OK, OH earns 125k, his secretary probably earns 35ish, how much should he spend on her Christmas present?

[DontWantToLookTight]

Just that really.
Hev namechanged cos don't want you to all think I'm minted!

this is my biggest ever thread. 'tis a tres proud moment.
hunker, didn't email you as can't bear to be outed, even though I know you wouldn't tell, but will try to glean info from you at some point in the future. many thanks.

lol at the predictability of this thred

anyone with some to step please fill my stocking with durex and cheques

i keep asking but no takers afaik

some to spare not step!

Nothing useful to add (as if!) but laughing my big fat bottom off here at what people class as "not minted"! Ho ho ho...

Perhaps he is a pimp Desi They are rich and not very clever!

OK, my apologies.

I don't think I'm jealous, but then again, I do clean bogs for a living

Well, to be more helpful, I think that £75 to £100 isn't unreasonable. However, you don't know this lady very well, so buying her a present is difficult, isn't it.

LastMinute.com are currently (or were three days ago) selling afternoon tea for two at the Ritz for £82.00. The voucher is valid for a year.

Is that warm?

Edam - who will invest the capital and loans in all those companies that make things if you don't have an active capital market?

This country is facing one of the most significant capital market issue at the present time, because of illiquidity in the lending markets (like Northern Rock). Basically the banks have stopped lending money to each other - the next step is that they will stop lending (or curtail) lending to businesses and then to people like you and me. When the City stops working efficiently (from an economic point of view) then the impact on all of our livelihoods is potentially catastrophic.

Of course the City and industry need each other to co-exist - but there is no getting away from the fact that London being the centre of the capital markets for the developed world brings a phenomenal amount of money and taxes into the system that pay huge amounts of tax revenues (e.g.capital gains taxes and stamp duty on share sales).

It may seem like grown up gambling and betting - and of course, in many ways it is.

BTW - I am in no way defending the relative salary levels of people in the City vs other jobs (in fact I posted that point at the beginning of the thread). However, I don't for one minute buy the whole, get rid of the useless City workers and the rest of us will be better off! Complete and utter tosh!

'capital markets for the developed world' that should have just read for the 'world'!

Starlight - the real high levels of taxes are not from individuals paying the capital gains taxes - it is from the companies themselves. Everytime a trade is made in shares by anykind of investment fund (or pension scheme even) they have to pay stamp duty (like when buying a house). This all raises huge amounts of tax revenues - which is why the Govt do all that they can to attract overseas companies to trade in London.

Of course all of us pay taxes and they do contribute a shedload of money. But companies pay a lot of taxes too and it was those I was talking about.

I started to read the thread but far too long and unpleasant jealousy a bit of a turn off so ...

I like the spa idea best. I remember trips to the spa. It's the kind of luxury you don't let yourself have unless someone buys it for you.

I would hate flowers or smelly candles.

i think flowers represent work and scented candles either get left weith wrapping on or get lit once and then binned here

OK I've name changed here - I do rather like this one and might keep it though....

Firstly, why on earth would anyone get anything out of bragging about her dh's salary anonymously? I don't really understand how anyone can think this wasn't a genuine question.

Secondly, regarding hedge fund managers, private equity folk and other City types....the vast majority of these people are not horrid mean capitalist pigs. The main accusation here is how they would justify their fat salaries.

Well, I worked in the City pre kids, my dh is a hedge fund manager, many of our friends have City type jobs (although I have friends from all walks of life please note before anyone accuses me of god knows what). When the subject has come up not one of the people I know is callous or has ever said they think they deserve more pay than someone who is doing a tough job on low pay. I truly doubt any of them would say that. People I know who've talked about this mention a mix of luck, market forces, education that sent them on a particular path, but absolutely not 'oh I work my arse off more than others". Yes people will say they work hard and they do (I have done 60 hour weeks) but these people know that there are others who do 60 hour weeks for way way less money.
(Just to show I'm not totally biased, the job security issue does come up as a justification but I'm not sure it's a great one as actually there are plenty out there with lower paid but equally insecure jobs).

The people who would make such comments as those suggested here when justifying their fat salaries are a tiny, tiny minority.

I know of people in the City who give huge amounts to charity - literally millions. We aren't all tax exiles who scoff at everyone else so please don't think that.

Much of this is due to a myth perpetuated by the media (the likes of the Daily Mail especially) that all City folk take coke, frequent lapdancing clubs and buy a new Rolex/ Ferrari etc every week. Yes of course there are excesses and people who do this but please don't tar everyone with the same brush.

Starlight - you are right there really isn't anything in particular that justifies the salary levels of those working in the City - I wasn't trying to do that. I was more trying to address the suggestion that without the City everyone would be a lot better off. Which just isn't true.

Oh FGS is right - there are plenty people who work in the City (in the really high earning jobs) who live by the old maxim of 1/3 salary to live on, 1/3 to save and 1/3 to charity.

Alternatively there is the second life sceanrio (Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are examples) where business people spend the first half of their careers making money and the second half giving away the money they have made, through charitable foundations etc.

Nevertheless. I'm still not convinced that it justifies the salaries of the City people! Although when I talk about them, I mean the ones who take home several million a year - not those on £125k. And there are plenty of those that do.

oh god has this turned into an inverted snob lets hang the rich fest? how very predictable and entirely and completely the inverse of 'christmas spirit'.

Back to the original question... I think £30 - £40 is a bit mean. This woman, like yourself is the back bone and support behind your husband and is integral to his success.

If he bought you a £30 - £40 gift would you be delighted?

In her position, I would be pleased with any gift, however a spa would be so much more welcome.

"If he bought you a £30 - £40 gift would you be delighted?"

Slightly different circumstances don't you think? He's not married to the secretary! Or is he? Bygamist!!!

surely its just a token gesture isntit all this gift dtuff seems excessive to me..i would have thought a bottle of wine would be fine

"This woman, like yourself is the back bone and support behind your husband and is integral to his success."

It's a job and she's getting paid for it. She's not flornce farkin nightingale

DWTLT, I've had two people email me off the back of this thread, so if you email me as well, not mentioning who you are, I won't "know" it's you, iyswim?

But don't if you don't want to - I understand!

I don't like the title of this thread.

First of all city salaries are their own little bubble. Kind of like the South Sea Bubble but it hasn't burst yet. A lawyer in the city earning 125k, is strtctly lower middle management in a magic circle or middle management in a middly sort of firm. Nothing whatsoever to brag about.

Secondly it sounds like a lot of money to those not caught in the rat trap, so it is unpleasant on that front.

Thirdly, and this is a feminist issue, it seems totally absurd to me to brag about the achievements of your OH. I mean bragging about yourself is bad taste but bragging about other people is both in bad taste and delusional.

Oh come on Q - do you really think she was bragging? She's not exactly living the life of a WAG in her two and a half bed maisonette is she.

why are people emailing u hunker babe because of this thread..eh