A “six figure income” is such a stupidly relative term. What a useless fucking metric.
First of all, that could literally mean anything from $100,000 to $999,999 a year. Someone making nearly a million dollars a year is not “in survival mode”, even in the highest cost of living areas.
Second, it depends on where you live. If you live in the middle of BFE Arizona or Minnesota, having a ~$100k salary could mean you’re living like a king. Living in San Francisco or New York, you’re probably living in a shoebox apartment.
I’m barely one of these “six figure” people. I make $103k per year. However, I also am the sole income for my family of 5, which means I pay for everybody’s health and dental insurance premiums. These are over $1200 a month. I also live in a moderately high cost of housing city where the cheapest, bombed out, sub-900 sq ft house is going for 1/5th to a quarter of a million $ plus. My neighbor has a 973 sq ft home with non-working plumbing, a roof that has shingles coming off and leaks, single pane windows, and foundation issues. His house has an estimated value of $237k if it sold today.
After taxes, nearly half of my salary alone goes to just housing and healthcare and I do not live in a fucking McMansion. My house is around 1000 sq ft. And I still need to keep the lights on, pay for gas, pay the water bill, pay for groceries…Oh and don’t forget about student loan debt to get that income. Have fun paying that at $600-700 a month. If I was renting instead of having a mortgage, I could not afford to live here.
Now I’m not “in survival mode”, as this article would have you believe, but I’m also not exactly “thriving”. If I lost my job, my family would be unable to live beyond…something like 2-3 months. And with the job market cratering in the tech world (which is my career market) right now, it scares the shit out of me. Literally keeps me up at night with anxiety.
What I’m trying to say is that not even us “middle class” folks are doing super great. We’re currently teetering on the edge of a knife and, with continually rising costs, will likely fall into “upper-lower class” territory in the next decade.
this is by design. by funneling all your moneys further and further up the food chain, they both ensure you’ll never take their place and keep you obedient and compliant. lest “something” happens, and you end up in an even worse situation
you and i don’t exist to “thrive.” we’re here to generate more wealth for our owners, and to be hoodwinked into thinking this is the way it’s supposed to be
A “six figure income” is such a stupidly relative term. What a useless fucking metric.
First of all, that could literally mean anything from $100,000 to $999,999 a year. Someone making nearly a million dollars a year is not “in survival mode”, even in the highest cost of living areas.
Second, it depends on where you live. If you live in the middle of BFE Arizona or Minnesota, having a ~$100k salary could mean you’re living like a king. Living in San Francisco or New York, you’re probably living in a shoebox apartment.
I’m barely one of these “six figure” people. I make $103k per year. However, I also am the sole income for my family of 5, which means I pay for everybody’s health and dental insurance premiums. These are over $1200 a month. I also live in a moderately high cost of housing city where the cheapest, bombed out, sub-900 sq ft house is going for 1/5th to a quarter of a million $ plus. My neighbor has a 973 sq ft home with non-working plumbing, a roof that has shingles coming off and leaks, single pane windows, and foundation issues. His house has an estimated value of $237k if it sold today.
After taxes, nearly half of my salary alone goes to just housing and healthcare and I do not live in a fucking McMansion. My house is around 1000 sq ft. And I still need to keep the lights on, pay for gas, pay the water bill, pay for groceries…Oh and don’t forget about student loan debt to get that income. Have fun paying that at $600-700 a month. If I was renting instead of having a mortgage, I could not afford to live here.
Now I’m not “in survival mode”, as this article would have you believe, but I’m also not exactly “thriving”. If I lost my job, my family would be unable to live beyond…something like 2-3 months. And with the job market cratering in the tech world (which is my career market) right now, it scares the shit out of me. Literally keeps me up at night with anxiety.
What I’m trying to say is that not even us “middle class” folks are doing super great. We’re currently teetering on the edge of a knife and, with continually rising costs, will likely fall into “upper-lower class” territory in the next decade.
this is by design. by funneling all your moneys further and further up the food chain, they both ensure you’ll never take their place and keep you obedient and compliant. lest “something” happens, and you end up in an even worse situation
you and i don’t exist to “thrive.” we’re here to generate more wealth for our owners, and to be hoodwinked into thinking this is the way it’s supposed to be