Individual Income Poll

[troutman]

30% is the new 1%.

[macker]

The poll is not surprising at all and I would think people are being truthful here. Calgary has the highest personal income in Canada and based on the economy attracts highly skilled and highly educated people from all over the world. For example Calgary has the highest concentration of engineers in the world and engineers that are making less than $100,000 are very rare. I would say this forum has a very high concentration of engineers. Engineers like to analyze and debate things so no surprise they turn up at CP. Like any sports forum the people that contribute also tend to go to the games and without an income in this range tickets likely wouldn't be a priority. If not factoring in the lowering of taxable income through strategic tax planning I am sure the numbers would be much higher!

[Komskies]

This thread crushed my soul. I need to go work in O+G.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Bownesian

A relatively inoffensive way to probe the source of these reported incomes would be to have another poll asking what everyone does in broad categories:

Management
Professional (Accountant, Lawyer, Engineer, G&G)
Technician (Medical, engineering etc. tech.)
Trades (Journeyman and above)
IT
HR/Clerical
Transportation
High end Sales (Real Estate, technical sales)
Retail Sales
Labour
and so on.

If you look at the level of answers you can get from CP on almost any topic, I would bet that this user community is heavily weighted to the sitting down at a desk Professional and Managerial careers than to the relatively unskilled careers that frankly leave people with a lot less opportunity to be arguing on the internet.

I agree, but I'm in management, currently have close to 100 folks working for me and 4 direct report first line managers.

I don't make anywhere near $100K and the public peception is that our entire workforce is overpaid.

I am in the States, though.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by macker

The poll is not surprising at all and I would think people are being truthful here. Calgary has the highest personal income in Canada and based on the economy attracts highly skilled and highly educated people from all over the world. (1) For example Calgary has the highest concentration of engineers in the world and engineers that are making less than $100,000 are very rare. I would say this forum has a very high concentration of engineers. (2) Engineers like to analyze and debate things so no surprise they turn up at CP. Like any sports forum the people that contribute also tend to go to the games and without an income in this range tickets likely wouldn't be a priority. If not factoring in the lowering of taxable income through strategic tax planning I am sure the numbers would be much higher!

(1) Is that true? I thought No 1 was Tel Aviv, No 2 was San Francisco Bay Area (me)...

(2) thats me

[macker]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

(1) Is that true? I thought No 1 was Tel Aviv, No 2 was San Francisco Bay Area (me)...

(2) thats me

I can't say for sure. I deal with a bunch of them that often quote this. Haven't actually looked it up though.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Komskies

This thread crushed my soul. I need to go work in O+G.

In Yemen.

[macker]

I just googled it and this is the first thing that came up :
http://www.calgaryeconomicdevelopmen...ofileFINAL.pdf
This says highest concentration in Canada. Not sure about the world though.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by macker

I can't say for sure. I deal with a bunch of them that often quote this. Haven't actually looked it up though.

I just started looking for verification no that, I may have confused that with graduate degrees. So my bad... I could be wrong... (it probably wouldn't make sense for Tel Aviv to be No 1 in engineering, but it would make sense for grad degrees)

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by macker

I just googled it and this is the first thing that came up :
http://www.calgaryeconomicdevelopmen...ofileFINAL.pdf
In there somewhere...

Thanks... its "in canada" ... having lived in both cities, I think SF Bay Area might be slightly higher? Certainly a lot in Calgary though... I've only lived in 3 places (Calgary/Edmonton/SF Bay Area) so I don't know how that compares to, say, Toronto or Vancouver.

[Traditional_Ale]

This thread makes me wish I'd charged burn_this_city more for the Optima he just bought.

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

I agree, but I'm in management, currently have close to 100 folks working for me and 4 direct report first line managers.

I don't make anywhere near $100K and the public peception is that our entire workforce is overpaid.

I am in the States, though.

This thread must make you very angry. Time to go "postal!!!"

Just kidding.

Most millionaires I know are pretty ordinary folk in a lot of ways, methodically accumulating wealth from humble beginnings and generally knowing the value of an individual buck.

You would never know them on the street by any hint of bling or flash or, in most cases, in the neighbourhood they live in.

They put their time in and, through fairly ordinary means, they ended up as millionaires.

My uncle is probably one of the richest guys in central Alberta but still lives in the same, small bungalow in Red Deer he built about 50 years ago.

I have seen people who can start with zero, make a million dollars in a small amount of time, lose it all and then do it all over again!!! Those are dynamic, hard-charging personalities. Those guys can be flashy with the bling.

Generally though, its about being methodical, consistent and prudent in your choices.

Income level is important to that but not everything.

PS: That poll should actually not stop at $100,000+. It should be $100,000, $200,000, $300,000 and then $400,000+

Cowperson

[ranchlandsselling]

I voted already and commented in the other thread.

I'm likely the poorest of my inner circle of friends and family. I'd bet my salary is lower than most of the people I know/hang out with. My parents make 30% and 150% more than I do and two of my siblings make more than I do.

Calgary and area has a lot of money and earns a lot of money. It may be surprising to some.

[OilKiller]

Originally Posted by darklord700

I have a house that I paid off. I max out my RRSP and TSAF every year, I owe no credit card debt.

Wow...now I feel worse than when I did seeing all those votes over 100k. Good for you though...

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

The downside is that to get there you have to work pretty hard with long hours and when you get the position you are still expected to maintain the workload. 90 hour weeks are not uncommon in the summer (although technically against Alberta labour laws) as is a schedule of 24 days on and 4 days off.

It's not illegal if you signed a contract of employment which states that you agree to work the hours required by the job. For instance, there is a clause in my contract where I agreed to work as many hours that are required to complete a project. Basically, if I objected to the contract I wouldn't have been an employee there.

[OilKiller]

Originally Posted by Reaper

It's not illegal if you signed a contract of employment which states that you agree to work the hours required by the job. For instance, there is a clause in my contract where I agreed to work as many hours that are required to complete a project. Basically, if I objected to the contract I wouldn't have been an employee there.

Pretty sure they can't break labour laws by simply putting it in a contract. If laws are broken, regardless of you signing a contract, they are broken IMO. Guess a lawyer can come in and tell us for sure, but that would be my take.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Reaper

It's not illegal if you signed a contract of employment which states that you agree to work the hours required by the job. For instance, there is a clause in my contract where I agreed to work as many hours that are required to complete a project. Basically, if I objected to the contract I wouldn't have been an employee there.

I don't think you can sign away your legal rights. At a few restaurants I've worked at, they've asked people to sign an agreement that they can work OT, but will only be paid the regular wage for that. The staff would not get the time and a half they should be getting.

I've been told these agreements aren't allowed, and even if signed, wouldn't hold up. Hopefully someone can clarify/debunk this for me.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

I blow all of my money on trips and cars and will work until I'm 80 if I want to stay on human food

I'm on the Freedom 95 plan.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Komskies

This thread crushed my soul. I need to go work in O+G.

Working in O+G crushes your soul, too. Fortunately, you can afford a nice pillow to put it on.

[Barnet Flame]

Stupid falling Pound and quantitative easing.