The figures on the ons data must be wrong for whatever reason is all I can conclude
A G&D thread, so no politics please....
There was a chap on last nights Question Time who claimed (quite strongly) that he was NOT in the top 5% or earners, even though his salary was £80k+. It turns out that officially he IS in the top 5% based on the 2016/2017 ONS data, but it did get me thinking that there must be a lot of people earning in a way that is skewing the figures, as although £80k is a decent salary, I was quite surprised to see that it was within the top 5% of earners (tax payers).
I suspect that dividend payments, share deals etc remove the highest earners from the ONS data. Or maybe the data is correct and I am just better off than I think(?) - it certainly doesnt feel like that!
We all sit where we do within the earnings/spending spectrum and I think we all 'spend to our means' to a certain extent, so maybe we are also blinkered to where we sit when compared with others.
I came across this tool from the IFS which in theory allows you to 'see where you are in the grand scheme of things' and thought it might be interesting for others to have a go too. It is a crude tool, for fun only, but does give some idea.
https://www.ifs.org.uk/tools_and_res..._do_you_fit_in
Compare your figures if you want to, but that is not the intention of the post.
Hope you find it enlightening.
Personally, I don't believe what it told me at all.
The figures on the ons data must be wrong for whatever reason is all I can conclude
All I know is I get gang raped by HMRC
I have never felt wealthy. My wife sees to that....
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Very much depends where you live.
I am glad it isn't just me then.
£80k just doesn't sound like the top 5% of earners to me, by quite some margin. Top 25-30% maybe, but top 5% is very hard to believe.
ONS salary data here is anyone wants to see it.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentand...earningsearn01
I guess we can’t relate to the poor 95% who have to feed 4 kids as a single parent on a lot less than £80K and have to work two jobs to put food on the table.
It's a 'broad-brush' statistic that simply indicates that 95% earn less than £80k & those in the top 5 percentile earn from £80k to gazillions.
Last edited by jwg663; 22nd November 2019 at 16:32.
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Jim.
I feel wealthy on quite a bit less than half of that. SWMBO can stay at home or work if she wants, we don't scrimp or worry about where the money will come from.
That said we don't waste money either, we live in East Yorkshire which means our house was a fraction of down south. Drive a second hand ten year old car and no eye watering holidays.
Work to live not live to work.
Apparently better than 99% of the population. Definitely doesn’t feel like it, but then i live in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
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Not as wealthy as Skyman !
What really surprised me was the fact that according to these stats, more than 50% earn less than £25K.
I feel wealthy enough. I don’t work either. My pensions are enough thanks.
Throughout life I have always found my expenses adapt to fit my income. I have had a small income, I have had large income >80k, I am now comfortable.
Last edited by MartynJC (UK); 22nd November 2019 at 16:54.
I think it is worse than that, as those stats are based on taxpayers, so 50% of people with jobs earn less than £25k.
There will be a fair few people without jobs who aren't even included within the data I assume.
As well as the other end of the spectrum where the mega-earners income is so substantial it is worth them avoiding the tax due.
I actually think the top 1% is earning about 150k + (as an individual).
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£80k might sound quite high, (about £4,600/month take home) but surely it's dependant upon out goings.
For example if someone had a 600k mortgage that's £1k/month.
Then you have rates - another £300/month
Home insurance, Utility Bills, food, etc - another £1000/month
A decent car On PCP - another £1000/month, inc fuel, insurance, tax etc -
A £6k holiday fund - £500/month
£100/week on stuff/luxuries/pets, mobile phone, internet, line rental, etc (£400)
A contribution to a pension - £300.
And that's 4.5k a month which leaves £100/month for rainy day money.
Now compare this with someone on universal credit £317/month.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Point was made by someone that a couple where one partner doesn’t work and the other earns £80k pa would end up worse off than a couple each earning £40k pa. I know that “independent taxation” has applied for decades, but it doesn’t feel logically right.
It's possibly location based. I think earning £80k p/a would easily within the top 5% in the North. My School year had about 100 kids, we're all 40 this year so all nearing the top of our earnings potential. There's no way 25/30 of the kids in my school year will be earning £80k or above. Five people sounds more realistic.
You think 25-30% of working people in the UK earn £80k or above?
“you have a higher income than around 97% of the population - equivalent to about 62.5 million individuals.”
I’d have guessed a somewhat lower percentage. Certainly I feel better off that the majority of work colleagues but on a par with friends.
I live in Rural South West Wales.
Most people I meet earn about £16K working full time.
£25K here would be considered an excellent job, no way "average"
£80K is more rare than hens eggs. I almost never meet anyone on that except the obvious like a GP
Indeed, I was going to comment on that payment - as the quotes I'm getting are way higher for borrowing 100k less!
Despite the figures I don't feel as if I'm a high earner bracket - but it's all relative and down to percentages. I guess the problem is all my clients are considerably better off, so maybe that skews things slightly.
But if I put other things into context, I generally don't (need to) check if I can afford day to day items like I used to not that many years ago. But when I start looking at buying a new house I'm hit with the reality that I can't immediately afford a lot of the things I'd really like.
Last edited by Omegamanic; 22nd November 2019 at 17:45.
It's just a matter of time...
£80k is comfortably top 5%. If you find it hard to believe it's because you're likely to mix with people who are pretty much like you. It's how the world works -we tend to stick to our own. A watch forum is more likely than average to attract those type of people as well.
That bloke was a complete idiot by the way.
I earn a decent wage, but two people on half what I earn would have a lot more take home pay.
That sucks balls.
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I used to earn more than £80k in the last few years of working but I was run into the ground to the point of being permanently knackered. I was living to work as the old saying goes. The only time I walked into a restaurant was for a business lunch and it was a chore rather than pleasure.
I am now retired so my income is based on pensions and savings. I am obviously financially poorer but the quality of my life has zoomed upwards. I am on a permanent holiday and the most stressful decision I made today was what colour shirt to put on. I eat out 4 or 5 times a week with my wife and friends and it is a pleasant way to pass the day. We had a lunch of grilled fish and salad today with a bottle of water, wine and coffee over looking the Med.
I actually feel wealthier today than when I was working. I now have the time to spend money but when I was working I was saving money and not spending it and hence I did not feel wealthy if that makes sense.
I took early retirement at 51 from the Civil Service and although my pension gross from them is 34/80ths with no National Insurance or other deductions and a hell of a lot less tax to pay I am taking home close to 50% net of what I was bringing home when I worked.
The trade off is no more getting up at silly o'clock and commuting into Liverpool City Centre. Financially I am worse off, but quality of life is much improved and I am able to fulfil the role of house husband, so that when wifey gets home from work the house is always warm, tidy, food on the go and all washing turned around etc, so my being home makes her lot a little easier. I'm also walking 25 to 30 miles a week, mainly in the mornings, so that gets me out and helps keep me relatively fit.
Still about 8 years away from state pension, but when that eventually arrives it will be like a £5k to £6k pay rise.
Wealthy means different things to different people, but I would rather be where I am today than where I was 10 years ago.
I/ we stopped working at 40, moved to Spain 9 years ago where the cost of most
things is lower, Own our home here debt free and have no credit card debt. Only have mortgage debt on Btl in London.They are on long fixes and loan to values are at 35 percent or lower.Our investments generate more than the Uk average salary and more by a decent margin then our average months living expenses. We have cash reserves, enough for perhaps 4 to 5 years living expenses if the investment income all for some reason stopped.
We feel comfortable, time rich when we are also young enough to really enjoy active pastimes, raising our son and best of all free. With luck and continued good health we feel we have it pretty well sorted but you can never be complacent.
Last edited by Passenger; 22nd November 2019 at 18:50.
I have to agree with some of the comments on here, just earning 80 plus k per year does not make you wealthy, or indeed healthy.
I worked for 30 years in the engineering business, 12 plus hours per shift, sometimes didn't know whether I was coming or going.
Opportunity came up for early retirement at 50, didn't think twice, although I was in a position financially to make that decision, I probably work harder now but it's work I enjoy doing, and it's for myself, if I choose to have a lazy day I will.
Mortgage free with rental investments, ( also mortgage free ), savings tucked away, nice house in a wonderful part of the country, I think you get the picture.
It's not all about how much money you earn, more about the quality of life you achieve, not just for yourself, but your family as well.
I agree on both, that bloke was a k-nob and quite aggressive.
Back to the question - We easily get by on £1500 a month, me, missus, son and dog, 4 bed house in a nice part of the country and 2 cars + a classic in the garage, we have an offset mortgage so any savings bring the interest down, this was setup just after 2008 and that current mortgage is not available anymore, we're classed as a bad investment by the lender!
I only work/earn money at things I like to do, so while I wouldnt say I was cash rich I'm certainly life rich which I have grown to appreciate more than cash.
You can always earn money but you can never earn more time.
Depends where you live. £80k in London and you need your partner to work as well in order to afford the bills
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Last edited by ryanb741; 22nd November 2019 at 19:48.
80k a year before tax is an inconceivable amount of money for someone like me. Whether that guy is right or wrong, if he doesn't feel he is wealthy, perhaps he should stop to think what that means for those lower down the ladder.
And it depends where in London you live Ryan. I was able to live there on about £10k a year. Poor people love in London too.
Last edited by hafle; 22nd November 2019 at 19:59.
According to that survey I should be lording it up on my megayacht in Monaco.
Tax, living in the center of a large city, and wasting any free cash I have on things that ticks, explains why I would consider myself wealthy.
Can't complain though, I've gotten some nice watches out of it lol
I live here. No check needed. £80k up north is loads I agree. You can buy a really nice house for £500k or even much less. I mean really nice. London that's a flat and you'll pay £1800 a month on the mortgage for that. There is £33k of your gross salary gone already. So please educate me
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Didn’t watch it so can’t comment on the guy. However, earning 80k in London isn’t amazing. It’s a good wage and better than most but still doesn’t make you ‘wealthy’ imo, to the point you don’t have to worry about money. Plus the more you earn the nicer your home, car, watch etc. So you can end up with same disposable income as someone on half that.
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Last edited by RAFF; 22nd November 2019 at 20:49.
He's earning more than 95% of the rest of the population & is whinging about it.
There's a hell of a lot of people who have next to no money...
I live in the south west. £80k is no hardship even here. London maybe, but it's one of the last places I'd choose to live in this country.
Last edited by trident-7; 22nd November 2019 at 20:26.
Agree that there is a lot of poverty also. And South West is lovely (prior to moving to London I lived in Poole in Dorset and that was an amazing place to live. But too far to travel to London daily (and in any case any saving made on the mortgage would be offset by the price of the rail tickets).
I earn less than the UK national average. I'm not in poverty, I have a professional job, and we can afford holidays, and a car, and a gym membership, and all those sorts of things.
But I'm definitely not middle class, we aren't on the housing ladder, and times are often tight.
You don’t need to live in central London though. I know people who work in the Capital and live south of the river. A quick look on rightmove shows a 3 bed semi with large garden in at £450k, that’s about £100k more than a similar sized house in the northern village I live in. So you don’t need £80k or more to live comfortably and work in London.