Lots of great comments on my last post, When Is It Okay to Ask?
A couple of the commenters volunteered to share their own salaries, with a bit of contextual info:
I'm 37 and married. I make $97k as a sofware test engineer. Living in San Francisco bay area.I've written about my salary here before-- I'm in my late 30s, working in publishing in New York City, and my total income this year will be approximately $100,000 including salary and bonus.
I am a 26 year old, engaged homeowner. I live in Auckland, New Zealand working as a Research and Development chemist earning $55,000. (I assume that is in NZ dollars-Madame X)
So that is 3 of us... now everybody else, bring it on! Feel free to comment anonymously, but let's hear how much you earn and a little bit about who you are, where you live, and how you earn it.
256 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 1 – 200 of 256 Newer› Newest»I'll join in. I'm 44, female and married. I earn $100k per year as a software engineer in the Atlanta, Georgia area. :)
32, female, boston, event marketing for a big corporation
$80k base and bonus
Female, married, 31yo, MBA degree, work in finance in NYC (not a bank or hedge fund). I make about $120k base plus bonus.
I know I can make more at an Investment Bank but I like the fact that I don't have to work 100hrs a week.
36, male, married (pretty much the sole bread-winner), work in IT for a telecommunications company in the Kansas City area. I make $111K plus 15% targeted bonus (actual rate depends on various company/department success factors).
So far it sounds like your readership pretty much consists of the upper-middle class.
24, single, 54k a year + possibility for bonus, work in the financial realm.
I can see how giving out pay info can turn over some interesting feelings in our lives, even anonymously.
I would post mine, but I don't make half of what is listed and I work two jobs. Kinda makes me feel blue....
I've said my peace, don't let me bring you all down, lets see more.
I'm a 29 years old woman, living in Chelmsford, MA. I'm a Web Developer in the IT department of a large-ish company (~2000 employees worldwide). My boyfriend and I own our home. I make $64K, plus $0-4K/year in bonuses.
I'm a 28-year-old married woman living in the Dallas, TX area. I am in purchasing for a nationwide distributor and make $70K base plus a potential $18K in bonuses.
I'm a 36 (37 in Dec) year old woman, living in LA. I make about 92k total as a Business Analyst at a huge international Entertainment & Media company.
I'm renting a room/br in a large house, but it's a weird situation. I started dating my landlord, the home owner, over 2 years ago, after living with him for a 1.25 years prior to that! So, I still pay him rent (I will always pay my own way), but I generally feel like my rent $$ goes toward our future goals, not "down the drain," since I can't imagine us breaking up.
He knows all about my financial situation because he owns his own financial management company (he works out of his home), so we talk $$ all the time. I love getting his opinions and perspectives, even if I ignore them! But, your post reminded me that he's never really laid out his financial situation to me. I know his home is worth about $1.3 million and that last year I made more $$ than him in income. But, I don't know how much he still has squirreled away from his very lucrative (but soul stealing) days in investment banking.
Hmmm.
36, single mom in Iowa.
I work as a project manager and between salary, bonus, plus a little under $5K/year in child support, I take in about $100K.
I have an undergrad degree and a PMP certification, and am currently working on my master.
35 year old, single, female living in a suburb of Seattle. I'm an office manager making $43,700/year.
I'm 26. An economist for the federal government in Atlanta. I make $65k. Work 40 hours/week.
Not currently working, but my last job was a staff auditor at a local CPA firm in Atlanta earning $44k (includes bonus) when I was 24. We're now in Boston and my wife (who is 22) earns $65k (includes profit sharing) as an electrical engineer in a large company.
I'm a doctoral student studying literature in the midwest at a private university. My stipend is about $20K pre-tax (and oh yes that stipend gets taxed), and I teach a class of about 15 students each semester. Not exactly banking it, but I save what I can. Unfortunately my dream job of being a professor is unlikely to bank what some of you are earning ... but it's my choice.
36, single, female, live & work in Seattle in the online media field. I make about 115K base, plus a variable bonus that this year was 38K (that's about as high as it's ever been -- in the dotcom bust it was more like 2K). I do not have a graduate degree but many of my co-workers do. I should say that I probably am one of the top-paid non-executives at my company -- a more typical salary would be more like 80-90k plus bonus.
Don't know if South American salaries are relevant to this blog, but I am part of the readership.
I am a 25-year old woman living in Lima, Peru, earning $7,200 a year.
I never measure my worth based on how much I earn. I love my job as a web developer in an emerging American web company. I accepted this salary because I love working from home, having flexible hours and because I could have ended up earning half as much as an average programmer in Lima.
Count your blessings! And I hope that person who was shy about their income can now come out of the closet ^_^
South American salaries are not only relevant but a huge eye opener when I try to make ends meet on mine.
I think the fact that people don't like asking or answering in real life, is why these PF blogs are so popular. You can tell people how much you earn and how much you have because no one knows who you are.
Peruvian reader here again.
Since someone showed interest about my income I will give more detail as to what are my expenses.
I still live with my parents because I can't afford to rent and even less to buy. Thanks to my recent salary review (I used to earn $6000 a year), it may finally be possible for me to move in with my boyfriend. He belongs to the large portion of Lima workers who earn minimum wage (that's $3000 a year).
We may be able to move in to an independent portion of his sister's house. She will graciously and most probably charge us $150 a month + services.
Other big expenses are gas for the car (used, ours for $1800), cell phone service (up to $100 a month -ripoffs), and I am suspecting my dad will not want to keep paying for my health insurance once I tell him I'm moving in with my boyfriend (people are conservative here), which could cost me another $70. That adds up to nearly everything I earn a month.
We would have his $250 for unforeseen expenses and hopefully saving.
40, male, married, earning $55K as a technical editor at a nonprofit research organization in Seattle.
29, single woman living in Vancouver, Canada. I make app $55K/year with guaranteed raises ranging from 5-9% each year.
Other interesting info: own my condo with a very small mortgage left to pay and approximately 20% of my wage goes into retirement and vacation savings.
Oh, and with the strong CDN dollar at the moment, that = 55K US$!
Vancouver here again:
I work in PR for local government.
I'm 26, a master's degree-holding librarian in Denver, and I make $42,000. It's the best job I've ever had.
24, BS degree (work on masters), single in a low cost of living midwest city.
I make 56k base, maybe 3-5k bonus, and they pay for my grad school.
22, F, married in DC metro (one of the poorer sections) trying to make ends meet on $30k plus $5k from my husband's student teaching. Working as a receptionist/admin assistant.
I'm a 22-year-old woman, single, living in the midwest. I work tech support for a software company, and I make $32,000. I just finished a degree in English, so I feel like I'm doing pretty well for myself.
30 something single mom with an MBA, earn $103k in the DC area.
23 years old, married, living in the midwest (between Chicago and Milwaukee). I'm an accountant and make $50k plus around $5k+ in annual bonus. My husband and I bought a home a year ago.
35, F, married, with a phd working at a non-profit (in the social sciences not science), making $60K in the midwest.
late 20's lawyer in the Twin Cities at a large private firm. We start at $120k with 3% annual inflationary raises and additional raises calculated off the year-end bonus (which, unless you kill yourself at work, is rather small). I don't come from money and don't usually like talking about what I make because I find it kind of embarassing given that background. But I know that's my issue, so I'm trying to get over it here!
I'm at 31 year old living in small town in Ohio, I have a BS degree. I work for a non-profit managing the office & doing all accounting, marketing, fund-raising, communication (pretty much everything) for about $19,000 per year. I have no debt and I am 8 yrs away from paying off my house.
I'm 23 (soon to be 24!), single (but I live with my boyfriend, so that affects my expenses), female, holder of a BA in English from a reputable liberal arts school, living in Manhattan, making $32,000 in publishing.
34, unmarried male, living in Bergen County, NJ. Work in IT Security - $80k/year.
Bought townhouse in 2001. Made more than I lost in dot-com crash.
No college experience.
Net worth: around $480k
Self worth: Priceless!
I'm a 23 year old married female in Richmond, VA. I work for a national health insurance company in sales support and make $44k plus overtime (I'm salaried, non-exempt).
I'm 34, female, and work as an administrative assistant in Chicago. I make $45,000 per year.
24, married (wife just completed masters, i have bs), software consultant in the midwest, combined salaries around 80k.
Age: 24
Job: Graphic Designer
Location: Boston metro
Salary w/ bonus: $37,500
Current value of restricted stock: $13,000
Money made freelancing so far this year: $10,000
34, single male w/ an mba, in Los Angeles, own my own business. I typically pay myself $100k plus a portion of our net profit at the end of the year. And to give the rest of the country (and world) a chuckle, 67% of my take-home salary goes towards a mortgage on an 850 sq foot house in a decent but by no means high end neighborhood.
GWM, 33, MBA, Work in product development for a bank, 85K/yr, work 45 hrs/week. 30 paid days off a year (plus fed holidays)I actually use.
I could be making more, but I am happy. Had a lot of grad school friends who went into consulting to work a lot of hours for little more, and became miserable people.
34 year old married woman, with a BA in English, working as an Office Manager in the midwest. I make $46,500/yr. My husband is a financial accountant and makes $48,000/year.
32, Houston, stay-at-home mother. I make nothing. We would really like to buy a house, but I need to bring in something for that to happen. I would like to work part-time so I can be there for my kids after school.
Last year I tried to find a job and couldn't get hired anywhere for anything (no, I didn't try Wal-Mart--at that point, I end up losing money because of extra expenses).
It depresses me that no one sees a mother's skill set as something desirable in the workplace. I have a bachelor's degree and I worked in nonprofit fundraising for a few years before my children were born. My old contacts are scattered to the four winds, and no one seemed interested in helping me find a job.
Single female age 30, live in a small town but work remotely as a Programmer/Analyst for a company in the greater Los Angeles area. Currently working 30 hours a week, making 52K. Full benefits, paid vacation, etc, plus no expenses for commuting, business clothing, and the rest.
even though I am not making what you guys are, i'm in good company so its great reading this stuff. Thanks a whole lot to everyone sharing.
Male, 41 living in Fredericksburg, VA. I work for the patent office, 114,000/yr plus 5000-10000 bonus + overtime.
Male, 32 married, in philadelphia, pa. i'm a clinical pharmacist, $130k plus 4-5% raise.
25
female
academic librarian @ private college
Central Florida
Salary: 39,000
checking account: 3,800
403 retirement account: 500 (just started working)
savings account: 25
cc debt: 1,500
loan: 1,150
student loans: 43,000 (60g if paid over full term)
so, I currently have a rather negative net worth - which I'm working to pay down while I build that savings section. I like my job for the most part.
You write a great blog, so I feel I should contribute. Unmarried male, 32, PhD, software engineer in Silicon Valley, 124K/yr + bonuses.
Married to a long-distance hubby... (so, kind of live alone, as we each have a place...), 38, college prof for $52,000/year.
Hey, thanks for asking us, Madame X!
- Single, 25 year old female
- Homeowner
- Left a decent job at a non profit to pursue what I really want to do (work overseas in the business sector)so I'm a full time student! (First time!)
I'm paying everything out of pocket and am working in the food industry (for a coffee chain you all would recognize) making a grand total of around $10,000 a year.
I'm hoping to graduate with no school loan debt- I know it can be done, wish me luck!
Female, single, Baltimore MD, chemical engineer, $75,000/yr.
I bought a house in 2001. I have a 15 year mortgage, so soon I'll be done paying it off.
Contribute 16% to 401k, other money goes to other retirement funds, going out to eat, and traveling by motorcycle. I spend a lot of my money on gas.
It's interesting to me how most of the people who earn bonuses, also have high base salaries. Nice work!
San Francisco software engineer, Master's Degree, $125k base, $140k with bonuses, stock, etc.
I know I'm doing well, and I have enough saved to buy what passes for a house out here, but I just can't bring myself to buy a closet out here for $1M, so I'm still depressedly renting. But that's a topic for other types of blogs :).
I'm 24, I live in Dallas, I have a BBA in finance, and I make $53,000 a year plus bonus opportunities ($5000?).
Washington DC Metro Area, Management Consultant, 26, Male, Married, $120K base with 3-6% annual raise.
Bay Area, single female, 41yrs old, Software Engineering Director, $130K/yr.
55 year old Cantor in a temple. I earn about 50K. A big step up from four years ago, when I was a freelance musician, doing a million gigs, and making about 30K. Which was a BIG step up from the $14K I made just a few years before that!
Aside from prospective employers, I don't mind telling, although I find it a boring subject. Actually, I can't remember the last time the question was asked in ordinary conversation. I'm more interested in what people do, and why they ended up doing it. Money is seldom the most important part of that answer.
I'm 24, just got married to my hubby. I make 82k a year base plus 4 to 5k in bonus as a release engineer. My hubby is also 24, a software developer, and makes 76k a year plus 1 to 2k in bonuses. We live in the SF Bay Area and we're renters even though we do have enough for a downpayment. it's still too expensive here for us to dive in.
It's good to see so many readers of this blog who are in their 20s. I take it to mean they are already being thoughtful about their money. When I was in my 20s, I tried to be responsible but, out of ignorance, made a lot of mistakes. Now I'm in my 30's with no retirement and only about 3K in savings (I believe in ins. so I'm pretty covered in case of any number of catastrophic events). Luckily, I have a second chance now that I have a Ph.D. and a starting salary of $75k. But I'm single and 35 so I have some major catching up to really feel comfortable.
Thanks for this blog, Madame X. I found it through Simple Dollar. It helps to read the experiences of another single woman like myself.
29, married Male, $79k (includes small bonus) working as Engineer for DOD Army in Detroit suburbs, BS, M.Eng., halfway to MBA. My wife is a teacher (w/masters) taking time off to raise our 9 month old twins, but was making ~$60k, so things have changed.
Hi, I'm female, 28 living in Cambridge in the UK which has a cost of living equivalent to London (expensive). I earn £31k (approx $60k US I think?). I live with my gf who owns our house - she earns £45k and has a private income of about £30k a year. We're saving like mad to get out of the rat race at some stage :-)
38, divorced female, two Ivy masters' degrees, NYC. $130 base, no bonus.
25, account executive at a boutique public relations firm in New York City, $50,000 + bonus.
There are a number of sites that have data on this, but I wonder how accurate they really are. I wish it was more acceptable to talk about how much you have/make because I think it would help put everything in our consumer-focused society into an honest light!
26 single male
M.D. Degree
$50k / year in residency for 2 more years then jumps to $200k-$300k / year.
Net worth right now: negative $222k thanks to loans...
I'm a 26 year old female with an MBA in Tampa making $65k as a business analyst
21, Washington DC, $59,000 + up to $5,000 bonus this year, Economist
Unmarried with non-live in girlfriend
29, married female, in large Midwestern city. I think I'm making about $48K this year. I'm not sure because I just became an independent contractor (communications) and blend that with PT work at a non-profit. Love the mix, and hope it pays off, too.
44, single female, Austin, TX, $40,000. This is the same as a first-year teacher here. I'm a staff member at a university.
My salary is about average in the US, but it looks poor compared to you guys and compared to other people who have master's degrees. However, I have an awesome pension. (Unless they change it) I'll be getting about 60% of my salary + free good health insurance in 7.3 years. My house will be paid off in 6.5 years. Meanwhile, I love working on campus with 40-hour work weeks, free bus rides, free use of a giant library, general respect for thinking, etc. I now get 4 weeks of vacation, plenty of sick leave, plus lots of holidays, too. So in these ways I might be rich compared to you guys and to other people with degrees.
To the housewife above--people do value homemaking skills, but they always prefer someone who's already had the exact same job if they can find one. What I do is apply for jobs where people are desperate! A better plan would be to make new contacts: volunteer somewhere, talk to your kids' teachers, etc. Don't give up!
I am single in Atlanta and earn $105,000 as a manager in the M&A practice of a Big 4 accounting firm.
I am a 32 year old Admin. Ass't. in Ottawa, Canada working for a software company. I make approx. $35,00 a year. DH is a corp. in the Canadian Forces and makes approx. $45,00/year.
Ironically, we never talk salary with our friends, most of whom are CF, because their salaries are all based on the same grid and can be found on the web. Made it easier when he was a private and our friends were also privates (and we spouses were looking for work after being posted) because we all knew more or less our "entertainment" budgets.
26 yo F web designer/developer (front-end), $43k in Minneapolis. So far I've also pulled down around $8k in freelance this year also. This won't be fun for taxes, but it's been a fine year.
24 years old
Married
Sole breadwinner
Consultant
$67,000/year base
+ Bonuses
+ Set salary increases every year
+ Non-Cash Benefits (travel points, hotel points)
+ Total Fixed expenses: $2k/year
+ Total Variable expenses: $7800/year
= Rest goes into debt/savings/retirement. :)
Thanks for posting this! I'm going to link it on my page.. I think it's fascinating reading how much people are earning and what they do.
Congrats to all!!
Late 30's, Bachelor degree, work in Advertising. Live in a NJ suburb of NYC. Make $105k.
Husband, makes $100k.
We own a house -- still owe about $230K on it with another 22 years to go.
Put about 10% into our 401(k), and somehow trying to add college savings (for 2 kids) on top of it all.
I'm 33, live in Los Angeles, CA Work for a dot com, as a jack of all trades, mostly working with image retouching and research. I am in the process of starting my own business as a photographer.
No degrees, single/no children, and at the moment no savings.
Right now I make $37,000 pear year. I own a house in Montana worth about 35,000, no mortgage.
Age 34, Sofware Engineer in India - earn $33,000/Year which is a pretty good salary in India. Paid off mortage on my house last month. No debts.
36, married living in Denver. I work as a network engineer and make $105k base plus 15% targeted bonus, plus stock options. I am the sole bread winner for my family of four.
Married with one child (4), 36 years old and live in Seattle, Wa.
Income:
Me: $85,000
Wife: $36,000
Side Income: $5000
Total annual income: $126,000
What a cool post! Thanks everyone for sharing. Very interesting to note that most posters have higher than average salaries. Looks like there is a correlation with higher salaries & financial savvy/interest in the PF blogworld.
Wow, looks like a lot of upper class readers here - I can't believe how high the incomes are for some of you in your 20's like me!
Gender: female,
Age: 27
Location: Vancouver, BC
Marital status: engaged to live-in fiance
Living situation: rent a duplex apartment
Job: market researcher
Salary: $46,000 plus bonuses and annual raise
Me: 28, Houston, graduate degree, $60K, ~$2K bonus.
My husband: 29, Houston, graduate degree, $112.5K.
We own our home and save ~30% of our gross income (18% to 401(k)s, 6% to emergency fund, 6% to travel fund).
Still have about $80,000 left to pay off for student loans.
40 year old single female in Istanbul/Turkey. USD 75,000 per year. Own apartment no mortgage or credit card debts. Business Adm. grad. Non-cash benefits: Company Car (all expenses paid by the company), lunch (yes there is free lunch after all:)
I'm 41, male, single, an MD in Illinois. Annual base income $180K (excluding bonus which may add another $20-30K at year's end). Nice blog.
22 year old female, living with my boyfriend in chicago. I'm an AAE at a PR agency making 27,000 a year. No retirement fund. No bonuses. No overtime. BUT, I do love my job, so that counts for something, right?
22 year old female, chartered accountant, $82,000/year plus bonus ($10K?) ... husband makes $38,000 / year working at a law firm
*sigh* I have a long....way to climb again.
60K per year, + 3-10% bonus.
Now, unemployed after relocating to be with fiance. Looking for work, but not having much luck.
29 years old. 9k student debt.
39 yr old Male, wife stays home with kids.
Territory Manager (Inside sales) 100K including base and avg commision
No debt, 18% towards retirement, and not living above our means which makes life stressful.
i'm male, 25 years old, work in NYC, work in corporate finance. base of $78K + bonus.
wife who is 25 also, works as designer, base of $48K.
Female, 26 years old, working in NYC at corporate foundation. Make $80k + bonus and an avg 3-5% raise per year.
-24 years old
-single
-residing in the San Francisco Bay Area
-Bachelors degree
-Working in non-profit sector
-Salary 43,000/year
Total Saved for Retirement:8,000
Total E-Fund: 7,000
Student Loans: approx. 19,000
I feel content with this given my age and ability to save. For me, it's not what I make, but what I save. But I'd sure love to be making some of the salaries listed on this survey someday!! Hopefully when I go back to school and enter the private sector this will be possible.
Female, BA, 35, married, one child (2), government employee, IT, Seattle area.
Me: 56K
Husband: 50K (City Parks)
Own house (owe 150K)
No other debt
Various investments 200K
College fund for 2 yr old 30K
About the time we got married both my husband and I inherited money and payed off all debt, including college loans. We both quit our jobs and went back to school for a year, and then took jobs in the public sector, which we love.
male, 31, married in queens, ny.
me: 105k
wife 43k
own coop, no cc debt but wife had 21k in student loans. we have about 120k in retirement and investments but will need to pay 12k in medical bills that insurance will not cover.
Mid-40's, male, married, no kids, Wall Streeter, live in same part of Brooklyn as Madame X, own brownstone and investment properties w/rental income. Total income ranges from upper six-figures to over $1mm depending on what year, what you count, and how you count it (ex. stk options, rental income, invmnt distributions, etc).
I'm 37 years old female, working as a buyer in american company in Finland. I make 40000EUR, which equals around 56500 USD. In Finland we pay very high taxes, which means that I end up taking home only about 60-65 % of the whole gross income.
What a great response! I'm 32 and earn 62k at a nonprofit in NYC, and my husband is 30 and earns 17k working part-time for a politician. He's getting his Master's but earned 44k when he worked full-time.
We own our co-op and also have an investment house in Philly, and we have over 110k saved for retirement. But we have about 46k in student loan debt.
I'm a 32 year old, recently divorced, single mom. I work 15-30 hours per week (15-20 normally, closer to 30 during busy season) as a CPA and make approximately $25,000 a year. (I'm hourly, but that's what it will probably come out to in the end.) I own a home and have several savings and investment accounts. With child support and alimony, I bring in about $100,000 per year.
wanted to add...I'm the divorced one above. I live in a large-ish city in the mid-south.
Living in SF, CA. Single, 24, female renter. I make 73k/yr at my current job as a software project manager but have just been offered a promotion that will take me to somewhere around 80k/yr and make me an application engineer. I do get some bonuses, but they're smallish... maybe around 3% of base per year.
I'm 35, in high tech in the San Fran. bar area. I work part time (75%) and make about $95K/year plus 15% target bonus. My husband makes slightly less but works full time. We pay $2500/month on a mortgage for a very tiny house.
I'm a 29 year old currently living in New Zealand. I am paid US$38.5k (NZ$51k) a year working in administration. I also get a yearly bonus which this year equated to US$3k. We rent our apartment for US$250 a week - a one bedroom. We find the cost of living quite high here (I recently saw tomatoes priced US$10.57/kg, and have previously paid US$3-4 for one bell pepper).
26, male, texas, lawyer
160,000 gross this year + small bonus; inflationary raises in base, bonus increases more each year;
work 50-75 hours a week, depending;
try to save 50% of take home each month.
24, single renter in San Francisco. i work in the international business sector.
Salary is $33,000, no bonuses and pitiful 2-4 percent raises a year. Actively on the job market looking and hoping before January to have a new job making $60-80K.
these salaries are amazing! how i'd love to make more money.
25, single, living in a small, affordable "city" north of Denver. i work for a large tech company as an engineer and i put in 40 hours or less per week.
base salary $70k
bonuses up to $10k
company 401(k) match of 6%
total savings including 401(k), roth ira, stock, and bank accounts is about $58k.
i had a goal of saving 35-40% of my gross salary, but unfortunately i'm falling short at around 20-25%.
Long time lurker, first time poster.
34, Female, single, home owner, PA, Electrical engineer with M.S. degree.
I was making 91K (base) but just got a promotion and 10% raise recently so finally crossed into 6 figure. 2-3k bonus depending on the profitablity of the company. Some stock options.
Started tracking my networth from beginning of the year -- total networth now is ~393K. Just started a MBA program, so unfortunately the tuition is going to make a big dent on the networth growth for the next few years.
31, female, earning about $86,000 as a government attorney. I live in a large midwestern city. I've paid off all my student loans but am still saving for a condo. (My goal is to have $70,000 in savings by the end of this year, to cover a down-payment, closing costs and an emergency fund. Right now I'm at about $64,000).
me: 22, houston, engineer, 75K
fiance: 21, houston, accountant, 55K
we both work for very large companies with excellent benefits
24 year old woman, still renting, Boston area, electrical engineer, ~$60k + bonus
37, female, single, Executive Assistant in investment banking (pretty much 9-5). Salary $70K + profit share bonus. $175k mortgage w payments around $300 a week.
32 yrs old, Female, Graduate degree, Public Health for State Gov't, $42,000 yr.
Making small gains from the $30,000 I was earning at a non-profit 3.5 years ago.
No debt, so I need to focus on saving!
29, almost 30
Single/dating female
Condo in suburb outside of Chicago.
Financial/Credit Analyst
$55,000 base and 10% target bonus
Just passed the bar three days ago.
Chicago Market for large firms: $125-160k
Midsize Firms: $90k-125k
I need to find a law job soon!
Female, 22, investment banking analyst in SF, $60,000 base, $10,000 sign-on bonus, $30k-$80k potential year-end bonus.
But you know, all the money in the world won't give you back the time you missed.
To Female 22 i-banking analyst - You're right about the fact that money won't give you back the time. But, starting out with that perspective makes me question if you should be in the career. I would guess that the money was pretty seductive and is allowing you to get a jumpstart on some things like repaying student loans. Get out soon before it sucks you in - because the money is addictive. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change a thing. I appreciate the money and realize I've given up a lot of time (holidays, evenings, weekends, etc.) in order to become wealthy at a fairly young age. I had a burning desire both for wealth and for the career, and I've willingly made the sacrifices. But, its clearly not a career for everyone. The problem is that it often sucks in a lot of people for all the wrong reasons.
- The mid-40's Wall-Streeter
Female 29 yo
Married
PhD Student in the Sciences at a Big 10 School
$20K Stipend + possibility of 3-4K more if I teach over the summer
Unlikely to make more $$ as a postdoc then what I made pre-grad school with my BS from an Ivy League School in the same field that I'll have a PhD is (postdoc are paid horribly), but love what I study and hope that once I have a *real* job the salary increase will make up for it.
I work in DC, live south of the city in Maryland. I am 26, female, and engaged. I have a BA in Philosophy, and am going to school part-time for an Accounting degree. I work for a non-profit think tank as an accounting assistant.
Salary: $37,700
Benefits: 15% employer contribution to 403b, 4 weeks vacation, 2.5 weeks sick time, 2.5 personal days, health insurance, tuition reimbursement
Debt: ~$1,500 credit card, $25,000 students loans once I graduate
Savings other than retirement: $10,000 in a CD from selling my house 2 years ago
My future husband also works in DC, as a machinist. He makes around $65,000 a year, more if he works a lot of overtime. His debt (not including the mortgage) consists of $6,500 credit card and just under $10,000 car loan. Hopefully once I get my degree, we'll pay everything off and start saving more!
It's been very interesting to read everyone's info. I think this should be discussed more openly in society.
Work in northern Colorado for a small company as an engineer. Base is 83k plus bonus (10- 20k) depending on how well the company does. The company is employee owned. Get around 10k dividend from the company plus money to pay taxes on companies income. Decent benefits but nothing like the big companies. Excellent quality of life.
Have been working at the company for more than 10 years and so far have a net worth of around 675k. The only loan is 210k mortgage. The net worth is around 500k in retirement account plus equity in the company and 150k equity in the home plus savings.
Thanks for a great blog. I enjoy reading it.
Forgot to mention my age in my post from northern Colorado. I am in my early 40s.
Open. .. . . You inspired me to do my frugal friday tip listing my personal financial business. Tough to do, but it isn't where you're at. . . . it is where you are going that counts and how much fun you have along the way.
Ciao
Wow, I feel like almost everyone on here is making a LOT of money!! Maybe just because I don't have a lot of friends who are investment bankers or whatever, but even like, the government economist up there is doing well by my standards!
Was making $72K in DC but got laid off...start a new job next week making $85K. 30yo GWF.
25, Female, New York City
Working as a Management Consultant,
Base: $76,000,
+ Bonus,
+ $40/day when I am traveling for work (1/3 of year, unfortunately)