Are you fucking joking? If I made 250k I could literally do and buy whatever I want. Certainly go on vacation anywhere in the world.
I make 50k a year and live alone and can do what I want with my money.
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NYT Editorial: $250k a year isn't Middle Class
- Thread starter Sho_Nuff82
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Are you fucking joking? If I made 250k I could literally do and buy whatever I want. Certainly go on vacation anywhere in the world.
I make 50k a year and live alone and can do what I want with my money.
Soapbox Killer
Grand Nagus
I can't speak for other parts of the country but nobody in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area better try and pull some 250k Middle foolishness here. "I see your lies, I know your lies."
helloresolven
Member
Necromanti
Member
The lack of perspective can occasionally be astounding. I wonder how those that consider themselves not well off (when the truth is to the contrary) think that the majority of the people on this planet manage to survive.
Who do you think he was parodying?
Right there with ya buddy. Don't let that scale get ya down, though. Not sure what your life is like, but I've carved out a decent living with just $40k/yr. Granted, that's only because I split rent with a room mate, rarely leave the house outside of work, or do anything very fun.
SporeCrawler
Member
i think the question is what kind of job earns you 250k a year?
does that kind of job ring as middle class to you? i dont think so..
does that kind of job ring as middle class to you? i dont think so..
milanbaros
Member?
Wouldn't it make more sense to talk of income and wealth deciles/quartiles etc.?
The term middle class is too loaded to have any statistical meaning.
The term middle class is too loaded to have any statistical meaning.
NoblesseOblige
Banned
More I think about making $250k a year the more I don't think I even could. There is just something about it that doesn't fit my ethics. I don't know how to explain it but I already feel guilty with how much I'm making, and apparently I'm below middle class. Guess I'm just doomed to being poor.
milanbaros
Member?
He is lampooning a deluded neogaf member who plans to spend $100k living on a Thai beach in a fucking suit. Never mind he will stand out like a crazy farang, t shirts are not acceptable.
Just_myles
Member
That's kind of high. I don't understand how they can classify that as middle class. What is the context? I can understand if it is San Francisco or New York as the cost of living is so high. But everywhere else, that is well off.
Ivan A Nguyen
Member
Can confirm. Household makes about 100k and we are 'living the dream' with out any debt and one car already paid off. 150k would put us into 'seriously saving for retirement' land.
CornBurrito
Member
Doctors. Some types of engineers after years in the field. High powered lawyers.
Sho_Nuff82
Member
Homes within 30 minutes of Manhattan (where I'm from in NJ) are like 500k, $250k is well above middle class even on the east coast.
In fact, in the most expensive city in America (San Francisco), $150k/yr is enough to purchase a median home.
That's kind of the point of this article; perception has gotten really, really far away from reality. If you make $250k a year, you are in the top 5% of income earners in the US, and probably in the top 1% worldwide.
Pretty much has to be in management or finance. I don't think even the chief architect of the component of the air traffic control system I work on at work makes 250 grand salary. And this is a multi-billion dollar system operational 24/7 across the entire country's airspace. And our component is the largest and most complex part of the system
Frozenprince
Banned
I mean, $250K might not be that much depending on my sliding tax scale, dependencies, mortgage rates, miscellaneous expenditures, etc etc. To make that much you're probably working some ungodly amount of hours which is another thing to factor in.
But, personally, given that I'd probably just rent a nice place for 1.5K a month and make sure my son had everything he ever wants or needs, they could tax me at 35% and I'd STILL have more money than I'd know what to do with. It's life altering levels of money.
I think the issue with a statement like this isn't necessarily that there is malicious or calloused indifference. I just think that a lot of people, when they make a lot of money (and $250K is a lot of money), think they need to spend that money in order to maximize it's value.
You don't need to live like you have a ton of money, just because you have a ton of money.
But, personally, given that I'd probably just rent a nice place for 1.5K a month and make sure my son had everything he ever wants or needs, they could tax me at 35% and I'd STILL have more money than I'd know what to do with. It's life altering levels of money.
I think the issue with a statement like this isn't necessarily that there is malicious or calloused indifference. I just think that a lot of people, when they make a lot of money (and $250K is a lot of money), think they need to spend that money in order to maximize it's value.
You don't need to live like you have a ton of money, just because you have a ton of money.
Vicetrailia
Banned
Watch your retirement. Don't be like some boomers, good little worker bee's who gotta work even longer because they can't retire.
We all know poor middle class families struggle to make ends meet at $250k a year.
Whenever I see the 260K woman I always think of
SporeCrawler
Member
i agree but then again its called fuckin middle class. it should be the statistical median income or welath plus minus 15%
Soapbox Killer
Grand Nagus
There are very few jobs at 125k that are "Middle-Class", (taking in to account 2 full-time workers) This is very bizarre to me that folks can have such a different perception of the same dollar amount.
Frozenprince
Banned
Homes within 30 minutes of Manhattan (where I'm from in NJ) are like 500k, $250k is well above middle class even on the east coast.
In fact, in the most expensive city in America (San Francisco), $150k/yr is enough to purchase a median home.
That's kind of the point of this article; perception has gotten really, really far away from reality. If you make $250k a year, you are in the top 5% of income earners in the US, and probably in the top 1% worldwide.
I know this has nothing to do with what you said (which is all true) but.
LOOOOOOOOOOL at San Fran on that chart. My lord.
Jag
Member
Low powered lawyers. High powered lawyers make a shitload more than $250k.
Edit: I should add that some lawyers barely make anything. Don't go to law school, kids.
Lord_Balkan
Member
My family / parents were / are definitionally middle class. Many people at college considered their parents and family middle class when I knew they were making anywhere from 2 to 4 times more than my family. I always thought that was funny, in a sad way.
It seems like many people use the term middle class to be "We are doing pretty well, but we could be making way more". If your family is actually at that median, with couple kids and living in the city, then that is a comfort level miles away from what many people consider middle class.
It seems like many people use the term middle class to be "We are doing pretty well, but we could be making way more". If your family is actually at that median, with couple kids and living in the city, then that is a comfort level miles away from what many people consider middle class.
I find this to be both amusing and fascinating, but it's true in my experience. I know people who own $100k houses, and people who own $100k+ cars, and if you asked either of them both would tell you that they're right in the middle.
People tend to consider their own standing to be "normal". Anybody doing better is pampered and privileged, anybody doing worse is struggling.
Frozenprince
Banned
JadedWriter
Member
Live with parents, pay rent, car note, mass transit, trying to start a photography thing on the side, which isn't cheap either cause you need photography gear, girlfriend, which isn't cheap either.
I think something like this would be considered middle-class... yes? no?
I would say no. My husband and I (combined) make more than the higher number there, but we can't afford to own property, because we live in an expensive market. I don't think it makes sense to include anyone in the category of "upper class" if they can't afford to own a home.
milanbaros
Member?
I don't know about the US but in the UK middle class is less to do with income and wealth and more to do with occupation and upbringing.
SporeCrawler
Member
Its true that partners of big lawfirms make extreme amounts of money but those kind of people are not middle class. you will probably not make 250k as an associate lawyer (even if you are senior) even as a partner of a middle sized lawfirm you will probably need a few years to reach 250k+
well then it should be called Bourgeoisie ?
Sho_Nuff82
Member
When defining tax brackets (the most common use for politicians), it should certainly revolve around income and wealth.
I'm guessing downtown SF or Manhattan?
JadedWriter
Member
I'd love to but I don't have enough to really put away at the end of the month. Stuff like random car maintenance eats into stuff severely.
I think something like this would be considered middle-class... yes? no?
Damn, I just made it to middle class then. And now I took a new job that brings a paycut back down to poor because previous job took so long just to get me to 'middle class'
Fack.
Jag
Member
Depends where you are. First year big law associates are at the $150k starting mark and they are not anywhere near high powered yet. Many of the lawyers I know make much more than $250k and I wouldn't consider them high powered. Of course this is all totally anecdotal too. I have a bunch of lawyer friends who all have their own small firms and make serious cash. These are east coast lawyers (NY, FL, DC, MA) so maybe it's different in other parts of the US.
The big law partners I sometimes work with probably make $800k+ and bill $700/hour or more. I consider those high power dudes.
eddie4
Genuinely Generous
I guess you can put it that way. Depends on where you live.
John Dunbar
correct about everything
what market is that?
milanbaros
Member?
Ok, so it is different in the US to UK. Here, what you are referring to would be middle income. Britain has a very complex class system of which money is only a part.
I'd buy everyone on GAF a Vita.
airmangataosenai
Member
The reason Dems stick with that number is exactly because it is high. They are picking a number higher than the average person can imagine making in order to assure them their tax policy will never effect them even if they somehow became "rich".
JadedWriter
Member
Definitely trying to make it a side job not my main job but thanks.
Frozenprince
Banned
Well this is the problem when our entire society from Kindergarten education on up is dependent on feeding people the comfortable lie of the "American Dream". Or, more accurately, what we've turned the American Dream into.
Depends on what definition you're using. If the working class makes up more than 50% of the country, then median wage is not going to be middle class.
Southern California. Part of the problem is that we both have graduate degrees that required student loans, which are like a small mortgage in their own right.
biggersmaller
Banned
My wife and I pull down $150k combined. Another $100k would make me feel like a billionaire. Especially after the kids are done with day care.
PopcornMegaphone
Banned
Yeh and they're trying to not alienate too much of the current voting tax base.
Jag
Member
Maybe, maybe not. My wife just got a job adding significantly to our earnings and 100% of her salary is going into college funds and retirement. It isn't changing our lifestyle at all.
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