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How Much Money Do You Make? 💰

9 October 2023

"How much money do you make?" is the wrong question to ask. The real question is "How much money do you save?" For example, I have a cousin who lives somewhere in New York. She is a school teacher and earns $100,000 USD a year. After plugging this number into a tax calculator, she earns $72,284 USD after taxes. Let's just say rent is $2,000 USD a month if you want to live in a decent neighborhood. It's probably more, but let's just use that easy number. Twelve months multiplied by $2,000 USD a month is $24,000 USD. That leaves a remainder of $48,284 USD a year, or $928 USD a week. That doesn't even factor in that one requires an automobile (and associated costs, such as fuel, maintenance, insurance, etc.) as ante just to get in the game.

Now let's take my situation. I, too, am a teacher. However, I make only $75,000 USD a year, which isn't unusual for international teachers if you know what you're doing. I sit my boxers on Zoom, discussing nouns and verbs to a room full of black boxes and students who are too busy playing video games on their smart telephones, double masked, to pay attention. However, my host country does not impose salary taxation. In addition, they provide decent accommodation; my flat is about 800 square feet, fully furnished, with access to a gymnasium, swimming pool, and sauna. This situation, too, is typical for teachers abroad. I end up pocketing the entire $75,000 USD per year, or $1,442 USD per week. Even if I made $50,000 USD a year, half of what my cousin earns, I'd still come out ahead. Oh yea, and I only "work" eight months a year for it.

That doesn't even factor in that a meal in New York will run one $20+ easy. Here, a bowl of noodles is $3 USD and it's healthier. Drug addicted and dead-eyed employees with an attitude problem aren't getting paid $23 USD to flip burgers and businesses aren't crushed by expensive insurance policies, "smash-and-grab" raids, and random lawsuits. And they also aren't getting shot in the face for forgetting to include an extra packet of hot sauce. Extrapolate this information... it applies to healthcare, transportation, entertainment, etc.

The moral of the story is this: Do not think of your job in terms of income and how much money you earn. I understand a lot of people can not leave their country for better opportunities because of family, health, or other obligations. But if you have the opportunity, I highly recommend to go where you're treated best. Your ancestors did it. International corporations do it every day. There are opportunities for tech, healthcare, education, finance...it's a big world out there, and I look at some people back home in total bewilderment when they're working their life away, being taxed to death, fifteen kilos overweight, barely getting by, hooked on God-knows-what, and have nothing to show for it. This doesn't have to be you. So, how much money do you save?

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