Your yearly average income while pursuing F.I.R.E?

[F.I.R.E User]

What was your yearly (annual) yearly income while you were pursuing F.I.R.E?

 

[SnowballCamper]

Could you make this into a survey, with some ranges for people to select? Probably get more responses that way....

 

[RobbieB]

I topped out at 85 grand.

 

[F.I.R.E User]

Could you make this into a survey, with some ranges for people to select? Probably get more responses that way....

It won’t let me anymore.

 

[F.I.R.E User]

I topped out at 85 grand.

Nice. I always thought most were above $100k earnings average.

 

[Dtail]

There appears to be a decent number of posters who appear not to have cracked the 100k mark, but have a nice size portfolio. Just a guess here based on various posts.

 

[Franklin]

What was your yearly (annual) yearly income while you were pursuing F.I.R.E?

was just now looking at my income annually from MYSSA. Some years allot, some years not. How do u average that income and for how many years? Maybe hi or low would be interesting.

 

[CardsFan]

Over 40 years of working, it is difficult to look at yearly average income without adjusting for inflation.

And I agree with a poll. Not too comfortable posting my personal numbers for all to see.

 

[ivinsfan]

If you made a million a year and spent 900K you'd still be working.



This seems like a question without a point to it..

 

[CardsFan]

If you made a million a year and spent 900K you'd still be working.



This seems like a question without a point to it..

Yeah. The better question is are you an UAW, a AAW or a PAW. See The Millionaire Next Door for the references.

I suspect most here are PAW's.

 

[Car-Guy]

I pursued FIRE for ~45 years.... Started out at under <10k yr, ended up at well over 25 times that amount per yr. I guess I could figure out each yr and avg it... But not sure I see the point. Probably made more the last 5 years than I did on the entire 40 before that.

 

[RunningBum]

What was your yearly (annual) yearly income while you were pursuing F.I.R.E?

You first.

 

[skyking1]

I topped out at 85 grand.

You're my BTD hero.

 

[aaronc879]

I topped out at $49K. Average is under $30K/yr and falling. Good thing I only spend half that much.

 

[Aerides]

honestly my last few years I couldn't even tell you. It really didn't matter, so much was getting socked away I only really knew the actual number at review/annual raise time. That's when my boss would print out the new numbers. But I was living like someone making less than half so it never really registered.

And the last 5 years were very different from the 5 before that, and the five before those. OP, you might want to make a poll, but without a tight framing it's not going to tell you anything. And a person who retired in 2020 can't be compared side by side with a person who retired in 2010, or even 2015 really.

(plus what state/country, COL, yada and more yada...)

 

[Ronstar]

Started in 1974, escalated up to 60 hr weeks through the late 80’s, 90’s and early 00’s, then retired in 2014 after a few years of 16 hour weeks. I was an hourly worker, so my income was erratic and dependent on hrs worked. Just a rough guess - I’d say my yearly wages averaged 60-70k for 40 years.

 

[RobbieB]

Thanks!

Yup, never got to 100 grand. Even when we were both working we never made a 100 grand. Close, but no cigar.

Nah, we did the LBYM thing when we were working so we could retire. Then wifey died at age 60 so...

I'm gonna try to have some fun with that dough before I go -

 

[RE2Boys]

I topped out at 85 grand.

yup! 29 years pursuing FIRE.

Then achieved it but called myself semi-retired for the next 18 years. Those gigs topped out at about $10K, which wasn't bad for a three months of work each year.

Now finally have on W2s

 

[Time2]

So many ways to look at this. Our average income over 36 years was $49,102. We started the journey in 1982, I made $14,400 and she made $6,200, that's $20,600. However $20,600 inflation adjusted is $54,147 in 2018.
I used my SS statement numbers and inflated them using government inflation numbers, our average inflation adjusted income over 36 years was $71k. Our last 15 years we averaged close to $75k a year.
Our nestegg is larger than our lifetime earnings.


If you want to play, I put this google sheet together 3 years ago to find inflation adjusted income from your SS statement. Yours to play with, modify or fix, if you'd like.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SsaRfRx_DBF38MssIvYVP2WrAIwgNhPyZ8B7xaBqXfs/edit#gid=0

 

[stepford]

I'll say this much: In my 28 year career I reached the FICA limit every year but my first (and missed that one because I started mid-year). That gives an indication relative to inflation without being too specific.

 

[RobbieB]

Never reached the FICA limit, not even close. You made a lotta dough baby!

 

[Major Tom]

I'm not sure that revealing our incomes would tell much of a story, without also relating whether we've had other sources of income, such as inheritances, and pensions, to name a couple. I had a modest inheritance, and a fairly significant boost to the portfolio from selling 3 rental properties which I had the good fortune to own for 2 years, in a sharply rising market.

You first.

Agreed. To get something, you gotta give something. Well, maybe not around here but it's good form, in my opinion.

 

[aaronc879]

I'm not sure that revealing our incomes would tell much of a story, without also relating whether we've had other sources of income, such as inheritances, and pensions, to name a couple.

No pension here. I have not gotten any inheritance and will not get more than low to mid 5-figures.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Between 2 of us, $750K while in megacorp. Started our own company in a different field, lost huge money for the first couple of years, broke even year 3 to 4, ended with about $450K in year 8 before we sold our company.

 

[aja8888]

For the last 20 years I worked, I ran my own business and earnings were all over the map, depending on business. But it was pretty good most of that time.