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I legitimately thought if I could make ~$75k and sustain it (with inflation) for the rest of my life, that I “made it”. I’m still in my 20s and my base is 100k over that.
I didn’t grow up around people who made six-figures. I was so ignorant going into undergrad that I thought business majors just sold insurance or something, debated dropping out to go to trade school at one point. I didn’t know what consulting or PE was… My earnings, and life, look a lot different than I ever imagined.
More than i thought
More than I thought, but I can afford less than I thought. I assumed I'd make 75k in 2015 money, instead I make 100k in 2026 money (ran it through a calculator and inflation adjusted I make slightly less than I expected (75k -> 104k) so that checks out).
Hard to tell with inflation
Feels like I’m making nothing now
More than I thought
Way more than I thought. I thought I would make 300k at this age but am making 4x that.
No, not enough of a retirement nest egg for that. A bunch of older folks who have made their money at my firm clearly are doing the job not for money anymore, but not me.
Also grew up poor so every dollar is precious - but the threshold for me caring about spending has grown significantly. E.g I don’t think anymore when I have to spend a couple hundred dollars, and that has helped take a big mental load off.
Significantly more than i though
Same as what I thought I would be earning, lowered my living standards a lot compared to when I was a kid.
I realised a lot of what makes me happy wasn't linked to spending the money, but having a safety cushion and no fear of being made redundant.