Over the past year, BCBusiness’s Money Makers series has asked British Columbians to open up about a subject we’re often trained to avoid: what they earn, what they spend and whether they actually feel financially secure. The 15 people featured here range in age from 24 to 62 and collectively earn nearly $1.8 million a year. The median income is $109,000; the average, about $118,000.

But salary alone tells surprisingly little about who feels comfortable. A Vancouver real estate executive earning $240,000 worries about job security, while a 28-year-old tech worker making $80,000 is debt-free with a maxed-out TFSA. A $109,000-a-year relocation specialist says she has amassed $3 million in savings and could retire tomorrow; a 34-year-old early childhood educator making $35,000 says retirement planning keeps getting pushed aside just to keep up with bills.

There are plenty of generational contrasts, too. One 24-year-old who never finished his degree already earns $130,000, while a 58-year-old instructor makes $41,200 after going more than eight years without a raise.

And despite incomes that vary starkly, the answers to one question—what does being “rich” mean to you?—sound remarkably similar. Very few mention luxury for luxury’s sake. Instead, they talk about time, freedom, family, travel, home ownership, being able to absorb an unexpected bill and, perhaps most consistently, simply not having to worry about money.

Here are 15 of the most revealing Money Makers we’ve met so far.

A Vancouver real estate VP 

Total income: $240,000 

You might assume the highest earner on this list feels the safest. Not quite. The 48-year-old VP of communications earns a $210,000 base salary plus a $30,000 bonus, but Vancouver’s cost of living has forced her to cut back on travel—and uncertainty in the real estate sector keeps money on her mind. 

“The sector I work in is in rough shape. Not a lot of job security.” 

Her definition of financial success? Having enough to live comfortably without worry while still feeling fulfilled.  

A Delta hospitality senior VP 

Total income: $230,000 

At 62, this senior vice-president has had more than three decades to build financial security. An early entry into the Lower Mainland housing market helped, as did years of saving and a $180,000 salary supplemented by a $50,000 annual bonus. 

But “rich” isn’t the word he uses for what he has built. 

“My legacy is my family and setting them up for success.” 

A Vancouver PR account manager 

Total income: $82,200 

She’s 32, earns $77,000 plus $5,200 in passive income and is at the high end of the pay range for her job. Still, living downtown can make $82,200 feel surprisingly constrained. 

Rent and groceries are “astronomical,” she says. A move to a more expensive but walkable neighbourhood has at least reduced gas and parking costs, while concerts and festivals remain a non-negotiable indulgence. 

Her definition of rich is only five words: “Not trading my time for money.” 

A Burnaby municipal government senior manager 

Total income: $142,000 

After years of feeling underpaid in the provincial public service, this 35-year-old moved into municipal government and found both a higher salary and more breathing room. She earns $140,000 from her job plus $2,000 in passive income and puts about $1,700 a month toward savings and investments.  

Still, her experience has made her particularly conscious of colleagues further down the pay scale. For her, wealth has little to do with labels or status: 

“Being rich in time, rich in having people who love you and rich in freedom to lead a life without constraints.”  

A Maple Ridge government archaeologist 

Total income: $135,000 

Moving from a more expensive city to Maple Ridge gave this 44-year-old archaeologist something nearly everyone in this roundup is chasing: financial breathing room. He earns $130,000 from his government job and another $5,000 on the side, while putting roughly $1,100 a month toward savings and investments.  

He defines wealth eloquently:

“Financial success is not having to worry about today. Rich is not having to worry about tomorrow, either.”  

A Kelowna government relations worker 

Total income: $130,000 

No completed bachelor’s degree, no problem. At just 24, this government relations professional earns $110,000 from his day job and another $20,000 from side work. 

He’ll splurge on quality clothes—and, memorably, Hermès hand soap—but happily buys generic acetaminophen instead of Tylenol. His bigger lesson is not to spend simply to perform success for other people. 

“You don’t have to be everything all at once.”  

A Central Saanichton marine engineer 

Total income: $110,000 

A six-figure income doesn’t necessarily feel like one. This 37-year-old marine engineer earns $90,000 in salary and another $20,000 on the side, but says taxes, debt and the cost of his preferred healthy foods leave him feeling squeezed. 

For him, wealth is less about hitting a magic number than reaching the point where a trip or an unexpected bill doesn’t require financial gymnastics. 

“Being rich is more about a state of mind than just financial.”  

A Pitt Meadows relocation specialist 

Total income: $109,000 

At 57, this relocation specialist earns $109,000 a year—but has already accumulated $3 million in savings and investments. She owns her Pitt Meadows home and could retire now; she simply doesn’t want to because she loves her work. Growing up as one of five children raised by a single mother shaped a decidedly anti-opulence approach to money. 

“Excess is better in the hands of those who need it.”  

A Vancouver tech worker juggling two jobs 

Total income: $80,000 

At 28, this data governance analyst offers one of the more optimistic Vancouver money stories. His $70,000 salary and $10,000 in side income aren’t among the highest on this list, but he carries no debt, has maxed out his TFSA and invests regularly. 

His secret weapon is decidedly unsexy: spreadsheets. He has tracked his spending for five years, cooks most of his meals at home and even walks short distances rather than paying for transit. 

For him, being rich means having enough flexibility to deal with an unexpected expense without going into debt.  

A Delta event management senior VP 

Total income: $221,000 

Twenty-two years at the same company have paid off for this 48-year-old executive, whose annual compensation includes a $187,000 salary, $30,000 bonus and $4,000 in commissions. 

Real estate played a major role in building her wealth, but she has one regret: putting too much emphasis on property and not enough on plane tickets. After rising mortgage rates left her family living month to month, they sold their Vancouver home and moved to the suburbs. 

Her takeaway now? Financial security matters, but so do experiences. 

A Vancouver marketing director 

Total income: $93,500 

This 33-year-old earns $85,000 from her marketing job plus $8,500 in passive income, but says the financial bargain offered to her generation feels fundamentally different from the one previous generations received. 

“Working a nine-to-five just isn’t enough to pull ahead anymore.” 

Her finances are a particularly millennial mix: spreadsheets for discipline, TikTok for money advice and an awareness that a degree and decent career can keep the bills paid without necessarily delivering the upward mobility people once expected from them.  

A Comox transportation worker 

Total income: $79,000 

At 49, this transportation-sector administrative assistant is earning more than he ever has—and still describes his family as “just getting by.” 

He earns $63,000 from his job, another $15,000 in side income and $1,000 passively. Housing and utilities run about $3,500 a month, while another $1,500 goes toward his child’s schooling and activities. Those are expenses he considers worth protecting even as he cuts elsewhere.  

To him, rich means eventually being mortgage-free while owning assets that can generate income and provide long-term security.  

A Vancouver arts and culture project coordinator 

Total income: $45,000 

At 25, this project coordinator loves working in arts and culture but is less enthusiastic about the compensation. She says the sector doesn’t always pay fairly for the workload—particularly in a city as expensive as Vancouver.  

She’s also unusually aggressive about saving: the monthly spending chart she supplied lists $1,000 going toward assets and savings, almost as much as her $1,050 housing and utilities bill. When she does splurge, it’s on flights home. 

Her version of rich: “Being able to invest in experiences and the people she loves.”  

A Port Moody education instructor 

Total income: $41,200 

At 58, this instructor earns $40,000 from her job and another $1,200 on the side—and says she hasn’t received a raise in more than eight years. 

Affordable co-op housing in Port Moody helps make the math work, but she is still carrying debt while trying to put money aside for retirement. If money weren’t an issue, she says she might pursue acting or run a horse rescue.  

Her definition of wealth is about as far from a balance sheet as you can get: 

“Material things are nice, but they don’t fill your soul.”  

A Vancouver early childhood educator 

Total income: $35,000 

At the other end of our income spectrum is a 34-year-old early childhood educator earning $29,400 plus roughly $5,600 through B.C.’s ECE Wage Enhancement program. 

Her financial ambitions aren’t extravagant. She wants to be able to fix her car when it breaks down, move if her housing situation changes and, one day, buy a home with enough land for a garden or orchard. Instead, bills routinely take precedence over retirement savings. 

“I feel like I am bailing water from a sinking ship.”