Financial Self Reliance

[W2R]

To me, being financially self-reliant means that one has a realistic financial plan, and is working towards some sort of realistic financial goals (whether these are big goals like building an empire, or smaller goals like paying off your credit card debt) and relying on one's own capability or ingenuity to arrive at these goals.

My perception is that most of us here are financially self-reliant at this point, but that this self-reliance increases with age (moreso than with income).

According to census.gov, median age in the U.S. is 36.4 years old. Median household income in 2006 was $48,451.

Do you consider yourself to be pretty much financially self-reliant?
Are you above or below the median age (36.4)?
Is your household income above or below the median ($48,451) ?

 

[Moemg]

I'm very financially self reliant but I have been most of my life .I was reliant when I was a young single mother .My reliance increased with responsibility more than with income or age .

 

[Meadbh]

Yes, yes and yes. I have considered myself financially self-reliant since getting my first job.

 

[EarlyRetiree1978]

Yes.
No. 29 yrs old.
Yes.

 

[Nords]

Yes, yes, and yes again if the "income" part is unearned. No W-2 for me and not much longer for spouse...

 

[Texas Proud]

I think the vast majority will be yes, yes, yes.. (and guess what... the poll is showing that)...

 

[Eagle43]

Yes, yes, yes. I worked for 43 years and could go back, although reluctantly. Being poor is now a distant memory, as is being below the median age. Four years of retirement have instilled the expectation that I could do this indefinitely. Of course, Vanguard Index Funds and pensions have my back.

 

[W2R]

I think the vast majority will be yes, yes, yes.. (and guess what... the poll is showing that)...

Yeah, I think this is the worst poll I have ever designed! My apologies to the group.

Looks like we are highly skewed towards being rich old pharts with a plan.

I had honestly thought we would be at least about 35-40% below median age, and with all the LBYM talk, I would have thought more of us would be below median household income. Sheesh!

 

[Nords]

I had honestly thought we would be at least about 35-40% below median age, and with all the LBYM talk, I would have thought more of us would be below median household income. Sheesh!

I think what's unusual is the savings, not so much the income.

And apparently few below the median age find any reason to hang out here...

 

[kumquat]

Looks like we are highly skewed towards being rich old pharts with a plan.

Sorry, no plan just luck.

I took over the family farm while I was in high-school. Ran it thru university until my brothers (who wanted it) were old enough to take over. Joined megacorp, good salary, saved (althought they gave me what I thought were worthless stock options). In my mid 50's stock took off and I ER'd. I keep selling, it keeps going up.

I'm a rich old phart who worked hard early and got lucky later. Luck trumps hard work any time. Plan accordingly.

 

[aaronc879]

Yeah, I think this is the worst poll I have ever designed! My apologies to the group.

I had honestly thought we would be at least about 35-40% below median age, and with all the LBYM talk, I would have thought more of us would be below median household income. Sheesh!

I actually thought less of us were below the median income. Including me it's at 12%. I was thinking more like 5%. Reading the posts, it seems like many are around twice the median. Makes me feel a little better about my 43K. Even though I just had a review with no raise.

 

[Maurice]

Median household income in 2006 was $48,451.

That's per month, right?

 

[UncleHoney]

Looks like we are highly skewed towards being rich old pharts with a plan.

Guilty as charged your Honor.

 

[Sandy]

Yes, yes and Yes here as well. For the group of people here that will be the norm, except for the few who are still "underage".

 

[W2R]

Yes, yes and Yes here as well. For the group of people here that will be the norm, except for the few who are still "underage".

At this point 97 people have already responded, I would say that is a pretty accurate summary of poll results. Although as you point out, at this point 21/97 are below the median age, yesterday for a while it looked like it would be a much smaller percentage.

I think the small number below median income is a little disconcerting, only 11 out of 97 so far. I would like to think that we are not just a bunch of well-heeled, self-congratulatory people with lots of extra money to invest, but instead that we are a group with the wisdom to have shepherded what great or small income we have and LBYM'ed our way to ER. Oh well.

 

[W2R]

I actually thought less of us were below the median income. Including me it's at 12%. I was thinking more like 5%. Reading the posts, it seems like many are around twice the median. Makes me feel a little better about my 43K. Even though I just had a review with no raise.

Sorry to hear about no raise!! With inflation hitting all of us and gas prices on their way up, that is really crummy. With any luck I hope that maybe the job is at least one that is relatively pleasant and low stress. That is worth a lot these days.

I'm at about twice the median but like many here, I live on only a fraction of my salary. My higher salary (these days) is helping me to get to ER a little faster. I will have gone from having nothing but debt to ER in 11 years, if all goes well, and if my salary was still below the median, I probably couldn't have done it anywhere near as fast.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

while i've always been responsible for what i have, i am only reluctantly self-reliant. i'm above medium age but i'm told i look younger than my years which i think is a polite way of telling me i'm immature. while working as a single person household, my income was slightly greater than the medium if i include benefits. now my unearned income is a little better than that with the additional benefit of not working.

 

[Spanky]

That's per month, right?

I thought it was low also, but this link confirms the number.
Median Income of Households by Selected Characteristics, 2006 — Infoplease.com

 

[ziggy29]

I thought it was low also, but this link confirms the number.
Median Income of Households by Selected Characteristics, 2006 — Infoplease.com

I think most of us are in a very fortunate position to the point where it's easy to forget that a lot of people don't have it nearly so well.

And the more I keep that in mind, the more determined I am to not screw up my relatively good fortune.

 

[W2R]

I thought it was low also, but this link confirms the number.
Median Income of Households by Selected Characteristics, 2006 — Infoplease.com

Good searching!! It is not easy to find.

I got the 2006 median household income figure from the census.gov American FactFinder page,

American FactFinder

If you enter any location, you get a page of statistics for that location and the numbers for the U.S. are also given on that page for comparison.

The census.gov website is fascinating for any who are interested in what life might be like in other parts of the U.S. Maybe the act of browsing that site could be termed "numerical tourism".