What People Earn

Every year Parade magazine does a special report on "What People Earn." I keep an eye out for it and my interest speaks volumes about how nosy I am. As soon as it comes in I look at every photo and read about what they make. Here are a few examples below:

* Rachael Ray, 38, TV Chef, $6 million, New York, NY. I'm so glad they didn't call her a TV talk show host, I can barely stomach her.

* Albert Einstein, Physicist, Deceased, $20 million (photo, making fun of the rest of our salaries). Wow, I heard of people getting rich while asleep, but this is ridiculous. He earns income for his estate mainly through commercials and other media that use his images.

* Steve Carell, 43, Actor, $9 million, Los Angeles. The star from The Office is actually pretty funny, although $9 million translates into quite a few dollars per laugh.

Don't get the wrong idea though, the Parade article isn't merely about rich people:

* Renay Gonzales, 30, Product Placement, $24,000, Tampa, FL. You know when you go to a grocery store and some items are placed in better positions than others? That happens because of the skills of product placement experts in persuading stock managers where their brand should go.

* Aaron Jones, 34, Real Estate Broker, $435,000, Salt Lake City, UT. Homes have been very good to this gentleman.

* Kenneth Martin, 31, Air Force Staff Sgt., $48,000, Minot, ND. Have you ever been to Minot? My brother was stationed there during the Vietnam War and I use to visit him. That place is so boring that people should probably get hazard pay based on potential mental health concerns.

The above are only from page one, there are many more inside. I encourage people to check out the article (linked above) at the web.

It is difficult to learn any lessons from the article, but here are a few observations:

* Education can pay off. There are certain jobs that require substantial skills in very specific areas that can only be obtained through school (e.g., medical doctor). School, in general (getting a BA) can often be helpful because of its ability to show determination to a potential employer.

* Sales can be lucrative. I consistently note very high incomes associated with those in sales, including the Real Estate Broker cited above.

* People obtain income based on the job they do. This seems obvious, I know, but that goes against the grain of certain people that want salaries to be set artificially high. This includes minimum wage, labor unions, and other means that harm the economy.

Go ahead, be nosey, find out what your neighbor may be making.