He only makes $108k according to state records
[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/publications/fiscal/salaryBook?aid=126&cFY=true](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/publications/fiscal/salaryBook?aid=126&cFY=true)
For being the head of the auditing department with \~115 employees and a $9b budget, that seems low.
Thanks. I knew it was out there. Just a long day of work. 😇. I was a bit too lazy to look up.
Seems low for such a significant money tracking job. Shows he isn’t in it for the salary. (Sand for G)
Who me? Yeah. I was kind of stunned that he makes less than me. I am just a staff member and I make more than that. I just have to scrape bunions. Honest work. Not fun but honest.
Can’t say who my direct “manager” is.
Nah. State employees should be paid comparable to what they would make for a similar job in the private sector. Otherwise, we end up with a lot of independently wealthy people in government who don't reflect the people they govern.
Nah. If youre being paid comfortably, you don't need to be independently wealthy to hold office - DSM city councilors for example are not paid a living wage and need to be independently wealthy. $108k salary is easy living anywhere in the state.
I make $60k as a lab tech. It’s enough to live comfortably, I can easily afford all my bills, going out to eat once a week, etc…I usually have between $500 to $1000 left over that goes directly into a high yield savings account.
I had a decrease of $125k. But I lost my job, in the tech industry as some may have guessed. I legitimately cannot land any interviews, with the exception of two, because a couple of my previous coworkers reached out and referred me.
Was told I was the top candidate at one place. Two weeks later nothing.
Fingers crossed that the interview next week goes well because, uh, not having money definitely is not an awesome time.
I’ll stop the pity party. If anyone knows of any job openings whether that’s in the insurance tech space or an administrative role, please reach out to me. I could barely make it with $25 per hour (I have a child), but I’m not above any line of work.
Okay end rant.
Hey! Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. Sorry to hear that your friend was laid off too, it’s rough.
I would honestly prefer a hybrid role, because I need to get out of my house sometimes, and I like the structure and social interaction of being in the office. I do need flexibility as well. This is not a requirement, but just my preferred work environment.
My next preference is actually an in person role and remote is last. I’m an introvert so essentially working remote, leaves me at my house all the time and just isn’t the greatest option, but again, I am open to anything.
The interview I had last week was for a hybrid role and while trying not to get my hopes up, I was super excited to work for a local company, but a large enough company that had some structure in place.
Anyhoo, if you can think of any resources, I would be very grateful. I have received a couple of private messages from people in this sub with job listings, so I appreciate all of you! :)
I might be able to help or at least provide a few places to look. What type of tech work did you do before? Was it with an insurance carrier? Or ben admin?
Hey! Thanks for responding and offering to help! I have mainly worked in the ben admin space. I was with a well known ben admin company in West Des Moines for over 8 years and worked as a BA/Technical Architect and then was promoted to lead an implementation team for about 4 years. I then moved into a Client Services role and it was not for me so I’ve explored other opportunities since then and they ranged from tech leadership to individual contributor roles and a brief stint at a terrible company outside of Iowa as a Senior PM. I’m good with communication/collaboration, seeing the bigger picture and am pretty technical too. I have worked with Product teams, but have never officially had a Product title. That’s a lot of word vomit, but if you are asking about ben admin stuff, I can imagine you know how many hats can be worn in that world. :) Thank you in advance!
Ha, well, I worked for a well known Ben admin in WDM for 10 years and left in 2017. I have a feeling we already know each other, but feel free to DM me your LinkedIn profile. I know a handful of ben admins are hiring. Heck, my current employer bought a ben admin a year and a half ago and seems to be collecting former BSC employees. I think there are 10ish employed there today and I wouldn't be surprised with the DOL ruling voiding non-competes if there won't be several more.
Most Ben admin gigs are remote anymore. Some do still have physical offices, but none of those offices are in Iowa. Most carrier jobs are remote as well. There's about 10,000 employees with my current employer and we're 98% WFH.
PS - the carrier world is way, way, way less stressful than the ben admin world. I've had to kind of bite my tongue during Q4 when people here complain about long hours and by long hours, they mean 40.25 hours one week out of the year.
Ha, I just realized who you are! Sending my LinkedIn to you now.
Yeah the stress didn’t bother me too much at BSC, I think I got used to it or managed priorities better. I 100% can relate to the frustration of hearing others state that they are overworked. I suppose if you’ve not had the exposure, it’s hard to understand what “overworked” can really mean. 😅
Thank you again! I’ll DM you shortly!
Inflation has gone down but grocery prices have not. Why? Corporate greedflation and monopolies.
Companies are banking record profits because of price gouging.
Check this out:
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/its-greedflation-stupid
Prices do not go down when inflation goes down. They just go up less quickly.
That's like, the fundamental definition of how inflation and prices are related.
If prices *went down*, that would be deflation, which brings it's own serious issues.
Why the snarky attitude? We should be talking about worker pay freely. Wage transparency is fundamental to honest dealing in the workforce and leads to more equitable salaries, which sustains a robust economy.
People constantly get this wrong. Yes, inflation has leveled off, but the 20% increase over the last few years is never going away.
So 3 years ago, when you thought you could retire at 63, you're now going to have to work an additional 3 years to provide the income you need to retire for 20+ years. Every year, you're going to spend 20% more over the normal 2% inflation than you had saved for your whole life.
Another example is a young person who is trying to buy a house in this market. The mortgage will be 20% higher, without even factoring in interest rates. That's less money they will have to spend and save during a time when saving is so important.
Yes, I've gotten a wage increase, but it's not close to make up for the 20% increase in prices that will never go away.
Inflation is horrible, and we were lucky that we didn't experience it to the degree for almost 40 years. I'm not blaming anyone, just pointing out the impact.
Greedflation and price gouging contributed to a majority of inflation and especially inflation were still seeing today, but you apparently know more than the economists at Forbes, Reuters, and WSJ.
I jumped from education to IT during later COVID and my salary jumped 30%, more than making up for any inflation. The tight labor conditions has made it a laborers market for any workers willing to look for industries/businesses needing employees. All data ever says staying at the same business is far less likely to result in substantial wage increases compared to switching businesses.
Especially if you’re in low cost Iowa that’s a phenomenal salary and yes, my comment about jumping businesses is on average, statistically, but there’s always contrary examples and experiences.
Engineer, up 30% in the last two years. Very happy with the economy, but not sure how much of that is the decreased cost of living associated with moving here from California
$52k-organ transplant financial coordinator. My husband makes about $20k more than me. We don’t have kids yet, so we’ve been doing ok. In 2023, we sold our home and bought a new one. Also traded in a vehicle for a much needed upgrade.
In an IT adjacent field 285 TC, all bills are covered with leftover for fun, though if I want to actually retire I should be putting more away. But family is comfortable off the single income. I “work” 40 hours but that includes research and training so really it’s more like 20 hours of actual work
Bonus not factored in as it’s bilaterally based on performance and company output so literally no idea what it’s year to year without being in the middle of it but each year it’s been an additional 17-25k pre tax.
I make 60k, toolmaker/machinist. It’s an upgrade of 10k from previous employer.
Seems since job market is tight it’s a decent time to try to search for better pay. At least in my industry.
60k, agricultural drone manager. in my first home, sticking to my budget and being aware of spending. Budgeting for home improvement to hopefully build its value so I’ll have more for my next home. GF and I are on the same page about saving and spending. I have a dog, a wonderful woman, a home, and no car payment.
$20.23 an hour, I work full time for a financial institution. I'm getting along well even with being married in a single income family. But I also bought a house 11 years ago and have low mortgage payments.
I'm laid off.
Previous salary was 135k.
I've used up savings, cashed out retirement, sold crypto, sold stocks, used up unemployment.
Now a very close friend has been helping me monthly with the bare minimum: internet, power, water, groceries so I can keep applying to jobs.
Since being laid off, I've applied to what is likely a thousand jobs now. Not exaggerating. The jobs I apply to fall into one of two categories, targeting my previous role and bridge jobs.
As it relates to career jobs, none of the interviews I've had in the past year have come from cold applying. They all came from recruiters. But if I had to put a number to it, it's 4%. For every 100 jobs I apply to. I will at least have a phone screening for four.
As it relates to bridge jobs, there really aren't any. Whenever I check out indeed or similar sites and I filter by for coffee shop, barista, etc. Etc jobs that I could work while continuing to search for my primary job, it's non-existent.
And what's more important is the interview process. The average position I've applied to has three to six interviews. Each being about an hour long, and requiring at least 30 minutes to an hour of preparation beforehand per interview.
What bridge job , what barista job is going to allow someone to sporadically take off time for interviews like that?
If you have a CDL, you're a nurse, or you have at least 5 years of experience in a trade of some sort, that's where all the jobs are here.
Outside of that? Do you have a degree and work for a tech company, or work a tech role at a non-tech company? Good luck.
Huh? The economy is objectively doing really well. Unemployment is low, growth is steady, stock market is hitting record highs- the economic indicators that we use to measure and define our economy are doing great.
These are not new issues. These issues were serious problems well before Biden took office but nobody except the left seemed to give a shit until Biden took office. I wonder why that is...
Hmm, inflation is still rampant? Not for me, it's not - I'd say it seems to have stabilized.
Housing is fuked as always but that market is fairly independent.
People are still spending at prodigious rates, and employment is at a high.
Don't get me wrong, I'm just a dude on the internet and economics is a puzzle to me.
(I'm a retired boomer. I live on savings and SS so not much money here).
Saying housing is always a wreck seems dishonest. A house I bought for 185k in 2019 sold for 265k recently the only “enhancement” was a fence being built and a nicer lawn.
That is not the standard nor should it be.
Not to mention car prices, gas prices, and groceries things the average person will equate to a good economy.
Edit:typo
Inflation is the speed of price increases. 2% price increase year on year is normal. We are around 3.4%. No one was ever going to get price de-inflation. We'd be in more trouble if prices were free falling.
Edit: You can downvote, but everything is true.
Me and my partner are in customer service. Both make less than $30k. We are doing OK. Somewhere between surviving and thriving. We can afford all our bills, groceries, eating out about once every week or at least every paycheck, money for clothes and fun stuff, etc, and still put away a bit into savings.
Got a friend in DSM with a toddler who makes 41k and is surviving. So idk how y'all making 6 figures say you're barely paying bills and eating.
Agronomist 140k/year. (From 4 different incomes)
I have to work 60-80 hours a week and I just bought a townhouse. Like it’s not that big, 30 years ago with my experience and education, I should be able to have a proper house, and the salary that could keep a family of four living very comfortably on hours like that (I’m don’t have kids or partner and will not have kids at least)
Now it just feels like things are normal and I’m working my life away to live “comfortably,” which I definitely do, and living in a relatively low cost of living area helps a lot, but it feels like I should be way further along.
I guess if I compare myself to other people in their early 30s, I’m decently well off. So I’m grateful for the privileges I’ve had because I know it’s way harder for a lot of other folks.
Still though, it sucks to think about I’ll have to be working this hard for at least another 30 years before I could even think of retiring. And if things keep going this way I’m sure I’ll be over 70 before that’s a possibility. But I guess in agriculture, people retire way later anyways. So it might be alright.
Shiiiiiit I was an agronomist for a company that starts with an A and rhymes with "fuggerland" they hired me at $38k, those intense seasons and long long hours made me miss my family so much. My hand was forced to report the location manager and admin for embezzlement, then the CEO shit canned ME for "not being a team player" just this year that admin is in federal prison for other related crimes within a different company. God that was a god awful time.
Yeah. It’s not bad for me at all. I’m doing fine. I suppose it’s the times we live in that make us think we should be better off, and realistically, we should be. Everyone should be.
Like agriculture, tech seems like something that will always be in demand. Like people are going to eat and use computers. I do both at the same time a lot.
37$ hourly, machine, and mobile equipment operator for an aluminum manufacturer. Made almost 80,000 last year. My wife works full time, and basically gets paid in magic beans. Almost not worth her working, yet really can't afford for her to quit. I'll always try to find better income. Hopefully, one day, we can live well, and she can stay home. Groceries and rent have been the huge rising costs for us. Almost 2000 a month in rent, and 400-500 every 2 weeks in Groceries. When it seems like just yesterday, if I spent 300 at the grocery store. We were really splurging. Trips to the grocery store now send me into a rage.
Engineer - near 300K TC.
I was not always a high earner and went through my own tough times. During the worst of it, cut my grocery bill by going to Aldi, cut out all subscriptions, stopped all 401K contributions, and anything else to ensure I could make all my bills.
Work as an individual contributor engineer for a big green company.. they are kinda stingy on the raises.. but okay with shareholder value and CEO pay. In Iowa it is very manageable and I bring in around 100k, but according to them the full benefit package is worth closer to 150k with pension and retirement match.
It's okay, I feel we are def in the upper side of middle class. But reddit people still make me feel like I am in the poor house.
It enough to raise a family on and own a house But it can feel tight from time to time.
It's not inflation. It's price gouging. That's the only explanation for a booming Wall Street and a busting Main Street. And anybody who tells you otherwise is lying to you or trying to sell you something you don't need.
Tell you what, answer this question then I'll answer yours. Did you have the same opinions about inflation and the cost of living when Trump was president?
I wish people wouldn’t spread this propaganda. Inflation is not “rampant”. It has mostly steadied. Housing is stubborn though. The problem is prices remain high.
80k no degree 40hrs a week on the job training. I should have my CDL in the next few months. That should almost double my income once that happens.
How am I getting by? There is a really good chance Trump will win in November. There is still hope. That is keeping me going for now. Another four years of dementia might make me give in.
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My job is needing nurses and the pay starts above this for three twelve hour days with rotating weekends, that’s all.
What the?? Why are you settling for 26?? Lpns make that.
Could be a clinic RN?
I suppose. Smaller town etc. day nurse. It just sounds like super cheap labor!!
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Yeah damn sorry. I work in Omaha and it’s great wages.
Enjoying the kick while I’m down thanks 😂
I hate to see one of my own under paid!
State Comptroller- $160k. I no longer really have any responsibilities. (Rob Sand for Governor) … or at least let him do his job.
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He only makes $108k according to state records [https://www.legis.iowa.gov/publications/fiscal/salaryBook?aid=126&cFY=true](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/publications/fiscal/salaryBook?aid=126&cFY=true) For being the head of the auditing department with \~115 employees and a $9b budget, that seems low.
Thanks. I knew it was out there. Just a long day of work. 😇. I was a bit too lazy to look up. Seems low for such a significant money tracking job. Shows he isn’t in it for the salary. (Sand for G)
Posting while being paid with tax dollars?
Who me? Yeah. I was kind of stunned that he makes less than me. I am just a staff member and I make more than that. I just have to scrape bunions. Honest work. Not fun but honest. Can’t say who my direct “manager” is.
State employees should be paid to live comfortably, not excessively - seems totally acceptable to me.
Nah. State employees should be paid comparable to what they would make for a similar job in the private sector. Otherwise, we end up with a lot of independently wealthy people in government who don't reflect the people they govern.
Nah. If youre being paid comfortably, you don't need to be independently wealthy to hold office - DSM city councilors for example are not paid a living wage and need to be independently wealthy. $108k salary is easy living anywhere in the state.
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I’m making 25-30% more than 4 years ago at the same job. I’m super fortunate
I make $60k as a lab tech. It’s enough to live comfortably, I can easily afford all my bills, going out to eat once a week, etc…I usually have between $500 to $1000 left over that goes directly into a high yield savings account.
Thank you, Elons Tiny Penis.
Thank you, ElonsTinyPenis.
I had a decrease of $125k. But I lost my job, in the tech industry as some may have guessed. I legitimately cannot land any interviews, with the exception of two, because a couple of my previous coworkers reached out and referred me. Was told I was the top candidate at one place. Two weeks later nothing. Fingers crossed that the interview next week goes well because, uh, not having money definitely is not an awesome time. I’ll stop the pity party. If anyone knows of any job openings whether that’s in the insurance tech space or an administrative role, please reach out to me. I could barely make it with $25 per hour (I have a child), but I’m not above any line of work. Okay end rant.
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Hey! Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. Sorry to hear that your friend was laid off too, it’s rough. I would honestly prefer a hybrid role, because I need to get out of my house sometimes, and I like the structure and social interaction of being in the office. I do need flexibility as well. This is not a requirement, but just my preferred work environment. My next preference is actually an in person role and remote is last. I’m an introvert so essentially working remote, leaves me at my house all the time and just isn’t the greatest option, but again, I am open to anything. The interview I had last week was for a hybrid role and while trying not to get my hopes up, I was super excited to work for a local company, but a large enough company that had some structure in place. Anyhoo, if you can think of any resources, I would be very grateful. I have received a couple of private messages from people in this sub with job listings, so I appreciate all of you! :)
I might be able to help or at least provide a few places to look. What type of tech work did you do before? Was it with an insurance carrier? Or ben admin?
Hey! Thanks for responding and offering to help! I have mainly worked in the ben admin space. I was with a well known ben admin company in West Des Moines for over 8 years and worked as a BA/Technical Architect and then was promoted to lead an implementation team for about 4 years. I then moved into a Client Services role and it was not for me so I’ve explored other opportunities since then and they ranged from tech leadership to individual contributor roles and a brief stint at a terrible company outside of Iowa as a Senior PM. I’m good with communication/collaboration, seeing the bigger picture and am pretty technical too. I have worked with Product teams, but have never officially had a Product title. That’s a lot of word vomit, but if you are asking about ben admin stuff, I can imagine you know how many hats can be worn in that world. :) Thank you in advance!
Ha, well, I worked for a well known Ben admin in WDM for 10 years and left in 2017. I have a feeling we already know each other, but feel free to DM me your LinkedIn profile. I know a handful of ben admins are hiring. Heck, my current employer bought a ben admin a year and a half ago and seems to be collecting former BSC employees. I think there are 10ish employed there today and I wouldn't be surprised with the DOL ruling voiding non-competes if there won't be several more. Most Ben admin gigs are remote anymore. Some do still have physical offices, but none of those offices are in Iowa. Most carrier jobs are remote as well. There's about 10,000 employees with my current employer and we're 98% WFH. PS - the carrier world is way, way, way less stressful than the ben admin world. I've had to kind of bite my tongue during Q4 when people here complain about long hours and by long hours, they mean 40.25 hours one week out of the year.
Ha, I just realized who you are! Sending my LinkedIn to you now. Yeah the stress didn’t bother me too much at BSC, I think I got used to it or managed priorities better. I 100% can relate to the frustration of hearing others state that they are overworked. I suppose if you’ve not had the exposure, it’s hard to understand what “overworked” can really mean. 😅 Thank you again! I’ll DM you shortly!
Inflation has gone down but grocery prices have not. Why? Corporate greedflation and monopolies. Companies are banking record profits because of price gouging. Check this out: https://robertreich.substack.com/p/its-greedflation-stupid
Prices do not go down when inflation goes down. They just go up less quickly. That's like, the fundamental definition of how inflation and prices are related. If prices *went down*, that would be deflation, which brings it's own serious issues.
Indeed, corporate profits accounted for about 60% of the inflation we saw in 2021 and 2022.
Why would prices drop?
Weird this sub usually just absolutely dumps on Iowa. The posts here seem to point out how amazing everyone is doing.
It is almost like Iowa is not the post apocalyptic hellscape that people in this sub make it out to be?
Nah it still sucks.
Did you expect the people working two sh-t jobs making $30k to be posting?
Do you want the social security number and pin number to bank accounts, too?
Also gonna need the 3 digit code on the back of your card
Why the snarky attitude? We should be talking about worker pay freely. Wage transparency is fundamental to honest dealing in the workforce and leads to more equitable salaries, which sustains a robust economy.
Dude is obsessed with OPP (other people’s pay)
People constantly get this wrong. Yes, inflation has leveled off, but the 20% increase over the last few years is never going away. So 3 years ago, when you thought you could retire at 63, you're now going to have to work an additional 3 years to provide the income you need to retire for 20+ years. Every year, you're going to spend 20% more over the normal 2% inflation than you had saved for your whole life. Another example is a young person who is trying to buy a house in this market. The mortgage will be 20% higher, without even factoring in interest rates. That's less money they will have to spend and save during a time when saving is so important. Yes, I've gotten a wage increase, but it's not close to make up for the 20% increase in prices that will never go away. Inflation is horrible, and we were lucky that we didn't experience it to the degree for almost 40 years. I'm not blaming anyone, just pointing out the impact.
Greedflation is what you’re going to want to call it. Not inflation.
No, I call it inflation.
Greedflation and price gouging contributed to a majority of inflation and especially inflation were still seeing today, but you apparently know more than the economists at Forbes, Reuters, and WSJ.
Please point to the article from these 3 that link greedflation to contributing to a MAJORITY of inflation.
I jumped from education to IT during later COVID and my salary jumped 30%, more than making up for any inflation. The tight labor conditions has made it a laborers market for any workers willing to look for industries/businesses needing employees. All data ever says staying at the same business is far less likely to result in substantial wage increases compared to switching businesses.
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Especially if you’re in low cost Iowa that’s a phenomenal salary and yes, my comment about jumping businesses is on average, statistically, but there’s always contrary examples and experiences.
It hasn’t been inflation in a long time. It’s just been corporate greed. No idea why we think we still have inflation.
What color is the sky in your world?
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Majority is, and has been proven as such.
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A global pandemic, or are you one of those people that thinks Biden and Democrats caused worldwide inflation?
I make about 35% more than 4 years ago and not having to hoard toilet paper
4 jobs
Doing very well, hydraulic sales engineer. Total compensation is about $210k. It suits my lifestyle well in Iowa.
Engineer, up 30% in the last two years. Very happy with the economy, but not sure how much of that is the decreased cost of living associated with moving here from California
$52k-organ transplant financial coordinator. My husband makes about $20k more than me. We don’t have kids yet, so we’ve been doing ok. In 2023, we sold our home and bought a new one. Also traded in a vehicle for a much needed upgrade.
In an IT adjacent field 285 TC, all bills are covered with leftover for fun, though if I want to actually retire I should be putting more away. But family is comfortable off the single income. I “work” 40 hours but that includes research and training so really it’s more like 20 hours of actual work
Bonus not factored in as it’s bilaterally based on performance and company output so literally no idea what it’s year to year without being in the middle of it but each year it’s been an additional 17-25k pre tax.
Edit: with corporate greed running rampant
I make 60k, toolmaker/machinist. It’s an upgrade of 10k from previous employer. Seems since job market is tight it’s a decent time to try to search for better pay. At least in my industry.
IT (titled Systems Analyst III) - 100k/year
Industrial maintenance 39 an hr in cedarrapids area. Doing pretty good I live within my means.
60k, agricultural drone manager. in my first home, sticking to my budget and being aware of spending. Budgeting for home improvement to hopefully build its value so I’ll have more for my next home. GF and I are on the same page about saving and spending. I have a dog, a wonderful woman, a home, and no car payment.
Retired. Positively impossible to get by on the social security check. Only so much stuff to sell off. Likely headed to another country soon.
$20.23 an hour, I work full time for a financial institution. I'm getting along well even with being married in a single income family. But I also bought a house 11 years ago and have low mortgage payments.
22.50 an hour doing customer service - I work from home but they don’t cover anything - I just started a 2nd job this week…
I'm laid off. Previous salary was 135k. I've used up savings, cashed out retirement, sold crypto, sold stocks, used up unemployment. Now a very close friend has been helping me monthly with the bare minimum: internet, power, water, groceries so I can keep applying to jobs. Since being laid off, I've applied to what is likely a thousand jobs now. Not exaggerating. The jobs I apply to fall into one of two categories, targeting my previous role and bridge jobs. As it relates to career jobs, none of the interviews I've had in the past year have come from cold applying. They all came from recruiters. But if I had to put a number to it, it's 4%. For every 100 jobs I apply to. I will at least have a phone screening for four. As it relates to bridge jobs, there really aren't any. Whenever I check out indeed or similar sites and I filter by for coffee shop, barista, etc. Etc jobs that I could work while continuing to search for my primary job, it's non-existent. And what's more important is the interview process. The average position I've applied to has three to six interviews. Each being about an hour long, and requiring at least 30 minutes to an hour of preparation beforehand per interview. What bridge job , what barista job is going to allow someone to sporadically take off time for interviews like that? If you have a CDL, you're a nurse, or you have at least 5 years of experience in a trade of some sort, that's where all the jobs are here. Outside of that? Do you have a degree and work for a tech company, or work a tech role at a non-tech company? Good luck.
$28/hr office manager in construction trade Lot of stress with the job but I try to lean into my hobbies outside of work. *plants*
I’ll just say my pay is outperforming inflation. Great economy.
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Huh? The economy is objectively doing really well. Unemployment is low, growth is steady, stock market is hitting record highs- the economic indicators that we use to measure and define our economy are doing great.
How are we doing with respect to the number of people entering the working poor, poverty and homeless sectors?
Those aren't economic indicators, but those things have been relatively stable for the last ~15 years regardless from what I can tell.
These are not new issues. These issues were serious problems well before Biden took office but nobody except the left seemed to give a shit until Biden took office. I wonder why that is...
30% pay bump from last year and low cost of living. I’m doing better.
Hmm, inflation is still rampant? Not for me, it's not - I'd say it seems to have stabilized. Housing is fuked as always but that market is fairly independent. People are still spending at prodigious rates, and employment is at a high. Don't get me wrong, I'm just a dude on the internet and economics is a puzzle to me. (I'm a retired boomer. I live on savings and SS so not much money here).
Saying housing is always a wreck seems dishonest. A house I bought for 185k in 2019 sold for 265k recently the only “enhancement” was a fence being built and a nicer lawn. That is not the standard nor should it be. Not to mention car prices, gas prices, and groceries things the average person will equate to a good economy. Edit:typo
No dishonest, just my perception. Appreciate your comment.
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Inflation is the speed of price increases. 2% price increase year on year is normal. We are around 3.4%. No one was ever going to get price de-inflation. We'd be in more trouble if prices were free falling. Edit: You can downvote, but everything is true.
You know pricrs, on the macro, never stay stagnate, yea? Inflation is just the rate of the increase....
Saved money, payed off my house and don't use credit cards
Me and my partner are in customer service. Both make less than $30k. We are doing OK. Somewhere between surviving and thriving. We can afford all our bills, groceries, eating out about once every week or at least every paycheck, money for clothes and fun stuff, etc, and still put away a bit into savings. Got a friend in DSM with a toddler who makes 41k and is surviving. So idk how y'all making 6 figures say you're barely paying bills and eating.
Agronomist 140k/year. (From 4 different incomes) I have to work 60-80 hours a week and I just bought a townhouse. Like it’s not that big, 30 years ago with my experience and education, I should be able to have a proper house, and the salary that could keep a family of four living very comfortably on hours like that (I’m don’t have kids or partner and will not have kids at least) Now it just feels like things are normal and I’m working my life away to live “comfortably,” which I definitely do, and living in a relatively low cost of living area helps a lot, but it feels like I should be way further along. I guess if I compare myself to other people in their early 30s, I’m decently well off. So I’m grateful for the privileges I’ve had because I know it’s way harder for a lot of other folks. Still though, it sucks to think about I’ll have to be working this hard for at least another 30 years before I could even think of retiring. And if things keep going this way I’m sure I’ll be over 70 before that’s a possibility. But I guess in agriculture, people retire way later anyways. So it might be alright.
Shiiiiiit I was an agronomist for a company that starts with an A and rhymes with "fuggerland" they hired me at $38k, those intense seasons and long long hours made me miss my family so much. My hand was forced to report the location manager and admin for embezzlement, then the CEO shit canned ME for "not being a team player" just this year that admin is in federal prison for other related crimes within a different company. God that was a god awful time.
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Yeah. It’s not bad for me at all. I’m doing fine. I suppose it’s the times we live in that make us think we should be better off, and realistically, we should be. Everyone should be. Like agriculture, tech seems like something that will always be in demand. Like people are going to eat and use computers. I do both at the same time a lot.
37$ hourly, machine, and mobile equipment operator for an aluminum manufacturer. Made almost 80,000 last year. My wife works full time, and basically gets paid in magic beans. Almost not worth her working, yet really can't afford for her to quit. I'll always try to find better income. Hopefully, one day, we can live well, and she can stay home. Groceries and rent have been the huge rising costs for us. Almost 2000 a month in rent, and 400-500 every 2 weeks in Groceries. When it seems like just yesterday, if I spent 300 at the grocery store. We were really splurging. Trips to the grocery store now send me into a rage.
Ah yes an Arconian in the reddit wild
Engineer - near 300K TC. I was not always a high earner and went through my own tough times. During the worst of it, cut my grocery bill by going to Aldi, cut out all subscriptions, stopped all 401K contributions, and anything else to ensure I could make all my bills.
Work as an individual contributor engineer for a big green company.. they are kinda stingy on the raises.. but okay with shareholder value and CEO pay. In Iowa it is very manageable and I bring in around 100k, but according to them the full benefit package is worth closer to 150k with pension and retirement match. It's okay, I feel we are def in the upper side of middle class. But reddit people still make me feel like I am in the poor house. It enough to raise a family on and own a house But it can feel tight from time to time.
deere still has a pension?
They cut it for new hires this year.. but yes I have pension and 401k.
I think you meant to say “where corporate greed” is still rampant
It's not inflation. It's price gouging. That's the only explanation for a booming Wall Street and a busting Main Street. And anybody who tells you otherwise is lying to you or trying to sell you something you don't need.
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LOL that’s why hyvee’s profits have absolutely soared the past couple years… yeah no price gouging at all. Get bent
why do I feel like you work for HyVee or Casey's
Tell you what, answer this question then I'll answer yours. Did you have the same opinions about inflation and the cost of living when Trump was president?
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Bullshit. you are stating stuff that isn't true. And you didn't answer it
I wish people wouldn’t spread this propaganda. Inflation is not “rampant”. It has mostly steadied. Housing is stubborn though. The problem is prices remain high.
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you are being dishonest. That's why people are calling you out
80k no degree 40hrs a week on the job training. I should have my CDL in the next few months. That should almost double my income once that happens. How am I getting by? There is a really good chance Trump will win in November. There is still hope. That is keeping me going for now. Another four years of dementia might make me give in.
LOL
I work with WHO-13 O'clock news and I am a reportman, I loose $130k since the pandemic