RJ FO budgeting

I’m not going to argue about rage bait with you guys. The ads claim it’s after taxes for one paycheck. Which is beyond stupid. Just like I said on my first post. It’s fake rage bait. I don’t make 18K after taxes in one paycheck and no one else does.

Here’s the brain surgeon one if you want to argue about that. Fitting as I would rather get a lobotomy than continue to interact with idiots over a fake ad.


View: https://x.com/financedystop/status/1974626589087584351?s=46&t=q4K0lrj1hu23CzlixWJG8g
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
No one else does? I’ve had a couple checks this year (the one on the 20th) which were over 18k after taxes. And that’s even after the 5% withholding for the ESPP.
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How much extra did you have to pick up to do that?
How much was doing some sort of swap/vacation altering?
I’m at the top of the pay scale at my company and I’m not clearing that.
I don’t pick up extra or anything like that. If I make any additional $$ it’s because the company screwed up and I got displaced.
 
Soul Brotha' said:
How much extra did you have to pick up to do that?
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Crediting a 95 hour month will make your big check about $18k net. Very easy to do since reserves don’t get used much. Bid short call (84 hour guarantee) then pick up a two day trip on days off and you’re there.
 
Soul Brotha' said:
How much extra did you have to pick up to do that?
How much was doing some sort of swap/vacation altering?
I’m at the top of the pay scale at my company and I’m not clearing that.
I don’t pick up extra or anything like that. If I make any additional $$ it’s because the company screwed up and I got displaced.
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I'd be extremely skeptical if I were you. Notice the vernacular. The "big check"? You get paid guarantee only for the first check and everything over guarantee the second. So the second paycheck of the month paid on the 20th of the month is much larger than the 1st check, on the 5th. By this time of the year most of these guys have maxed out their 401k personal contributions. So they will add that in. If like me they have exceeded the limitations for total 401k contributions 70K this year I believe. They continue to get the 16.5% which should be invested in retirement, not considered income to be spent on bills. When I communicated with my union about my hesitations to put this 401K "spill" into a modified pension with only an 8% return, which is less than the rate of currency debasement I was told by a rep: "most of these guys just spend it on a jetski or something."

To clear 18K net on the big check at my payscale you'd have to work approximately 107 hrs for the month. With all retirement obligations out of the way for the year. However it would come with the "small check" which for me is 8.5-9K net. With all retirement contributions for the year paid. Really the average net pay if there are no deductions and taxes are done correctly on average per check is about 14K. This is assuming Federal tax only at 35%. It does not include state taxes. Which both of the pilots bragging about pay happen to live in states where state taxes are applicable.

And that would be picking up 4 extra days + 18 days of reserve. 84hrs guarantee + 2, 2 day trips at 10.5 hrs of pay. Is 105 hours. Meaning on a 30 day month they have 8 days free of an obligation to be at work or less than 2.5 hours from being at work in uniform. If you consider that a good QOL for almost 75% of your life. I'm sure my lovely coworkers will come back here and say I'm wrong on several counts like my guarantee is 75 hrs so my first paycheck is less than theirs but we are talking about a variance of 37.5 hours vs 42 hrs. Or approximately $1200 dollars of variance at Federal tax rate of 35% only. Not including a 11.3% tax for California. Or a 9.9% state tax for Oregon.

The only pilots clearing a 18K net average paycheck 2X a month are LCA who are extremely busy and management pilots.
 
BEEF SUPREME said:
I'd be extremely skeptical if I were you. Notice the vernacular. The "big check"? You get paid guarantee only for the first check and everything over guarantee the second. So the second paycheck of the month paid on the 20th of the month is much larger than the 1st check, on the 5th. By this time of the year most of these guys have maxed out their 401k personal contributions. So they will add that in. If like me they have exceeded the limitations for total 401k contributions 70K this year I believe. They continue to get the 16.5% which should be invested in retirement, not considered income to be spent on bills. When I communicated with my union about my hesitations to put this 401K "spill" into a modified pension with only an 8% return, which is less than the rate of currency debasement I was told by a rep: "most of these guys just spend it on a jetski or something."

To clear 18K net on the big check at my payscale you'd have to work approximately 107 hrs for the month. With all retirement obligations out of the way for the year. However it would come with the "small check" which for me is 8.5-9K net. With all retirement contributions for the year paid. Really the average net pay if there are no deductions and taxes are done correctly on average per check is about 14K. This is assuming Federal tax only at 35%. It does not include state taxes. Which both of the pilots bragging about pay happen to live in states where state taxes are applicable.

And that would be picking up 4 extra days + 18 days of reserve. 84hrs guarantee + 2, 2 day trips at 10.5 hrs of pay. Is 105 hours. Meaning on a 30 day month they have 8 days free of an obligation to be at work or less than 2.5 hours from being at work in uniform. If you consider that a good QOL for almost 75% of your life. I'm sure my lovely coworkers will come back here and say I'm wrong on several counts like my guarantee is 75 hrs so my first paycheck is less than theirs but we are talking about a variance of 37.5 hours vs 42 hrs. Or approximately $1200 dollars of variance at Federal tax rate of 35% only. Not including a 11.3% tax for California. Or a 9.9% state tax for Oregon.

The only pilots clearing a 18K net average paycheck 2X a month are LCA who are extremely busy and management pilots.
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There are a number of brands on the market that are just as tasty as the real thing.
 
BEEF SUPREME said:
I'd be extremely skeptical if I were you. Notice the vernacular. The "big check"? You get paid guarantee only for the first check and everything over guarantee the second. So the second paycheck of the month paid on the 20th of the month is much larger than the 1st check, on the 5th. By this time of the year most of these guys have maxed out their 401k personal contributions. So they will add that in. If like me they have exceeded the limitations for total 401k contributions 70K this year I believe. They continue to get the 16.5% which should be invested in retirement, not considered income to be spent on bills. When I communicated with my union about my hesitations to put this 401K "spill" into a modified pension with only an 8% return, which is less than the rate of currency debasement I was told by a rep: "most of these guys just spend it on a jetski or something."

To clear 18K net on the big check at my payscale you'd have to work approximately 107 hrs for the month. With all retirement obligations out of the way for the year. However it would come with the "small check" which for me is 8.5-9K net. With all retirement contributions for the year paid. Really the average net pay if there are no deductions and taxes are done correctly on average per check is about 14K. This is assuming Federal tax only at 35%. It does not include state taxes. Which both of the pilots bragging about pay happen to live in states where state taxes are applicable.

And that would be picking up 4 extra days + 18 days of reserve. 84hrs guarantee + 2, 2 day trips at 10.5 hrs of pay. Is 105 hours. Meaning on a 30 day month they have 8 days free of an obligation to be at work or less than 2.5 hours from being at work in uniform. If you consider that a good QOL for almost 75% of your life. I'm sure my lovely coworkers will come back here and say I'm wrong on several counts like my guarantee is 75 hrs so my first paycheck is less than theirs but we are talking about a variance of 37.5 hours vs 42 hrs. Or approximately $1200 dollars of variance at Federal tax rate of 35% only. Not including a 11.3% tax for California. Or a 9.9% state tax for Oregon.

The only pilots clearing a 18K net average paycheck 2X a month are LCA who are extremely busy and management pilots.
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If one is short call reserve, and Monday-Friday did not get a single call, and still did all the home stuff (kids drop to school, pickup from school, homework, play, dinner, etc). Then what exactly did I miss out on? Yes, I’ll then pick up a 2-day trip on a day off.

I did 1400 credit last year and this year is looking to be about 1400-1450.
 
My lowest credit this year was June 104, highest was August 143. In Aug I physically flew 3 days on reserve and did 9 pickups on days off. That’s 12 days physically flying, and 19 days physically home. If you want to call that as 4-5 days off for the month, knock yourself out. My wife and kids saw me 19 days at home the entire time.



I average about 115-120/mo.
 
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Cherokee_Cruiser said:
My lowest credit this year was June 104, highest was August 143. In Aug I physically flew 3 days on reserve and did 9 pickups on days off. That’s 12 days physically flying, and 19 days physically home. If you want to call that as 4-5 days off for the month, knock yourself out. My wife and kids saw me 19 days at home the entire time.
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Dont bother explaining it, he's just going to get confused and ramble about how it's not correct.

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Cherokee_Cruiser said:
My lowest credit this year was June 104, highest was August 143. In Aug I physically flew 3 days on reserve and did 9 pickups on days off. That’s 12 days physically flying, and 19 days physically home. If you want to call that as 4-5 days off for the month, knock yourself out. My wife and kids saw me 19 days at home the entire time.



I average about 115-120/mo.
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So in August you were on reserve for 18 days and picked up an additional 9 days of flying. You were either at work or required to be within 2.5 hrs of work in uniform for 12 hours a day 25 of 30 days of the month. Hopefully, this clears things up for @Soul Brotha'
 
BEEF SUPREME said:
So in August you were on reserve for 18 days and picked up an additional 9 days of flying. You were either at work or required to be within 2.5 hrs of work in uniform for 12 hours a day 25 of 30 days of the month. Hopefully, this clears things up for @Soul Brotha'
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@Soul Brotha'

My home is 15 minutes to LAX. So I’m home chilling in normal clothes.


Here is my record of days used on reserve, out of 18 for a month:

Sept 2024 - 0
Oct - 1
Nov - 3
Dec - 2
Jan - 3
Feb - 6 (busiest ever)
March - 3
April - 0
May - 0
June - 4
July - bid line
Aug - 3
Sept - 4

So instead of just sitting around home for 26+ days at a time, I pick up on reserve days off.

The most I’ve physically flown in a month is 12 days.



@BEEF SUPREME sorry you can’t game the system in SEA. You are probably used at least 15 days of your 18, so you can’t afford to pick time up.
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
@Soul Brotha'

My home is 15 minutes to LAX. So I’m home chilling in normal clothes.


Here is my record of days used on reserve, out of 18 for a month:

Sept 2024 - 0
Oct - 1
Nov - 3
Dec - 2
Jan - 3
Feb - 6 (busiest ever)
March - 3
April - 0
May - 0
June - 4
July - bid line
Aug - 3
Sept - 4

So instead of just sitting around home for 26+ days at a time, I pick up on reserve days off.

The most I’ve physically flown in a month is 12 days.



@BEEF SUPREME sorry you can’t game the system in SEA. You are probably used at least 15 days of your 18, so you can’t afford to pick time up.
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It's very obvious you don't understand what I'm getting at but others do.
 
BEEF SUPREME said:
It's very obvious you don't understand what I'm getting at but others do.
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Nah. You want to get wrapped around the axle over being on call or not. Who cares?

I bid reserve because we don’t get used much in my base and seat.

Ultimately at the end of the day, the max I physically flew this year has been 12 days/month. The rest were either days off or days on reserve which I was not used - which to my wife and kids, ends up feeling like and being a day off.


I don’t get what you’re getting at, other than - yet again - complaining and moaning about people who work the system to their advantage.


For me, either I’m home or I am not. It’s all about TAFB. And my TAFB is very low compared to the norms of line holders.
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
Nah. You want to get wrapped around the axle over being on call or not. Who cares?

I bid reserve because we don’t get used much in my base and seat.

Ultimately at the end of the day, the max I physically flew this year has been 12 days/month. The rest were either days off or days on reserve which I was not used - which to my wife and kids, ends up feeling like and being a day off.
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You're just continuing to broadcast to the world you have no interests or hobbies, life or friends outside of your home and work. You did however answer @Soul Brotha's question
 
BEEF SUPREME said:
You're just continuing to broadcast to the world you have no interests or hobbies, life or friends outside of your home and work. You did however answer @Soul Brotha's question
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I have 3 kids during and a school year, my life is routine for 5/7 days, repetition. School, after school activities, homework, play, dinnner, tuck into bed. That is literally every week.

No, I don’t get to go in the forest on a mountain bike. But I’m okay with that. I still do my own hobbies. Eg, gun range.
 
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