Salary Dump Has Feds In The Dumps

Do your friends know how much you make as a government worker? Would it embarrass you if your over-achiever brother-in-law knew how little Uncle Sam chooses to pay you? Would your ex-spouse be surprised and maybe a little angry to know what you've really been pulling down?

For most of us in the private sector, salaries are more or less private. Odds are many of us give the impression that we make more than we do, either because we are embarrassed by the reality of our direct deposits or are trying to impress someone.

(For the record and in the interest of full disclosure — up to a point — here are my numbers: Although the media is notoriously a cheap-payer except for select superstars and talking heads, my salary is in the neighborhood of $1 million. It is a rather large neighborhood. My bonus last year was less than $600,000. A lot less. Now that we've got that out of the way, back to you).
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