You Make $100,000 a Year. So Why Does It Still Feel Like You’re Broke? Let’s Run the Numbers
I remember graduating high school in 2001 and having one of my major life goals be to earn $100,000 per year. I thought if I could earn that kind of a salary, my life would be amazing. At this stage in my life, $100,000 seems like a nice salary, but not necessarily like unlimited money. Honestly, part of this is due to inflation. $100,000 today has the same buying power as $54,000 did in 2001. While we all consciously know that inflation is happening, our minds also anchor some values as more or less fixed- for example $1,000,000 is a lot of money or $100,000 per year is a comfortable salary. However, it is worth looking at what $100,000 per year actually gets you in 2026.
A $100,000 salary sounds like the point where money problems should start packing their bags. Then the paycheck arrives, the mortgage gets paid, groceries somehow cost a small fortune, the car needs gas, and a handful of subscriptions quietly nibble away at the rest.
~Brandon Marcus, Clever Dude
In this article, Brandon Marcus breaks down how you can make $100,000 in 2026 and still be struggling. It starts with deductions. While your salary may say $100,000, taxes and retirement contributions can take a big bite out of that number. Once you have your take-home pay, housing can take a big chunk of that. And many Americans have debt- either credit card debt, student loan, debt, or auto debt. Depending on how much of your education you needed to finance to land a 6-figure job, you could be left with surprisingly little pay for variable expenses like food and entertainment. If you’re feeling stretched on your $100,000 salary, it might be worth taking a look at this article and seeing how you stack up against this case study.
Assets That Can Grow Wealth Year After Year
My high school economics teacher was obsessed with the author Robert T. Kiyosaki (aka) “Rich Dad Poor Dad”. He even showed us one Kiyosaki’s videos during class and made us play Kiyosaki’s board game. Kiyosaki’s message was that people need to use their money to build passive income streams (i.e. make your money work for you). While Kiyosaki is a great storyteller, his books, videos, and other products are light on details. He never really tells you how to generate passive income, just that you need to find ways to do it. (Ironically, Kiyosaki’s passive income came from selling videos and board games and books and other products to people about their need for passive income).
With traditional real estate, it can require some serious knowledge, money, time, and effort on your part to be successful.
~Todd Kunsman, Invested Wallet
If you want to build passive income (and who doesn’t), but aren’t sure what types of assets can build passive income, then this article is for you. In it, Todd Kunsman lists 10 types of assets that can grow over time and yield you passive income so you can have your money work for you instead of working for your money. The list contains some obvious ideas,such as stocks or real estate. But it also contains less conventional ideas such as starting a business (which worked for Kiyosaki who is estimated to have made hundreds of millions of dollars from selling his products). If you’re looking for new potential ways to grow your money, you might want to check out the article and see if there might be an asset class you haven’t considered.
Could The Information Companies Know About You Affect The Price You’re Shown?
Remember when your Facebook or Instagram feed was filled with pictures of your friends. Back then, you and your friend might have had very similar feeds with pictures of your mutual friends when you open the app. However, now, you and your friend might have completely different experiences opening the app because “the Algorithm” shows you whatever is going to keep you on the app the longest. Have you started to feel that everything that happens in 2026 is controlled by corporate algorithms? While many people find algorithms annoying and socially problematic, did you know that these algorithms could also be costing you money?
To determine your specific price point, digital platforms feed an enormous variety of personal data points into automated pricing engines. Retailers, travel sites, and app developers purchase or track details regarding your estimated income brackets, spending habits, credit history, and past purchases.
~Shay Huntley, Grocery Coupon Guide
One dark side of the the rise of internet tracking and marketing is that companies can now build sophisticated profiles of you and know exactly how much you might be willing to pay for a specific good. While this is great if you’re trying to sell products and maximize profit, customers are often rightly upset when they find out they’ve been targeted by higher prices. Imagine walking into a grocery store and seeing the person next to you pay $0.39 per pound for bananas when you were charged $0.49. You would be livid and complain to the manager. However, grocery stores can implement this same pricing strategy with their customer rewards cards, giving individualized deals to people they are trying to lure into the store. It can even be more overt on online retailers where your browsing history and cookies can change what price is displayed. If you want to fight back and ensure you’re getting the best prices, reading this article to understand how this practice works is a good first step.