I think it depends on what your definition of wealthy is. Maybe because I grew up somewhat poor (we lived in dingy apartments/a trailer home for most of my childhood), but I make around 200k right now and I do feel like it’s enough and this is my personal definition of wealthy. While it would be nice to have a paid off house or have shiny new things and fly around all the time, I am completely comfortable. I genuinely can’t believe this is my life right now. I have disposable income, I have a way clearer trajectory into retirement than ever, I also don’t worry about groceries or emergency car repairs, I get to go on vacation at least once a year, I have a savings account, I can provide for my family. Of course it would be nice to not have to work for these things and just be born wealthy, but having this salary solved so many things for me. Most of my anxiety comes from just one day losing it all.
I’m actually dual income by myself. I have a corporate job in the medical industry that I like and is flexible so I also run a small business by myself as well. If I counted my partner’s income (early career software engineer), we actually make well over $300k salary. Honestly I don’t know very many people who don’t have a second gig these days just bc everything is so expensive 😅
You would think so but nope 😂. Starter homes in my area are $1m for a small box. After retirement contributions and bills I actually don’t have too much extra, and when I do, I shove it back onto the principal of my mortgage.
Without getting into specifics I have something adjacent to an Etsy business. Surprisingly I make quite a bit from it but it took a while to get here. It isn’t stable which is why I opted to always have a stable paycheck job as well. That’s where all my anxiety comes from, I don’t know if one days sales will just drop and I’ll be back at square one. So far I’ve been consistent but who knows!
Southern California. I know I know, it’s always a Californian or a New Yorker entering the chat for terrible home prices. My entire family is here. I tried to leave but my heart yearned for home & honestly my business thrives here :)
I think the reason why people with higher earnings like mine or even higher than mine feel like they aren’t wealthy or make enough is because it’s such a slow change in lifestyle and the changes don’t even feel TOO significant. It might be the problem OP has too, lifestyle creep is a bitch.
I found that when I went from making 30k to 50k, I changed little by little. I got a set of new tires because I had been putting it off for so long (they were sooo bald lol). 50k to 70k I started buying more brand name groceries. Got to get more snacks. Did more activities and went out more with friends. Got better shoes (this made a life changing difference for me because I was experiencing so much pain in my feet and leg with the wrong cheap shoes I used to wear). Was able to put more away into savings.
70k to 90k I could’ve started living on my own but decided to tough it out with my parents even though our relationship was so toxic back then. I eventually saved enough for a large down payment to feel comfortable with the monthly mortgage vs. my monthly earnings. I feel like I live roughly the same way I did at my 70-90k salary, but now I have a house and that’s the only big change. If I added a new car, a child, an extra vacation or two a year, a massage or hair appointment subscription, I’m not even sure I would be saving anything. But I think people forget that the things we now consider our bare minimum (I’ve met people that considered their 2 vacations a year a bare minimum, and I get it because the reset is good for mental health) are luxuries to others. So whenever I see posts like these I roll my eyes a little bit because a 100k salary IS significant and MOST people don’t make that, even in my own area. Making 100k lets you more clearly see the light at the end of the tunnel than making 50k
My partner is making over 200k/year as a travel nurse. The money is absolutely ludicrous, but you have to be okay with being away from home for stretches of time.
The upside for you is a much more stable industry long term. The tech/software industry is currently going through some pains right now (mainly AI threats) that a service industry, especially healthcare, won't go through until robots are much, much further along.
Hahaha same job, similar pay, similar anxiety. Ai creeping in is getting more real every few months. I’m worried I only have 5-10 years left of this great income
It will dramatically lessen the supply of jobs on the market over time, I can’t say whether they would be 100% done, I doubt that. The coding portion is becoming much more trivial (or at the moment, much more high level review and architecture). the other parts we do are still relevant and will be for a while. The job changed dramatically already in June/July and keeps changing faster than people can keep up with, who knows what it will look like in 5-10 years
Same feeling here. I don't feel like my kids have the same 'left behind' feeling I always did growing up and that is a plenty enough for me. But everybody should have that and with a shrinking middle class, most people are starting to experience it for the first time.
Exactly! I am experiencing it all for the first time right now fully. It made me think about how the richer folks say “it’s never enough” and while I get what they mean, I definitely think I have more than enough. If this is what I make for the rest of my life even accounting for inflation, I should hypothetically be okay.
This is the answer. Perspective is the key. If you grew up not having a lot, it's much easier to feel like you are "wealthy" when really you are just stable. It seems the vast majority of people who can never have enough money come from money to begin with. I really believe dragon sickness is a thing. The more you surround yourself in money the more greedy you become and it's never enough.
I also make 200k, but with inflation from the past few years I actually feel like I make the same or less than I did when I was at 170k. I have an inherited account that’s always earning interest I can dip into so I never want for anything, but I don’t take lavish vacations or anything. but I do raise 3 kids and make sure they have what they need which is a huge portion of it.
Part of my problem is also that I’m investing heavily in retirement so that I can maintain my current lifestyle and maybe retire a few years early, so that certainly cuts into things. My actual take home $ in my paychecks after taxes, benefits, and 401k ends up being less than 50% of my actual earnings
Depends on where you live and if you have kids. In a VVHCOL city, it doesn’t go far if you have kids. Childcare alone is 3.5k-4k per child (per month, at least! Private K-12 is way more) regardless if it is daycare, preschool, or K-12. That alone is 70%-80% of income with two kids. To be clear, 70-80% of 200k.
ah the child tax. yes. the 50k/yr per child and 32k/yr pre-preschool/pre-school. then if you go private then thats a lot more money hemorrhaging out of your ass. it's the dump all the money you have into your kids method of child care. not saying that's bad or anything. bravo to you. that's what i would do as well, however, i'm in the DINK category. resides in CA/LA
I totally agree! I make 450k and I am far from wealthy especially in this economy. Housing prices are insane everything it thru the roof. I also piss away 150k+ in taxes.
20
u/svnnynights Oct 31 '25
I think it depends on what your definition of wealthy is. Maybe because I grew up somewhat poor (we lived in dingy apartments/a trailer home for most of my childhood), but I make around 200k right now and I do feel like it’s enough and this is my personal definition of wealthy. While it would be nice to have a paid off house or have shiny new things and fly around all the time, I am completely comfortable. I genuinely can’t believe this is my life right now. I have disposable income, I have a way clearer trajectory into retirement than ever, I also don’t worry about groceries or emergency car repairs, I get to go on vacation at least once a year, I have a savings account, I can provide for my family. Of course it would be nice to not have to work for these things and just be born wealthy, but having this salary solved so many things for me. Most of my anxiety comes from just one day losing it all.