New study: $50k/yr May Be the Happiness Tipping Point

[JEDI]

http://moneyland.time.com/2012/04/1...piness-tipping-point/?iid=pf-article-mostpop1

You dont feel more happy above $75k.
but you dont feel less happy till below $50k.


so $50k is what? top 10% of earners?

 

[Ns1]

Lies - I'm not happy and I'm somewhere in between.

 

[JEDI]

Lies - I'm not happy and I'm somewhere in between.

i dont remember.. havent made below $75k this century

tho i might be unemployed this summer.
guarenteed contract expires, company not renewing

so next year i might experience it...

 

[OCGuy]

I feel much happier than when I made $50k.

Also, $50k in CA is a lot different than $50k in Alabama. So unless the article, (which I did not read) accounts for COL....stupid.

 

[purbeast0]

i am going to have to disagree with the "you dont feel more happy above $75k"...

i can go on vacations and buy more shit and save money without really having to worry, much more so than i could when i was at $75k on the dot.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Well, then, the answer is obvious to any liberal. We must raise minimum wage to 50k.

 

[Ns1]

Well, then, the answer is obvious to any liberal. We must raise minimum wage to 50k.

I lol'd

 

[corwin]

Well, then, the answer is obvious to any liberal. We must raise minimum wage to 50k.

LOL


Personally I was much happier when I broke that 75k mark...hell every time I got a raise it made me happier...who the hell doesn't get happier making more money? If they don't want it I'll take it:awe:

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I've never made more than 40k, but I'm happier now at 30 than I was at 40 with a job I had grown tired of. Job satisfaction can mean more than money.

 

[JEDI]

i am going to have to disagree with the "you dont feel more happy above $75k"...

i can go on vacations and buy more shit and save money without really having to worry, much more so than i could when i was at $75k on the dot.

u couldnt go on vacations and save $ w/o worry on $75k!?!

what oversized house or blinged out car did you buy/waste your $ on?!

 

[goog40]

That study is retarded. All they did was find that people who make over $50k are happier than people who make less. Big surprise there. There was no further separation between different income groups other than that arbitrary $50k cutoff. They could have done the same study comparing people above or below $20k income and concluded that $20k makes you happy.

 

[Attic]

50K appears arbitrary if not considering COL.

It's about disposable income. It certain areas 50K may leave you with little to none, where as in others it may leave you quite a bit.

I'd like to know what amount of disposable income people are happy with.

I'd say 1.2k or greater a month.

 

[JEDI]

LOL


Personally I was much happier when I broke that 75k mark...hell every time I got a raise it made me happier...who the hell doesn't get happier making more money? If they don't want it I'll take it:awe:

why were you more happy above the $75k mark?

 

[Murloc]

50k$ is nothing in my country.
2 uni students with spartan lives and no car can live on that budget.

 

[OCGuy]

u couldnt go on vacations and save $ w/o worry on $75k!?!

what oversized house or blinged out car did you buy/waste your $ on?!

$75k is nothing if you have a certain lifestyle.

The SO and I do pretty well for ourselves, and there are times where we feel strapped. We average out to over that per person.

 

[purbeast0]

u couldnt go on vacations and save $ w/o worry on $75k!?!

what oversized house or blinged out car did you buy/waste your $ on?!

i could, but now i can do more of that and go to more exotic places and spend like 3 or 4 grand while on vacation and not bat an eye. makes it much more fun when you are on vacation and can literally do whatever you want to do w/out having to worry about if you have enough money to do so. i always save WWAAYY more than I expect to actually use on vacation, just in case.

since last january i've been to cancun, vegas, bahamas, and aruba, as well as other little local trips. also have bought a new (to me) car, maxed out my roth IRA, contribute to 401k, and have a decent downpayment for a house when we find one we want to buy. cost of living around here though is pretty ridiculous.

couldn't really do that back when i was only making $75k, let alone $50k (which I was making just under right out of school).

not trying to brag or anything, just trying to say how it's made things easier for me and made me happier. i'm also in the midst of trying to find a new job and have an offer that i may take which is $10k more than i currently make.

 

[Attic]

$75k is nothing if you have a certain lifestyle.

The SO and I do pretty well for ourselves, and there are times where we feel strapped. We average out to over that per person.

I know very well a couple who make 225k and they feel strapped.

I just can't understand it, but i'm sure I could if I was accustomed to 225k of income over 10 years. I suppose you find ways to spend it. They also save a lot.

 

[Baked]

I can tell you first hand that money does not buy you happiness. It's not even the life style.

 

[RPD]

It doesn't matter what you make, it matters what you spend and how much difference there is between covering your bases and still having enought to splurge responsibly.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

The only thing I can guarantee is that if you complain about financial troubles to someone who makes less money than you, you won't find any sympathy. Life may be hard for some people who are making $50k, but you're not convincing someone who makes half that that life is somehow harder for you than it is for them.

 

[DaWhim]

depends on the location. NYC? i don't think so. any country in africa? hell yea.

 

[thegimp03]

$50k is nothing when a basic 1,000 sq. ft. house costs over $500k.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

I've never made more than 40k, but I'm happier now at 30 than I was at 40 with a job I had grown tired of. Job satisfaction can mean more than money.

That's what people say when they can't make more money.
Job satisfaction can suck it when the electric company comes by to turn off your electricity.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

That's what people say when they can't make more money.
Job satisfaction can suck it when the electric company comes by to turn off your electricity.

Well obviously that's predicated on making enough to cover your bills. If you're constantly in debt and struggling to get by, then no, you won't be too happy. Then again, part of job satisfaction in my mind is feeling like you get paid enough, and if you're constantly under the threat of not being able to pay bills, I think you're going to feel undervalued at work.

 

[spidey07]

50 tho a year will buy a lotta beer
things are looking great
and they're only getting better, yeah

future's so bright
I gotta wear shades
I gotta wear shades