the third biggest metro area in Michigan), and would kill to make that kind of income. When I was working, my husband and I were making roughly $83,000 combined before taxes...after our mortgage (4 bed, 2.5 bath home), taxes, insurance, 1 car payment (another is paid off), 2 kids in daycare, student loan payments, groceries, gas and other essentials...we still weren't making enough to put towards savings OR our kids future college fund...and we were starting to carry over our credit card balances. We were barely getting by, but we were. With $175,000...which would be more than DOUBLE, we'd be living VERY NICE, and saving big time. We could probably afford 2-3 vacations a year, pay for our kids college before they were out of middle school, and invest in a vacation home.

It really is VERY dependent on where you live.

 

[Art 1]

This has been an interesting thread. My lady lives with no earned income. Hasn't worked for decades. The daughter goes to a top N. American law school, tuition alone is around $50,000. Payed the undergrad. Pays for the daughters hobby which as at least $500 per month. Pays for the boys college and his hockey playing up till now, the city pays for it. Vacations one week each month, at least. And lives a normal life like most people. Just pays for everything. Never had a bill except utility bills Does it all on interest income. She's very smart with money.

 

[NewRVLady]

Art1...... Not understanding
Is she an heiress living on inherited $$?