Sunshine List will expose six-figure salaries of Alberta government employees

[Pizza]

Originally Posted by darklord700

If you are a single earner with 2 kids, a big house, 2 cars. $5K take home pay isn't much. But this is the world we live in.

No its not

owning a big house and 2 cars is a luxury, especially if you're a single parent of 2. You choose to allocate your money to those things instead of a modest 1000 sq/f condo, with one car. It's the choice you make as an income earner and to say that a 100k income after paying off a mortgage and two car loans is it's not much is just ridiculous

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Wormius

- Determine who to start targeting with ads or get attacked by hoards of financial
planners.

Maybe its a failing of my business, but this never crossed my mind. Surely there are bigger worries than someone offering to help people plan for retirement though! Oh no, the horror of that guy offering me advice.

[killer_carlson]

thus far no one has explained to me the justification for publishing the worker's names.

Just because BC does it does not mean the loss of privacy is justified. if you want to do this, publish the job title, the salary, and the severance - not the name.

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by Slava

Maybe its a failing of my business, but this never crossed my mind. Surely there are bigger worries than someone offering to help people plan for retirement though! Oh no, the horror of that guy offering me advice.

I know I don't want any of you guys calling me on my gold plated iPhone telling me how to save my millions.

[foshizzle11]

Originally Posted by Bmuzyka

I fully agree, and in a single income household, with multiple kids, its a damn near a living wage in Calgary.

I could only dream of making 100k.

Give me a break, no way 100k is an average in Calgary. 50% of workers in Calgary are not making this kind of cash.

[RyZ]

Originally Posted by foshizzle11

I could only dream of making 100k.

Give me a break, no way 100k is an average in Calgary. 50% of workers in Calgary are not making this kind of cash.

50% of workers? Try 95% of workers.

The wife and I run the family on 80k a year with a house and 2 cars and make ends meet just fine. If you are one of the lucky 10% or less that make 100k+ and "struggle", you are living your life wrong.

[Rathji]

The fact that some of the people here who think that an average wage in Calgary is $100k are some of the same people who think that people who need government assistance are just lazy, is really telling.

[GP_Matt]

I think there is a big discrepancy on here as to what struggling financially means.
To some it means having to make decisions like paying your kids school fees or buying groceries.
To others it may mean having to cut back on restaurants so that you can pay for your vacation. (or doing both but taking on debt as a result)

[-TC-]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

As I posted earlier, the median household income in Alberta is $89k. That means that half the province's population has a total family income less than that. So please go on and explain how rough someone making $100k+ has it.

I know our resident expert muta has already weighed in on the subject, and frankly I can't expect to compete with that but here's some quick math...it may not apply to everyone and some of these numbers are pretty conservative, others may not be so. again, rough numbers, applicability varies.

Gross Income $100,000.00
Taxes
Federal $17,810.00
Provincial $8,241.00

Net Income $73,949.00

Mortgage $18,000.00
Insurance $1,500.00
Car $7,800.00
Insurance $1,800.00
Groceries $7,200.00
Restaurant
University Costs $17,500.00
Savings $7,200.00
Utilities $3,600.00
Phone/Internet/Mobile $4,200.00
Cable $1,200.00
Entertainment $3,000.00



Total Expenses $73,000.00

the tax numbers come from here: http://simpletax.ca/calculator

[yads]

Originally Posted by -TC-

I know our resident expert muta has already weighed in on the subject, and frankly I can't expect to compete with that but here's some quick math...it may not apply to everyone and some of these numbers are pretty conservative, others may not be so. again, rough numbers, applicability varies.

Gross Income $100,000.00
Taxes
Federal $17,810.00
Provincial $8,241.00

Net Income $73,949.00

Mortgage $18,000.00
Insurance $1,500.00
Car $7,800.00
Insurance $1,800.00
Groceries $7,200.00
Restaurant
University Costs $17,500.00
Savings $7,200.00
Utilities $3,600.00
Phone/Internet/Mobile $4,200.00
Cable $1,200.00
Entertainment $3,000.00



Total Expenses $73,000.00

the tax numbers come from here: http://simpletax.ca/calculator

First of all University costs are tax deductable, second so are RRSPs (assuming any of the $7200 goes into an RRSP), third the car amount is quite high (assuming this is for 1 car).

[Muta]

Originally Posted by -TC-

I know our resident expert muta has already weighed in on the subject, and frankly I can't expect to compete with that

You`ve learned well, young grasshopper. Can I offer you a kleenex?

[Ozy_Flame]

Add back your tax return given your University costs and tuition.

Also, I am assuming your are paying for your kids university tuition 100%? Why not have them pay half and you pay half? Many people work through university too.

Ah . . . Who am I kidding, you're right. 100k is just balls to live on.

[ynwa03]

Originally Posted by -TC-

I know our resident expert muta has already weighed in on the subject, and frankly I can't expect to compete with that but here's some quick math...it may not apply to everyone and some of these numbers are pretty conservative, others may not be so. again, rough numbers, applicability varies.

Gross Income $100,000.00
Taxes
Federal $17,810.00
Provincial $8,241.00

Net Income $73,949.00

Mortgage $18,000.00
Insurance $1,500.00
Car $7,800.00
Insurance $1,800.00
Groceries $7,200.00
Restaurant
University Costs $17,500.00
Savings $7,200.00
Utilities $3,600.00
Phone/Internet/Mobile $4,200.00
Cable $1,200.00
Entertainment $3,000.00



Total Expenses $73,000.00

the tax numbers come from here: http://simpletax.ca/calculator

Yeah, $100,000 a year is not enough if you plan on living like you're making twice that.

Just because you make a certain salary, does not mean that is how much you have to spend.

Spending $450/month on Cable/Internet/Phone/Mobile is a bit ridiculous.
So is an extra $250/month on entertainment.

[Muta]

Also, why not make your kids work during university, kids are fully capable of doing that. I worked through university, so did all my siblings. You can save costs right there.

Or, if you dont want them to work, they can take out a post-secondary government loan like millions of other students do every year.

Also, $7,800 on cars? Why? Are these new cars being financed or something? If you cant afford them, why not just buy a used beater? Like I said, theres alot ways you can get by as long as you make the right choices and save money.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Slava

Maybe its a failing of my business, but this never crossed my mind. Surely there are bigger worries than someone offering to help people plan for retirement though! Oh no, the horror of that guy offering me advice.

I said financial planners. It's okay if there is just one.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by -TC-

I know our resident expert muta has already weighed in on the subject, and frankly I can't expect to compete with that but here's some quick math...it may not apply to everyone and some of these numbers are pretty conservative, others may not be so. again, rough numbers, applicability varies.

Gross Income $100,000.00
Taxes
Federal $17,810.00
Provincial $8,241.00

Net Income $73,949.00

Mortgage $18,000.00
Insurance $1,500.00
Car $7,800.00
Insurance $1,800.00
Groceries $7,200.00
Restaurant
University Costs $17,500.00
Savings $7,200.00
Utilities $3,600.00
Phone/Internet/Mobile $4,200.00
Cable $1,200.00
Entertainment $3,000.00



Total Expenses $73,000.00

the tax numbers come from here: http://simpletax.ca/calculator

I think everything past "Insurance" seems a bit steep. But that might be spread across a number of people.

Was university supposed to be loan payback or that you're currently paying for somebody's tuition?

[V]

Well, I have $15,000 in University annual expenses, but those are my own, so there's no dependent to share that cost with.

I clear $100k pretty comfortably, and I would love some of those budget lines for entertainment and cable/internet. Of course we average about $2700/month in daily spending like groceries, fuel, household items, maintenance, etc, so that's a little higher than your $600/month in groceries.

I have crazy respect for people that make do with less than 6 figures. I've been over for a while and we have never, ever felt financially comfortable. We budget everything and watch every single expense, so it's not like we're burning through our money irresponsibly. I don't know how people do it, but I have a ton of respect for them. And plenty of the ones I know have a number of kids just like us, so it's not like they're forgoing that monstrous expense.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by fotze

Probably pays the kids mobile bills too. Paying for the kids certainly lowers the lifestyle but its a choice that some do not make.

I guess thats the choice some make then. I actually dont understand why a parent would pay for a kids cellphone, that is a luxury expense that a kid can survive without, but also one that a kid can easily pay for... but thats just me.

Again, I have friends that dont make anywhere close to $100k a year, have kids, and are getting by. Its all about choices and smart financial decision making.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by fotze

Its a good life but not luxurious or anything.

And I think that's kind of the problem. Many people in the rest of North America would love to live the good life. In Calgary, the good life is no longer good enough because everyone demands to live the luxurious life.

100k is more than enough to give your family a good decent life. But if you want to give your kids everything, pay for their entire university education, have multiple new cars all the time, own a house, and fill it with toys....then, yeah, 100k is not going to cut it. But all these things are luxuries, we just don't see them that way anymore.

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by -TC-

Savings $7,200.00

Savings? In Calgary? Heh.

"You're poorer than you think."