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Original poster

At what age did you surpass your parents salary (if at all)

142 replies

reducingfootprint · 11/12/2020 19:08

I've always equated salary with success (i know i shouldnt) and used my parents as a benchmark
surpassed DMs salary aged 22 and have yet to surpass DFs (6 figures)

OP posts:
ragged · 11/12/2020 21:14

Pretty sure my dad's pension now is far more than I will ever earn. My slight unhappiness is I reckon my step-sisters will inherit all of dad's wealth, because step-mum will outlive dad & SM will pass the wealth to her kids & DGC (I predict). I don't like this obvious future, but I'm not complaining because that complaining would ruin relationships today.

AngieBolen · 11/12/2020 21:20

I could make an educated guess how much my DM earned (public sector) but would be a lot more unsure about DF - I suspect a lot more at retirement than he ever let on. In the future I'm unlikely to earn as much as either of them, because of the career choices I have made, which I'm very happy with.

My family are not "career" people, and the amount we earn is not important as long as we're able to support ourselves. We value happiness -good mental health. We were all really pleased when DB gave up his well paid job he hated to do. "menial" job he loves and means he is now happier and has a better quality of life.

GreekOddess · 11/12/2020 21:25

I surpassed my mums as soon as I started work (aged 17) and my Dads a year later at 18.

Dh surpassed his mums as soon as he started work also aged 17 and his Dad's at 35.

LittleMissMoggy · 11/12/2020 21:26

I guess everyone is motivated by different things. There are many of us though who don't consider salary as the be all and end all. For me, I needed a career that would be of benefit to society. I'm a government scientific adviser. I appreciate that for others salary is the main thing, but I really struggle to get my head around it.

lastqueenofscotland · 11/12/2020 21:28

Both my parents are/were incredibly high earners. So probably never.

2bazookas · 11/12/2020 21:33

In our very first graduate jobs, DH and I each earned £1,000 per year. Which happened to exactly match the salaries of my DM and FIL. However, as DM was a widow and MIL didn't work, our household's income was double either of their household incomes.

Graffitiqueen · 11/12/2020 21:34

My mum had a vocation and a stipend so I overtook her the minute I started working. I overtook my dad maybe around 28.

cortex10 · 11/12/2020 21:36

When clearing my late DF's flat I found a payslip from many years before, around the time I started my first graduate job. I was surprised to see I was already earning more than him despite his 30+ years working as a factory supervisor.

Nacreous · 11/12/2020 21:39

Mum - as soon as I got a full time job. Dad - I earnt more than his peak at 27, which was the year he retired.

But my parents didn't have much money when I was little and while I make sure I work for the public good, I also chose my career because worrying about money makes me feel incredibly sick and I wanted to know I would be comfortable.

DadOnIce · 11/12/2020 21:41

I don't know what my parents earned, plus they retired in the mid-1990s.

Even if I knew what their salaries had been at particular ages, I would not automatically know what that would be in today's money.

But my best guess in answer to the question (adjusted for inflation) would be 'never'.

GreySkyClouds · 11/12/2020 21:41
  1. I remember excitedly saying how much my job offer was for and she said she had never earned that in all of her life. I felt shit.
lakesideadvent · 11/12/2020 21:43

Equating salary with life success isn't a message I would want for my dc.
Anymore than being famous is a success indicator.

DadOnIce · 11/12/2020 21:44

And, as others have pointed out, the question is meaningless without also taking into account the cost of living and the rise in prices of things like houses. One professional salary could cover a mortgage on a house in a nice area in the 1980s -- that mortgage would be 2.5-3.0 times that person's salary. Now, the average house is about 10 times the average salary, and you need two of you earning to be able to hope to buy a house anywhere other than the very cheapest areas.

Tistheseason17 · 11/12/2020 21:46

Oddly,it was my mum who used to attempt to compete with me. She always wanted to earn more and would constantly ask about my earnings. Inbyhend I'd add £20k onto my salary just for a wind up. By 31 I was earning more and she was never happy for me.

wirldsgonemad · 11/12/2020 21:46

25, I'm currently earning three times what either of them ever earned.

GoGadgetGo · 11/12/2020 21:48

I don't care whether I have exceeded my parents' salary. Different times, different circumstances.

MerryGoRoundBrain · 11/12/2020 21:49

I have never thought about it like thag.. my DM - when I was 31, this was also the year she retired. DF- not sure I ever will surpass. He is an engineer though, his name is recognised by people in his industry and he is basically refusing to retire because he loves his job so much.

Italiandreams · 11/12/2020 21:55

The older I get, the less motivated I am by money. All I need is enough to live on and to be able to provide nice things for my children without being excesses. Happiness and family time is way more important to me. For me job satisfaction is more important than salary earned . I guess we are all different .

CayrolBaaaskin · 11/12/2020 22:00

About 28. I don’t think it’s a weird topic at all - it’s quite interesting, my family dynamic is definitely altered because I am a higher earner. Doesn’t make me better or worse or my job more worthwhile. It’s just interesting

Giraffey1 · 11/12/2020 22:05

What an odd question. I’ve no idea what my parents earned, ever. None of my business! Any more than it was their business what I earned.

Bluntness100 · 11/12/2020 22:10

You need to take inflation into account, but I earned more than my parents very young, early twenties, and my daughter will likely earn more than me in her late twenties, but she’s a trainee corporate lawyer in a global law firm.

DontStopThinkingAboutTomorrow · 11/12/2020 22:11

No idea really.
My mum was a SAHM, so probably at 16 when I got my first job, but I have no idea what my dad earns/earned. All I know is I was never cold or particularly hungry so I guess enough to keep us all.

Pyewhacket · 11/12/2020 22:16

My father is a New York Banker so I doubt our combined earnings will come anywhere near his salary. My mother moved back to Provence when they split when I was 14. I haven’t spoken to her in years.

infinitediamonds · 11/12/2020 22:23

My max salary will probably be about half my Mums highest salary - doesn't bother me. I don't aim for a high salary - probably a direct response to my experiences as a child. I went to a private school with children of some very high earners and it was very clear that having a lot of money does not always bring happiness, in fact it seems to make it less likely. (The swimming pools are nice though.)

Autumnchill · 11/12/2020 22:28

OP myself and my Dad have a bit of a competition on this.

During school the career teacher asked what I wanted to do when I left school and I said 'earn more than my Dad'. To me that would show I had achieved and I know my Dad would be proud. Last year I achieved it for about a month and then he got made up to the Board but that phone call and the pride in his voice was the absolute best and even now I ring him first and tell him about promotions and pay rises.