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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

High earner - but unsettled

426 replies

Iprobap · 19/08/2020 19:50

Annual pay about £250k, between 16% - 50% discretionary bonus and shares. Overseas based for UK global financial services company.

Personally still earn full salary, but possible no increase, bonuses and shares this year and next few maybe? I foresee retrenchments in future because of COVID-19.

I know we are on different scales on here and this is no brag. Curious to know if others are as unsettled by possibility of losing benefits because of impact of COVID-19 on global economy?

OP posts:
dwiz8 · 19/08/2020 21:46

@MyGhastIsFlabbered

See what annoys me is that during the initial lockdown who kept the country going? Not the bankers with their fat cat bonuses...it was poorly paid shop workers, bin men, etc...yet their worth isn't reflected in their pay (a slightly disgruntled NHS worker here)
Someone has no idea how the economy works...

You honestly think it was the NHS staff keeping the country running? Not the global banks and economists? Sheesh

Also it will be the banks who help get the economy back up and running once this is all 'over'

Wherrsmaclickypen · 19/08/2020 21:46

echobelly dwiz8 of course the Op is entitled to feel unsettled by financial uncertainty, and of course the OP can want to discuss with others.

Its just that the question 'is anyone else unsettled' from someone working in financial services, in the middle of a global economic meltdown, on a general forum in AIBU, is so utterly vacuous it didnt ring true. Everyone SHOULD be unsettled ( and those lucky enough to still have a decent income and savings should be contingency planning, doing some research and/or posting on specialist forums). I just dont get the point of the post.

dwiz8 · 19/08/2020 21:47

@MadgeMak

Oh come off it, dwiz. OP has said herself that she could easily live off less money and that wasn't her concern. She's just worried that she won't be able to pay off the house she buys her children as quick. She's still able to buy the house, just that it might take her longer to completely pay off, that's her concern. How worrying for her. It's absolutely fine to have these worries, what's not fine is to be repeatedly told to get some perspective but not show even a shred of self awareness. That's why she's getting a bashing, not because she's rich, but because she's displaying alarming levels of sociapathy.
She was getting ripped to shit before her follow on comments...
dwiz8 · 19/08/2020 21:49

@Wherrsmaclickypen

echobelly dwiz8 of course the Op is entitled to feel unsettled by financial uncertainty, and of course the OP can want to discuss with others.

Its just that the question 'is anyone else unsettled' from someone working in financial services, in the middle of a global economic meltdown, on a general forum in AIBU, is so utterly vacuous it didnt ring true. Everyone SHOULD be unsettled ( and those lucky enough to still have a decent income and savings should be contingency planning, doing some research and/or posting on specialist forums). I just dont get the point of the post.

You don't get the point of the post yet also say the OP is fine to ask for others views Hmm

Tbh maybe MN should have a high earner section like others have mentioned if this is the kind of shit anyone is going to get to asking a reasonable question looking for support

Diceroll · 19/08/2020 21:49

Things are different when you are at the top - I wouldn’t say better but it’s definitely going to be easier finding top jobs in this market (especially if you don’t mind working overseas) than lower paid ones.

I find this interesting. I can understand that lower paid jobs not requiring any particular quals or experience will have a load of applicants as many people meet the criteria; but surely there are only a limited number of 'top' jobs, so although less competiton surely there are less posts.

OhMyDarling · 19/08/2020 21:50

No one should be allowed to earn that much.
Disgusting.

People are dying.
People in their thousands are relying on food banks to feed their children.

People like you are the problem.

SecretSpAD · 19/08/2020 21:51

I agree. I’d love to get a break from the 15 minutes of hate every time the poverty olympics start up on MN. So weird how everyone screeches about being understanding of people’s circumstances but it doesn’t swing the other way.

We are high earners. Added to that we have inherited wealth to the extent that makes this OP seem like a pauper.

Yet I don't post on here about money because however much other aspects of my life can be challenging - financially I'm fine and so why would I want to make people with less feel like shit? There's such a thing as empathy. Many wealthy people have it - they are not the ones on here moaning about lack of bonuses.

dwiz8 · 19/08/2020 21:51

@OhMyDarling

No one should be allowed to earn that much. Disgusting.

People are dying.
People in their thousands are relying on food banks to feed their children.

People like you are the problem.

People like the OP are the ones who pay the large amounts of tax this country relies on
IncludeWomenInTheSequel · 19/08/2020 21:51

Fuck, and I can't stress this enough, off.

LesLavandes · 19/08/2020 21:51

Am I the only peep on here who thinks this post is a wind up?

MadgeMak · 19/08/2020 21:52

She was getting ripped to shit before her follow on comments

Rightly so. Then the comments got harsher with each update, also rightly so.

SaintofBats · 19/08/2020 21:54

Truly your plight is a terrible one, OP.

I also suggest you see a private specialist about your tin ear.

dwiz8 · 19/08/2020 21:54

@MadgeMak

She was getting ripped to shit before her follow on comments

Rightly so. Then the comments got harsher with each update, also rightly so.

Why rightly so?

The OP is asking a genuine question, thankfully some have replied in good faith to help. Hopefully the OP managed to find those comments through all the jealous, bitter comments

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 19/08/2020 21:56

People like the OP are the ones who pay the large amounts of tax this country relies on actually if like my bosses then OP is one of the ones spending a lot of time and money to avoid paying the full amount they should!

Sailingblue · 19/08/2020 21:56

If you’ve been here for 10 years why did you post in AIBU. You could have potentially had a discussion in money. I am all for people discussing financial issues including high earners but your post was pretty tone deaf. The lower end of your bonus will be lower than some others earn as a household.

But... you are not unreasonable to be personally upset or worried by a lower package than you’d been expecting especially if you anticipated using some of that money for a specific goal or objective (eg school fees). However, you have many more choices In terms of belt tightening than the vast majority of people will have on here.

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 19/08/2020 21:56

This thread is in terribly poor taste.

DH and I are not really worried because we live day to day off far less than out income because we are pretty cautious. We'll survive.

dwiz8 · 19/08/2020 21:57

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

People like the OP are the ones who pay the large amounts of tax this country relies on actually if like my bosses then OP is one of the ones spending a lot of time and money to avoid paying the full amount they should!
Except you don't know that

take your jealousy elsewhere

SuperCaliFragalistic · 19/08/2020 21:57

I don't believe that anyone can be so self absorbed that they think this is a post that will elicit any sympathy. I get that some people earn a lot of money and that they believe that what they do is worth £250k+ bonuses and then some (I disagree though) but back in the real world this is so far away from the experience of 90% of the population that raising it as a topic here is definitely poor taste. You can't possibly be feeling so unsettled that you need to post about it on mn. Goady and unpleasant.

Veryverycalmnow · 19/08/2020 21:57

A few pps suggesting higher earners page. Maybe that's a good idea. One pp said it's not easy being in the top 1%, if it was then everyone would be there... maybe some truth in that, but lots of extremely hard- working people are on extremely shit money, so maybe fuck that.
I think there's maybe a smaller percentage of people who are working hard to be high earners and there are some that are just very lucky with inheritance etc. Either way, it's a massive luxury that those individuals should feel blessed to have.
Consider others and their situations please! It's really not ok to be speaking about these figures when people are scraping pennies together through no fault of their own.

Diceroll · 19/08/2020 21:59

I know it is hard to believe given the usual MN poverty olympics.

Also known as the real world. What were you really posting about though, the obvious answer is well you won't be able to buy your child a property as quickly as you had hoped. What support were you after? You won't struggle to pay your bills, worry about whether you can afford food for the week and are asking on tips to cut back, perhaps advice on downsizing; the answer is you just can't buy them a house if you can no longer afford it, simple Confused.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 19/08/2020 21:59

We know high earners have problems like everyone else. But what they don't have is money problems, so they shouldn't moan about that. If they have money problems on huge salaries then they're living beyond their means.

I'm not even a high earner but I own a house and my mortgage is very small so I have a lot of disposable income. I never moan about money because I know I'm fortunate.

dwiz8 · 19/08/2020 22:00

@Waxonwaxoff0

We know high earners have problems like everyone else. But what they don't have is money problems, so they shouldn't moan about that. If they have money problems on huge salaries then they're living beyond their means.

I'm not even a high earner but I own a house and my mortgage is very small so I have a lot of disposable income. I never moan about money because I know I'm fortunate.

High earners can still have money problems...

Not all with have lots of liquid assets so any big changes will be scary, as to get the amount of cash to cover their expenses will be time consuming and hard to do quickly

MrDarcysMa · 19/08/2020 22:02

Depends on your outgoings really. I hope you'd have healthy savings and be sorted for retirement on that salary though so you'll be able to scrape by?

MadgeMak · 19/08/2020 22:02

Why rightly so?

Because it's crass, and lacking in empathy for those who are genuinely and severely affected by the current situation. I'm sure she could ask her financial advisor for specific advice on her specific situation, odd to ask on here. She wasn't even asking for advice, just having a moan about maybe not getting a bonus. Moaning about a what if when she's already in an extremely privileged position, when we're in a middle of a pandemic which is adversely affecting millions of people's lives in more very real ways than her.

I also take umbrage at your assertion that all the negative comments are due to jealousy and bitterness. Not so for me, I've already said I'm relatively well off myself, and other posters who are high earners have also said the same. The OP is getting negative comments not just because she is wealthy,

Waxonwaxoff0 · 19/08/2020 22:04

@dwiz8 that's their own problem for not managing their money properly. No excuse when you earn a salary like the OP.