If you want to be happy, don’t make over $400,000 a year at your job. It usually requires long hours and lots of stress to make over $400,000 a year. Any envy about people making high incomes is often misplaced. Earning multiple six-figures doesn’t just come to you.

Further, if President Biden gets his way, he will eventually get around to raising the top federal marginal income tax rate to 39.7%. The combination of long hours, high stress, and higher taxes makes the grind not worth it.

I’m sure some of you who don’t make over $400,000 a year think you’ll happily go through a lot of suffering to make such an elevated income. My hope is that you actually do so you can realize making a top 1% income or even a top 0.1% income is not very fulfilling.

I’m also sure some of you who are currently making over $400,000 a year are happy with your current situation. I mean, who cares about finding love or spending time with your kids when you can make so much money! Zoom calls 8X a day for the win!

For the disbelievers out there who think it’s worthwhile to make $400,000+ from a day job, let me share some insightful feedback from a recent Goldman Sachs analyst survey about their well-being.

Want to retire earlier? Learn how to convince your spouse to work longer! This way, you can kick back and live the early retirement dream lifestyle!

One can either work hard for their wealth, inherit their wealth, or marry into wealth. No way is the right way to get rich. Although the most honorable way is probably getting wealthy with your own two hands.

When I wrote the post, “Stay At Home Men Of The World, UNITE!“, I was being a little silly. The post was just a fun way of forecasting life as a stay at home man as I sought to build my online media business.

Years later there’s still a huge bias against men who are stay at home dads or non-breadwinners.

You can retire earlier if you can work out a compromise with your spouse.

Is earning $1 million a year, a top 1% income, enough to retire early? Most would say yes. However, some people who earn $1 million a year having a hard time letting that money go.

After all, all you’ve got to do is work one more year and you will make another $1 million!

This article explores when earning $1 million a year isn’t enough to retire early. Many high-income households in big cities are having a difficult time escaping the rate race to do something new.

When Earning $1 Million A Year Isn’t Enough To Retire Early

We know that a $300,000/year household income is pretty middle class if you live in an expensive coastal city like San Francisco or Washington DC.

However, we can all agree that earning $1,000,000 a year or more makes you rich, especially since a top 1% income level starts at roughly $470,000 in 2021. No household earning $1,000,000 or more should ever struggle unless they leveraged up and their investments imploded.

If you make $1,000,000 a year or more, you’re free to celebrate. Just don’t tell anyone lest you want an ax-wielding robber waiting for you in your living room after an evening of fine dining.

Let’s explore the lifestyle of a typical household earning $1 million a year living in New York City. They’ve anonymously shared with me their expenses, and I’ve done my best to tell their story without sharing their exact details.

This post will give you a taste of what it’s like to make $1 million a year. You’ll also get to decide whether making a top 0.1% income is truly worth the price.