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4% of 5m is 200k; not a high level FAANG TC

200k is very high L4 at Google, medium L5, not out of the question for L6, and 300k is definitely L6 level (2% or so are your odds of getting there)

Also different tax rates for investment vs income: 200k taxed at 30% is easily L6 level compensation. And if you're comparing to L6 anywhere outside of US it's easily L7.

Also: these amounts are declining. Except perhaps in AI.

> 200k is very high L4 at Google, medium L5, not out of the question for L6, and 300k is definitely L6 level

In my experience, those numbers are low for the US. This is about accurate: https://www.levels.fyi/companies/google/salaries/software-en...

Is that taking the tax into account 200k while paying 30% tax on it instead of 50%?

200k investment income * 0.7 * 2 = 280k income from labor.

300k investment income exceeds what you get on a 400k wage.

And you can probably get the tax on investment income down from that 30%, even to 10% sometimes, if you're willing to move (which you would have to do for a 400k job even if you're CEO at a large company anyway)

Ah, my numbers were pretax. I agree investing has better tax treatment (close to zero if you "buy, borrow, die"!)

Also a squarely middle class income in a vhcol area like the Bay Area. But a super luxurious lifestyle.

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