Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

Ha ya no it’s very, very dead unless you’re in the 90th+ income percentile by 35, at least on the west coast. In west coast cities you basically need a 400-500k income household if you wanted to purchase the basics of the American dream TODAY. Don’t need some boomer who bought their house in 1982 telling me how easy it is to live off 100k. Just to finance a normal HOUSE (~1M today) on the west coast, you need to make over 300k to make the 6-$7k monthly payment. Want cars 750/month each on the cheap side with insurance. Have kids? Don’t even look at how much childcare costs. Yall cooked under 300k HHI

like

Agreed!
The ideal of the "American dream" was a modest home 3-4 beds 1.5-2 baths, two cars, two - three kids, and a dog. Not living extravagantly, but able to buy whatever is needed, and still save a modest amount, take a modest family vacation yearly, pay for kids extracurriculars... All on one income and without a college education.
I think the reality is that the all on one income part died a long time ago, probably 40+ years. The no college education part fell pretty quickly after that.
Part of what skews the perception of socioeconomic status is that the conversation always centers around income, not what can a household afford.
Americans have been living the boiling frog parable for the last 40 or so years.

Related Posts

Any advice in terms of investment to save the maximum tax?

like

Looking at re-financing my mortgage with 2 lenders and need some advice please!

Currently sitting at 3.625% on a $512,000 home loan that now sits at about $490,000.

Lender 1: loan for ~$490,000, paying down for a few points to 2.875% (apr 3.034%); cash to close $12,344, monthly payments reduced by ~$300
Lender 2: loan for $510,000 (bundling in some closing costs), paying for points to 2.99% (apr 3.278%); cash to close $7,315, monthly payments also reduced by ~$300

Which option is better??

likehelpful

Under contract for nearly 1.1M. Wife and I are at HHI $315k. Will go up in the future, $400k in 3 years and $500k possible in 5-7 years. We have $300k in non-retirement funds, $260k of which will go towards acquiring the house. We have 2 kids and will probably reduce (not maxing) retirement accounts next 18 months to do this. Anyone have any thoughts or feedback? We’ll have to live on a budget and watch but I feel we’ll get used to it and income will grow.

like

We are 5th Largest Economy, find good investment advisor to get benefit from next decade from Indian economy....

Post Photo

Does 401k count as savings?

likefunny

Which is your stock pick this week?
Serious answers only!

like

Celebrate azadi ka amrit mahotsav and reach your financial freedom when India will be celebrating 100 years of independence. 🇮🇳🇮🇳
DM me on 7019194829 for more details!!

Post Photo
like

Which credit card do you think is the best for ME consultants?

like

Just checked all the assets and realized we're close to 1M€ net worth. Most of it is on the house, don't feel rich at all.

I am a traditional reservist so I never really used military benefits before, but could use advice here.

I am currently renting and my lease is not up until October 2021, however I found a good deal on a home and scheduled to close in June 2021.

My landlord will not work with me to end the lease early, so it looks like I will have to double up on rent and mortgage through the summer.

If I went on active duty orders, can I use those orders to break my lease early without penalty?

like

What is the present value of a government pension? How does one calculate it? Trying to get a sense of weather it's worth moving over to Federal.

like

Hi All,

Can anyone let me know the premium per month for group term life insurance policy by lti.
As this premium will be deducted from our salary so can we add this deduction under tax exemption or not ?

PS : I am a new joinee and filling form B for projected investment, please let me know anyone.

like

Today I lost out on a house because my offer of $90k over the list price was beat out by another bid. Everyone else having an equally crappy Monday?

likefunny

Anyone else heard the news of KPMG staffing 1,500 employees to work 6 pm to 6 am reviewing documentation for cares act SBA bailout loans? My thoughts are 1- admirable cause 2- I would hate to (cont’d)

like

I contribute 10% of my paycheck to my employee share purchase plan. Is this smart to do given the tax repercussions behind it? Is it smarter to invest less in that and more in my Roth or 401k?

like

Thinking about using my VA loan in a few years. Any advice?

like

Hi Experts ..Suffering from financial stress...my 90% commitments will be end by December..but felling so much stress to handle with money

like

Nifty reaching ATH but portfolio still at low 🥲

I just left my pre-seed startup that was running out of cash (we made $100,000 in revenue this year, and sunk $1m in costs). I was making $40,000 as a developer (plus 20k stock options at $1/share per year) and they refused to pay me any more money. I have 17,000 vested stock options, total number of shares at the time of my contract was 4million. I’m a bit confused about share dilution and if it’s worth it for me to buy some of my stock options… thanks in adv!

like

Associates - Care to share your rough budgets (income, spousal income/family support, rent, monthly spending, student loan payments, savings, etc.)?

like

More Posts

Dm me for referrals in HCL

Skills: Business Analyst

Exp:2+ yrs exp required

[Please do not share your resume if you have already applied/attended interview at HCL in the last 6 months

like

Hi Fishes,

I am B.tech graduate and currently working in BPO sector in Accenture. I am looking to switch to an IT profile but having zero experience in IT sector. Please suggest how can I switch.

I thought this was a Huey Lewis and the News fan bowl. My bad.

like

Anyone know if non-m cars have launch mode?

like

Project is starting on July 30, just found out the client requires background tests and drug screens, do they usually make you take it immediately or is there some time?

like

Looking for advice on some resources or suggestions on how to start with programming for GPUs. I am 7 years into coding and I don’t know a thing about GPUs! I don’t know why this subject is not taught in schools.
Appreciate your support in helping me learn!

like

Hello guys, I just had a question,
Is it only me who straight out after joining as a fresher had been put on a hot pan of engagements here and there within one month of joining?

like

Hi i need 11 like to activate dm
Please help me with that
Thank you

like

How long did your longest matter last? I imagine litigators take the cake here but curious about deals as well.

like

Going to Iceland for 10 days in the summer. Anyone had a great experience with a campervan or are hotels along the way a better approach?

like

Any general anecdotes about moving from a market-paying law firm to government? What was the experience like? Any regrets? How bad did the pay cut sting?

like

For those who left big law for DOJ, SEC, etc., what do you see as the best benefit to have done so (other than the reduction in workload)?

like

When I was hired, I don't recall being informed about my salary being tied to my location. My employment contract also only makes one mention of location, and says "home office" and my state. I was recently told by HR though that if I move, my comp. will be lower. Is this legal? Should I consult a labor lawyer?

In my mind, I don't recall being told this and it's not clear from my employment contract, so I feel like they're breaking our agreement, and it feels unfair.

Thoughts on what to do?

like
likefunny

Hi all,
I have a Nikon D7000 and was wanted to know what your favorite lenses were!

like

Hello All,

What exactly say to HR on call for counter offer negotiation. Any sample would be helpful, having a hard time to find the right words as the right choice of words is crucial here.

Need to talk to HR tomorrow. Looking forward to your answers.

Much Thanks.

like

Zoom (huge chunk, currently at loss)- sell or hold?

I’m a first year associate and perpetually concerned I’m going to get fired bc I feel like my work product isn’t at the level it should be. Does anyone have an idea of how easy/ hard it is to get fired?

like

Hi All,

I am looking for a new opportunity on ITSM domain accross India on an immediate basis. Please let me know in case you can extend any help.


Prompt response is appreciated

Additional Posts in Personal Finance Bowl

Have about 5k to invest - should I do FXAIX or FSKAX?

like

Under contract for nearly 1.1M. Wife and I are at HHI $315k. Will go up in the future, $400k in 3 years and $500k possible in 5-7 years. We have $300k in non-retirement funds, $260k of which will go towards acquiring the house. We have 2 kids and will probably reduce (not maxing) retirement accounts next 18 months to do this. Anyone have any thoughts or feedback? We’ll have to live on a budget and watch but I feel we’ll get used to it and income will grow.

like

Paid off my account debt!

like

What's the best 529plan? Heard Vanguard Nevada plan is popular due to low fee, or NY state one gives tax benefits upto $10k (but not sure if it matters for NJ residents working in NYC). What's the criteria for deciding 529?

like

Have an acquaintance who is a single mom; she purchased a used car 3 mos ago. Six wks later her 17yo wrecked it, air bags deployed, and estimates have ranged between $10-$18k in needed repairs while $21k is still owed. Acquaintance was switching insurance policies and flubbed the coverage dates and there were a few days where the vehicle was uninsured. No GAP insurance. I'm not seeing many options for her besides to continue pmts, fixing just enough to drive or voluntary repo. Thoughts?

like

For those of you that currently pay 30% of gross income towards rent, do you still have money to save? I’m moving to NYC and am used to paying only 15%. Pay is now 125k base so I’m looking for apartments around 2800-3k

like

My dad stole my identity a couple
years back and tanked my credit score
- brought it down to like 400. I've
been working towards fixing it so that
my boyfriend and I can buy a house in
the next year or so. This morning, I
checked my score after not looking at
it for a while and I'm in the mid 600s!
Y'all don't know how happy I am
about this lol

uplifting

Anyone here have any information on where to invest your money apart from the firm's 401k match? New to investing and wanted to know where do other people invest since most of them wouldn't be investing in stocks directly.

like

I'm a long time user of mvelopes budgeting software, and we just got a notice that they're shutting the platform down at the end of the year.

Looking for a recommendation for an "envelope based" replacement. They suggested Every Dollar, but it doesn't handle credit cards well.

like

Best ETF to invest in? I’m 24 looking to invest about $50k and don’t know where to put it. Nothing that’s super high cost or risky please

like

Thoughts on personal loans to consolidate Debt?

likesmart

Keen to buy first home in Dubai but skeptical given the uncertainty around the global economy albeit high oil prices which is a positive for the region. What are people thinking? Anyone here from middle east?

like

Looking to get an Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti sometime this year. Brand new the MSRP is about 45K and despite the reputation of the old Alfa Romeo’s from the 90’s these seem to be night and day more reliable. Would you recommend buying new, leasing new, or buying used? If I bought used it would be anywhere from 2019-2021

like

My boyfriend and I make 200K combined and live in NJ. We have $1000 in monthly car payments combined. That’s all we owe. Our credit scores are in the 800s. We have 50K to put down on a home. We have done the math and I know we can afford much more but he doesn’t want to buy more than a 400K home. I’m almost positive we can afford 500K and be more than ok. But then he starts to talk about how much kids cost and how we will be house poor and we won’t be able to afford kids. 🤔 Am I insane??

like

I spent the last 3 months "growing up" & now I'm ready to go. 1st thing is for me to get my own place. I'd like to buy instead of rent because I don't want to pay someone else's mortgage.

I'm thinking of selling my car & cash out some of my 401k to buy a house. My thought is to put down 3.5% for a FHA loan then make a big payment towards the principal to reduce long-term interest.

Anything wrong with this thinking or anything else I should consider?

I have a LOT of credit card debt. It has just grown over time and I can’t find my way out. I’m considering debt consolidation, specifically a company called National Debt Relief which seems legit but I’m just so hesitant because I’m scared to make my situation worse. Or a personal loan to pay off all the CC debt and then have a smaller all in one payment. I’m intelligent and I work in finance, it’s so embarrassing. HELP.

like

I NEED HELP WITH CREDIT SCORE issues: Two months ago my credit score went down by 30 to 40 points due to dad missing credit card payment by a day (i got added to as authorized user on his credit card for me to build credit but now I’m filled with regret). I was devastated by it. This past month I have been making more payments and paid off my aug statement in full thinking it will boost my credit score. But I don’t know why it went down another 10 points. More below:

What’s a good baseline amount to keep in a checking account? I generally keep mine pretty low <1000 after paying CCs then dump the rest in savings. As I’m building a rainy day fund and then I will start contributing my brokerage account.

For reference <1 year experience at $4500/month (after taxes and 401k contribution)

like

Tips for refinancing a car I’ve had for 6 months. I’ve paid on time for every month but I’m paying $600/mo on a loan with 15% interest? I owe $25K. Will the original bank, Chrysler Capital, consider it or do I need to find another organization?

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal