High Earners - What's Your Profession?

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Hawkeye_Saver
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High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by Hawkeye_Saver »

I hope its not too personal of a question, but I'm curious what members earning over 100k do for a living. I would like to break that threshold but it won't happen at my current job. Just looking for a little guidance towards something lucrative that might be up my alley.
livesoft
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by livesoft »

For half the people on the forum, I can save them the trouble of responding: They are physicians.

I'm a scientist, not a physician.
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investingdad
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by investingdad »

Just over 100k?

My wife and I each make just barely over that mark and I mean...just BARELY.

I'm an engineer. She's an accountant working in finance. We're both 40.
Last edited by investingdad on Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
Call_Me_Op
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by Call_Me_Op »

In addition to physicians, you will find many engineers and lawyers.
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JamesSFO
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by JamesSFO »

Lawyer
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by Professor Emeritus »

I topped 100k as a Professor (2006) DW was a physician Both now retired
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stickman731
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by stickman731 »

Chemist (BS and MS) - got a good mentor and moved from lab to management about 15 years ago.
newboggler
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by newboggler »

I am a physical therapist... and I love what I do !
I make well above 100K but probably not as well as physicians ! I do work overtime :shock: !

The good thing about my work is other professionals (nurses, aides, other therapists, HR) at work do not expect a young therapist to drive expensive cars and have expensive clothing; but they do notice what physician/MD drives which german car and who wears nicest suit... etc. :mrgreen:
So no trouble driving boglehead car and maintaining boglehead lifestyle!

Like some wise man said " It's Not How Much You Make - It's How Much You Save " :sharebeer :sharebeer
sscritic
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by sscritic »

100k doesn't seem high to me. 100k doesn't pay any of the extra taxes that so many around here worry about. You should ask the profession of those paying the Additional Medicare Tax or the 3.8% tax on net investment income, both of which kick in at 250k joint or 200k single (the medicare tax is on compensation). I could be wrong about the details, but I have seen many posts about these two new taxes.
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by Snapper »

Chief Financial Officer.
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InvestorNewb
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by InvestorNewb »

Internet entrepreneur with periods of volatility.
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HomerSector7G
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by HomerSector7G »

Executive leading analytical work at a F500 company.
Longtimelurker
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by Longtimelurker »

Sales Director - Big Data Analytics company. Comp is $250k - $500k depending on year.

If you are in corporate america you need to be on the revenue generation side of the business to make big bucks - or a very senior executive. Sales is a wonderful profession.
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The Wizard
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by The Wizard »

I was an engineer. Salary ranges in my fields got up to $150K or so depending on experience and project responsibilities. But the Boston area is HCOL, so that detracts a bit...
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liveeasy
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by liveeasy »

Nurse Anesthetist $260,000.00
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by moshe »

Small business IT Consultant. Take what you know and sell your services. The personal benefits are unmeasurable.

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Steelersfan
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by Steelersfan »

IT management.
eddiejov55
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by eddiejov55 »

Buyer / Demand forecaster - Fortune 1000 company in retail sector.
chw
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by chw »

Sales (mortgage lending
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VictoriaF
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by VictoriaF »

Engineer.

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Cigarman
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by Cigarman »

Self employed, Printing Broker. Followed my passion and now enjoying the fruits of my labors.
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zzcooper123
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by zzcooper123 »

Sorry...another physician
jon-nyc
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by jon-nyc »

Former high earner, now retired. I was variously in investment banking and consulting.
generalzodschicken
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by generalzodschicken »

Software in the Midwest.

The definition of "high earner" is debatable, of course. Yes, if you make over $100k, you are in the top ~6% of individual income, so in that sense you would be a high earner compared to the 94% that make less than you. Looked at from that vantage point, of course you would be a high earner. But $100k is not the magic number it used to be. What often gets overlooked are things like geography, cost of living, & inflation. Some say that $200k is the new $100k. $100k in NYC is not $100k in Tulsa. So, you can't just ask high earners what they do; you also have to ask where do they do it.

This ties in to recent kerfuffles over some complaining that $300k isn't really that "rich." On the one hand, that is a laughable statement, since if you are richer than 99% of the population, of course you are rich. But it all boils down to peer group. People who make $300k don't compare themselves to people making $30k. They compare themselves to their neighbors who make $300k per month and thus they feel "poor."
pointyhead
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by pointyhead »

What constitutes a "high earner"? I'm a mid grade military officer making about 120K before taxes, with part time work and spouses income we hit 200k. However, I have never thought of myself as a high earner perhaps that's because we continue to live like a mid grade enlisted person.
goldendad
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by goldendad »

Airline pilot
khale7
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by khale7 »

Engineer. Was making 100k in the U.S. Took a job in the middle-east and bumped it up 2.5X! :moneybag
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kramer
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by kramer »

Software engineer. The opportunities are almost limitless but see below.

I think in software engineering a lot depends on if you have a real talent at what you are doing and also a passion (both required). There is a *lot* of variation in salary. I say the following humbly, and for the benefit of the OP, but I met a *lot* of mediocre software engineers (and also worked with some) who were just not going anywhere or muddling through, at best. On the same engineering team you will find 10x differences in productivity between individuals.
Bacchus01
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by Bacchus01 »

I think your dollar threshold is too low any more.

But, I'm President of a $500M division of a private megacorp.
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by KyleAAA »

Software in the southeast plus self-employdish activities
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burt
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by burt »

generalzodschicken wrote:Software in the Midwest.

The definition of "high earner" is debatable, of course. Yes, if you make over $100k, you are in the top ~6% of individual income, so in that sense you would be a high earner compared to the 94% that make less than you. Looked at from that vantage point, of course you would be a high earner. But $100k is not the magic number it used to be. What often gets overlooked are things like geography, cost of living, & inflation. Some say that $200k is the new $100k. $100k in NYC is not $100k in Tulsa. So, you can't just ask high earners what they do; you also have to ask where do they do it.

This ties in to recent kerfuffles over some complaining that $300k isn't really that "rich." On the one hand, that is a laughable statement, since if you are richer than 99% of the population, of course you are rich. But it all boils down to peer group. People who make $300k don't compare themselves to people making $30k. They compare themselves to their neighbors who make $300k per month and thus they feel "poor."
Engineer at megacorp.

Good point. $100k certainly doesn't feel like a high earner........especially when surrounded by high end German auto's and $1,000,000 homes.

burt
tim1999
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by tim1999 »

livesoft wrote:For half the people on the forum, I can save them the trouble of responding: They are physicians.
Based on many of the "first timer, portfolio help needed" posts I suspect there are also a lot of people who work in tech/IT/internet in California.
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LarryG
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by LarryG »

Retired physician. RMD is twice what I earned when working.
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john94549
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by john94549 »

I'll let my wife know she's a high earner. She'll be pleased.
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LowER
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by LowER »

.....
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gerrym51
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by gerrym51 »

Pharmacist-now retired.
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by tibbitts »

I earn less than $100k currently, but for at least one or two generations, the most common way "ordinary" people (not physicians, etc.) reached approximately $100k in today's dollars (inflation adjusted, of course) was by staying at the same employer for a long time, possibly accomplishing not much besides aging. That might not work for subsequent generations, though. If you're exceptionally talented, or skilled, or lucky, it won't matter where you work or for whom, you'll likely reach $100k. But the primary route for average people may now be closed.
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by travelnut11 »

Statistical programmer in biotech/pharma industry.
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Rob5TCP
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by Rob5TCP »

In NY, 100k wouldn't be a high earner. I'm a software consultant (for a specific application).
Most years over 100k.
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by hicabob »

Engineer then biz owner with very specific expertise in a software/electromechanical field - sold out and retired a couple weeks ago. Small business ownership is probably among the hardest jobs out there but can be among the most financially rewarding for the right person.
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by tibbitts »

It matters that the OP said $100k specifically. I'd have answered completely differently for over $150k, for example.
nocturne
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by nocturne »

Left BigSoftwareCo as software engineer 6 years ago to go to a small private firm. That move got me a 30% pay hike which took me well over 100k.

I had never been acquainted with any "high earners" before that, except execs 6 levels above me. So moving to a small firm was the best thing for me -it moved the goal posts. I worked alongside the founders and learned a ton. Now I am co-founder of a firm of our own.
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by marnold1974 »

Architect.
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Hayden
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by Hayden »

Owner of a small engineering company
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Igglesman
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by Igglesman »

Marketing Analytics for large Pharma....$150 to $350.
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tylerdurden
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by tylerdurden »

I'm a Software Architect.

Also, this thread may be informative: "Young Guys [and Gals] Making Good Money."
http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtop ... 2&t=123541
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Ged
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by Ged »

I've been over $100K in two separate careers.

1. Scientist (Applied Chemistry).

2. Software Engineer.
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by Spirit Rider »

tibbitts wrote:I earn less than $100k currently, but for at least one or two generations, the most common way "ordinary" people (not physicians, etc.) reached approximately $100k in today's dollars (inflation adjusted, of course) was by staying at the same employer for a long time, possibly accomplishing not much besides aging. That might not work for subsequent generations, though. If you're exceptionally talented, or skilled, or lucky, it won't matter where you work or for whom, you'll likely reach $100k. But the primary route for average people may now be closed.
This hasn't been true for at least 20 years. For most companies, you are looking at marginal increases that may or may not exceed the average wage index. There is limited upward mobility and significant merit raises are less than common.

Most of the people I know who have stayed at companies for extended periods of time, are way behind their piers. Those who are the top earners probably changed companies four or five times in the first 15-20 years of their career. At that time you can think about retiring from that company. That is only if it is still in business twenty years later, or there aren't significant layoffs periodically.
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by White Coat Investor »

Blogger. ;)

I have a side job too.
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Lee Saage
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Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Post by Lee Saage »

Full-time civil engineer, part-time pilot.
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