How Much Do You Make?

That is the question that everybody would like to know the answer to, but nobody wants to ask. I mentioned before how readers are innately curious other people's net worth. I think this is because of people's natural curiosity -- wanting to assess how one is doing compared to others. When you read new blog or meet somebody new, do you ever wonder how much they make?

So, how much do you make? Madame X, who writes My Open Wallet (one of the blogs on my blog list), has asked the question not once but twice. Do you think she got any responses? In fact, she received hundreds of comments on her posts. Here are a few that I picked out.

I'm a 22-year-old woman, single, living in the midwest. I work tech support for a software company, and I make $32,000. I just finished a degree in English, so I feel like I'm doing pretty well for myself.

I'm at 31 year old living in small town in Ohio, I have a BS degree. I work for a non-profit managing the office & doing all accounting, marketing, fund-raising, communication (pretty much everything) for about $19,000 per year. I have no debt and I am 8 yrs away from paying off my house.

Male, 41 living in Fredericksburg, VA. I work for the patent office, 114,000/yr plus 5000-10000 bonus + overtime.

I'm 41, male, single, an MD in Illinois. Annual base income $180K (excluding bonus which may add another $20-30K at year's end).

Mid-40's, male, married, no kids, Wall Streeter, live in same part of Brooklyn as Madame X, own brownstone and investment properties w/rental income. Total income ranges from upper six-figures to over $1mm depending on what year, what you count, and how you count it (ex. stk options, rental income, invmnt distributions, etc).

4WV4 VXXN NTXA

Bay Area, single female, 41yrs old, Software Engineering Director, $130K/yr.

So, now I'm asking: how much do you make?

DC