What's in your wallet?
A popular television commercial frequently asks that question in North America as they try to get people interested in one particular credit card - but for many people, the answer is "Not much!"
A recent article in the Sunday editions of newspapers in the magazine Parade did what
they call their annual report on What People Earn.
The discrepancies are wide and varied and naturally earnings do not reflect worth to society.
Some of the featured earners and their incomes were:
¦ Donald Trump, 69, Businessman, - $380 million
¦ Craig Wolfe, 63, Rubber duck manufacturer - $108,000
¦ Hillary Clinton, 68, Former secretary of state - $250,000
¦ Matt Keatts, 33, Chimney sweep - $76,845
¦ Kim Kardashian, 35, Self indulger - $85 million
¦ Donald Stanton, 64, Corrections officer - $36,900
¦ Sharon Davies, 48, Spanish immersion teacher - $77,809
¦ Brian D Bixby, Esq, 63, Attorney - $875,000
¦ Anderson Cooper, 48, News Anchor - $11 million
¦ Christina Renfer, 45, High school cafeteria worker - $4636
¦ Taylor Swift, 26, Singer/songwriter - $80 million
And then we have the sportsmen and women, many of whose 2015 earnings would in one year keep most of us happy for a lifetime.
Thirty-four per cent of the US work force are contract workers and these 53 million earners include everyone from freelance writers and caterers to construction workers and engineers.
But what can you expect to earn in the United States and Canada?
The basic guaranteed wage varies by state to state and by province to province. In the USA the lowest guaranteed hourly rate varies from $7.25 in most states to a high of $10 in California and $11.25 in Washington, DC. A 40-hour work week would give a $7.25 an hour earner a weekly income of $290 which would translate to a yearly income of $15,080.
Canadian minimum wages range from an hourly rate of $10.45 in British Columbia to $13 in Nunavut, which is one of the northern territories.
In both the States and Canada some minimum wage rates are connected to the cost-of-living indexes and can rise and fall accordingly.
The year 2016 does look positive for those looking for a career as the employment rate in both 'Na-countries' is the lowest it has been since 2008 and some jobs are opening up as fast as they can be filled. Thanks to aging baby boomers, more people are grappling with chronic health problems and 19 of the top 30 fastest-growing occupations are in health care or personal care. Of course it's not rosy everywhere - farming and manufacturing are hurting.
Some of the fastest growing jobs are:
¦ Cartographers - median annual wage $60,930
¦ Home health aides - median annual wage $21,380
¦ Application software developers - median annual wage $95,510
¦ Physical therapist assistants - median annual wage $54,410
¦ Personal Financial advisors - annual median wage $81,060
So - what's in your wallet?
HIGH NEED: Home health workers are part of the fastest growing occupational group - and some of the lowest paid. PICTURE / THINKSTOCK
What's in your wallet?
A popular television commercial frequently asks that question in North America as they try to get people interested in one particular credit card - but for many people, the answer is "Not much!"
A recent article in the Sunday editions of newspapers in the magazine Parade did what
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