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View Poll Results: Just wondering demographics here? What was your income level before FIRE?
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Below $50,000
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9 |
4.84% |
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$50,000 - $75,000
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24 |
12.90% |
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$75,000-$100,000
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30 |
16.13% |
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$100,000 - $125,000
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28 |
15.05% |
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$125,000+
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95 |
51.08% |
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Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
01-15-2007, 05:41 PM
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#1
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 227
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Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
What was your average income during your working years?
__________________
"Those who think it cannot be done, need to stay out of the way of those of us doing it."
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-15-2007, 06:11 PM
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#2
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 127
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
What was yours?
__________________
If you think nobody cares whether you're alive or dead, try missing a couple of mortgage payments.
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-15-2007, 06:14 PM
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#3
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Mid Hudson Valley
Posts: 1,781
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
I suspect many who responded may have been business owners with income over your high limit.
__________________
In a panamax down by the river.
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-15-2007, 06:18 PM
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#4
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
 Quote:
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Originally Posted by PsyopRanger
What was your average income during your working years?
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1977: 20 hours/week at a golf course (when it wasn't snowed under): $1868.
1983, my first full working year after college: $17,417 salary + $5,810 untaxed allowances = $23,227. Spent the whole year at nuclear-engineer training schools.
Through the '90s I was pretty much paid between $60K-$75K, including sea pay, submarine pay, & nuclear bonus pay.
2001, my last full working year: $59,839 salary + $27,788 untaxed allowances = $87,627. This was my highest-earning year ever, but no sea pay or sub pay or nuclear bonus pay either.
Today's military O-4 submarine nuclear engineer pay would probably be pushing $140K total. They can keep it.
__________________
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Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-16-2007, 07:35 AM
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#5
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
According to my social security statements...898K in 1999, 1046K in 2000 and 540k in 2001, but that was less than a half years earnings as I ER'ed in late April or early May of that year.
So maybe we need a few more #'s on the poll? 
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-16-2007, 07:58 AM
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#6
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: LaLa Land
Posts: 4,698
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
Hey Bunny, I don't know what you did to make a living but you must have been good at it. 
__________________
Work is something you do to get enough $ so you don't have to....Me.
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-16-2007, 08:03 AM
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#7
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
Hell yeah!
Considering according to my 2000 annual review I was responsible for a $3B uptick in company revenues, I think they got off pretty frickin cheap.
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-16-2007, 08:19 AM
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#8
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 4,391
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
< Post deleted after re-thinking what was posted >
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-16-2007, 08:36 AM
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#9
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,375
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Cute 'n Fuzzy Bunny
According to my social security statements...898K in 1999, 1046K in 2000 and 540k in 2001, but that was less than a half years earnings as I ER'ed in late April or early May of that year.
So maybe we need a few more #'s on the poll? |
Brother, can you spare a dime.? (For an old Korean Veteran).
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-16-2007, 12:14 PM
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#10
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 538
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
This is one of the things that impress me about CFB and other posters on the board--the ability to walk away from such huge incomes and realize they have enough, scale down, and retire.
I've heard the explanations: BS bucket being full, traumatic or life-altering disease/event in others' or their own lives, etc. Still, it takes quite a lot of courage (and figuring and wisdom) to give up a lot of income.
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-16-2007, 12:18 PM
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#11
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Hooverville
Posts: 22,983
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
Quote:
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Originally Posted by flipstress
This is one of the things that impress me about CFB
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Agree. Also impressed by his modesty. 
Ha
__________________
"As a general rule, the more dangerous or inappropriate a conversation, the more interesting it is."-Scott Adams
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-16-2007, 12:22 PM
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#12
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 538
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
Quote:
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Originally Posted by HaHa
Agree. Also impressed by his modesty.
Ha |
 :
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-16-2007, 12:40 PM
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#13
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 7,968
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
Heh heh heh heh heh
1966-$8k, last year of full time work 1992-$60k
2005 - 13th year of ER $79k taxable before deductions.
If you stay cheap enough, long enough - well Then you get time in the market and all that rot.
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-16-2007, 01:10 PM
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#14
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 8,827
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
Quote:
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Originally Posted by flipstress
This is one of the things that impress me about CFB and other posters on the board--the ability to walk away from such huge incomes and realize they have enough, scale down, and retire.
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Not to discount CFB's impressive accomplishments, I suspect with that income over several years he was able to walk away without sustaining too much financial hardship (though obviously with a big drop in income). Either way, it sounds like his priorities are right on.
What repeatedly astounds me is how many are willing and able to ER on a pretty basic income; seemingly few needs, flexible but always low spending habits, and are just as happy as can be.
Lots of paths to a secure and content retirement. Just not so easy picking one .
__________________
Rich
San Francisco Area
ESR'd March 2010. FIRE'd January 2011.
As if you didn't know..If the above message contains medical content, it's NOT intended as advice, and may not be accurate, applicable or sufficient. Don't rely on it for any purpose. Consult your own doctor for all medical advice.
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-16-2007, 01:34 PM
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#15
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
I expect to retire with less than one year of CFB's income...
Ok, no European vacations, beach homes, Beemers or Lexi, but no w*rk either!!
__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire
...not doing anything of true substance...
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-16-2007, 02:08 PM
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#16
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,603
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
peaked out at 107k .... of course 1/3 of that went to uncle sam.
__________________
FIRE'd since 2005
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-16-2007, 02:09 PM
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#17
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
Quote:
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Originally Posted by flipstress
This is one of the things that impress me about CFB and other posters on the board--the ability to walk away from such huge incomes and realize they have enough, scale down, and retire.
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Depends on whther the outsized income really means anything to you.
As an example, I work with a few people who are very wealthy. Decamillionaires, by my estimation. Do they live higher on the hog than your average bear? Sure. But they spend a fraction of their income. If any of them walked away, they would never even come close to running out of oney. They stay at work because they want to.
__________________
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
- George Orwell
Ezekiel 23:20
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-16-2007, 02:38 PM
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#18
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Gone but not forgotten
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Sarasota,fl.
Posts: 11,447
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
My income never went over $50,000 as an Rn but I still retired with seven figures plus.
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-16-2007, 02:39 PM
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#19
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 538
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
Yeah, you are right, brewer. How big your income is in relation to your assets/wealth matters.
In the case of decamillionaires, their income from their jobs might well be small and not significant in relation to their total wealth. In their case, I would admire them if they were working because they were making the world better through their jobs.
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
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01-16-2007, 02:43 PM
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#20
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
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Re: Poll: Average Income Before FIRE
Quote:
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Originally Posted by flipstress
In their case, I would admire them if they were working because they were making the world better through their jobs.
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Haaaaaahahahahahaha!
Well, maybe by making the capital markets more efficient and providing liquidity to people who really, really want to liquidate on the cheap. 
__________________
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
- George Orwell
Ezekiel 23:20
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