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Would you rather live 10 years longer or earn double your current salary?

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Would you rather live 10 years longer or earn double your current salary?

  • Have a normal desk job that pays $50K/yr. Live a normal life.

  • Have a job that pays $100K/yr, but much more taxing on your body and likely to die earlier.

Results are only viewable after voting.
Based on the predefined scenario of 50k - 100k and 80 - 70 years, no. Yes if I know I'd live to 90+ and double what MY current salary is.
 
The answer is pretty much dependent ones expected life span.

It's pretty similar to the idea of whether one should retire early or later given the expected payout of social security.
 
Double the salary. The best years of your life (health-wise etc.) are your younger years. You are healthy enough to enjoy the stuff you can buy.

Edit: Of course, this depends on how old you currently are and your expected life span.

If you are 50-60 now, the double money aint doing anything for you since you already own most of what you would own (house).

If you are in your 20-30s with the average life expectancy, double salary is the deal because it enables you to get better car, house, food, education for kids, etc.
 
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One other thing to note was that study that showed that @75K there wasn't a noticeable increase in happiness past that.

Happiness got better as income rose but the effect leveled out at $75,000, Deaton said. On the other hand, their overall sense of success or well-being continued to rise as their earnings grew beyond that point.
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So it you changed the poll to 75K + 10 years vs 150K then the answer is pretty easy. @50 I'd still take the 10 years to see my great grandchildren.
 
great thing about growing up poor in Detroit is that I can live with next to nothing. I'd be fine with 20k/yr. give me the 10 years.
 
The thing most of you seem to be overlooking is the fact that it's not a simple +$50K salary for 10 years of your life. If you take the $100K job, you not only are giving up 10 years of your life, but you will have one miserable life as the job you work will be in the most extreme miserable conditions.
 
Schfifty Five said:
The thing most of you seem to be overlooking is the fact that it's not a simple +$50K salary for 10 years of your life. If you take the $100K job, you not only are giving up 10 years of your life, but you will have one miserable life as the job you work will be in the most extreme miserable conditions.
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Says who? That depends on the job. And I'm pretty sure someone raking in $100,000 a year isn't working somewhere "miserable". The real difference is that overall you'll have more responsibilities and more expectations to live up to.
 
Considering I make between $70-80k now, I'll take longer life any day.

Higher paid jobs tend to be more stressful and too much stress will shorten your life anyways.
 
Newbian said:
The last few years of your life sucks anyway plus with more money = a better life and rewards so you actually would have more fun then a lower paying job.
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The question is do you lose the bad 10 years off the end or do you lose 10 good years out of the middle. Looking at the OP's scenario I would think that the accelerated ageing is costing you good years not bad ones.
 
The problem here is that the double salary option also includes a job that you hate, so your life quality decreases.
It's not what the title said.
So I'd choose A just to avoid the shitty job, not because I can live longer.
 
Considering how expensive it is to live in Connecticut, I'm going for the double salary option even if it kills me 10 years earlier.
 
$50k IS double may salary.

I think I'd pick live longer, as long as my health is good. Both my grandfathers died around unlucky 72. That seems to be the hurdle for men and mortality. Would have been nice to have them around longer. Would have loved to fly my RC planes with my mom's dad. He was an aviation buff and would have thoroughly enjoyed that. My dad's dad was an all around great guy. Don't know how he kept my grandma's abrasive personality in check all those years.
 
if it were the same job with double the pay, but -10yrs, i'd probably do it. but a significantly more stressful job? probably not.
 
KingstonU said:
Trying not to get too specific but here is the scenario:

Option A: Have a normal desk job that pays, say $50K/year, and most likely live into your 80's.

Option B: Have a job that is much more taxing on your body, but pays double, so like $100K/year.

You are more likely to die earlier, say by 10 years so in your 70's, due to always working the majority of your days in environments of extreme cold/heat (-60'F to 122'F, or -50'C to 50'C), exposure to all the elements like rain/hail/snow/high humidity, breathing in dust, exposure to many chemicals, heavy lifting, using large & dangerous equipment (often in poor working condition) and often not having the healthiest food options.
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so u work in construction?
do it only if union, cause u get a pension at 20yrs.
else you're just a glorified mexican laborer
 
Option B, just because it may not necessarily be a hellish job, only very tough and taxing. You can always manage stress, and you can always eat better- the caffeine and no-calorie junk, stress fix to get you "amped" for your job is an excuse. Very hot? Well, then learn to sweat. Cold, brrrr....get a down coat and sweater. The only thing I'd be wary about it the exposure to chemicals, breathing particulates.
 
Schfifty Five said:
Says the OP.
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The poll says the job would be much more demanding overall; in very varying degrees of weather, and it'd be physically demanding. I'm not taking his example, as the only thing that would apply would be an odd construction job. Jobs that pay more typically demand more of you in terms of the time you have to work and you'll have higher physical exhaustion. They're not demanding of you as far as how much physical strength you have, like a construction job would.
 
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