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The Low Stability of High Income

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Re: The Low Stability of High Income

#3
post #2

RSUs and other vesting should be (as in, it would be nice if they did) prorated in the event of a layoff (assuming layoff here means no-fault separation).

Sometimes it is if the company feels generous, though even in countries with strong employment law these benefits have no statutory protection.

One of my previous employers had a rule where they would vest all of my RSU if I were to die while employed there.

Re: The Low Stability of High Income

#5
> how much could you conservatively make in a replacement job? If you set your current spending based on that level of income

I didn't love the numbers in the article -- they assume $500k total comp, but the levels.fyi heatmap from a few days ago shows SFBA median total comp is $263k, with 64% being base so $169k. Federal taxes are 64k, state taxes are 21k. That leaves you with maybe ~$80k in liquid salary.

A market-rate studio apartment is $2700-$3000/mo which is about $36k in annual expense. That's about half of your income. Add food and transportation and there's not much left to save for retirement or emergency fund.

If for some reason you are in the lurch and have to start driving ubers or working at starbucks, you're not going to be able to afford the same kind of apartment that you need to do hybrid work and join meetings at a FAANG job.

Re: The Low Stability of High Income

#6
post #2

RSUs and other vesting should be (as in, it would be nice if they did) prorated in the event of a layoff (assuming layoff here means no-fault separation).

Sometimes it is if the company feels generous, though even in countries with strong employment law these benefits have no statutory protection. One of my previous employers had a rule where they would vest all of my RSU if I were to die while employed there.

> One of my previous employers had a rule where they would vest all of my RSU if I were to die while employed there.

Idle curiosity: Was that in lieu of or in addition to life insurance? (Most of my employers have had free life insurance with a payout of a multiple of base salary.)

Re: The Low Stability of High Income

#7
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sometimes it is if the company feels generous, though even in countries with strong employment law these benefits have no statutory protection. One of my previous employers had a rule where they would vest all of my RSU if I were to die while employed there.

> One of my previous employers had a rule where they would vest all of my RSU if I were to die while employed there. Idle curiosity: Was that in lieu of or in addition to life insurance? (Most of my employers have had free life insurance with a payout of a multiple of base salary.)

That's in addition. Just a goodwill thing that they did.

Re: The Low Stability of High Income

#8
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery. — Charles Dickens, David Copperfield

Good old Chucky D. was a financial guru before it was cool.

Re: The Low Stability of High Income

#9
post #2

RSUs and other vesting should be (as in, it would be nice if they did) prorated in the event of a layoff (assuming layoff here means no-fault separation).

Sometimes it is if the company feels generous, though even in countries with strong employment law these benefits have no statutory protection. One of my previous employers had a rule where they would vest all of my RSU if I were to die while employed there.

Anyone fake their death?

Re: The Low Stability of High Income

#10
post #5

> how much could you conservatively make in a replacement job? If you set your current spending based on that level of income I didn't love the numbers in the article -- they assume $500k total comp, but the levels.fyi heatmap from a few days ago shows SFBA median total comp is $263k, with 64% being base so $169k. Federal taxes are 64k, state taxes are 21k. That leaves you with maybe ~$80k in liquid salary. A market-…

Wouldn't your non-base salary (nearly $100k) be your savings/emergency fund?
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