Careers

Terry Savage: What to know for Medicare open enrollment

By Terry Savage

September 25, 2026 at 5:15 p.m.

Here’s a look at the headline changes seniors will be forced to confront. And in...

Terry Savage: Why the national debt should concern us

By Terry Savage

September 21, 2026 at 11:15 a.m.

The U.S. national debt now exceeds $40 trillion — a MEGO number, which stands for...

Terry Savage: Login process changing at TreasuryDirect

By Terry Savage

September 21, 2026 at 9:55 a.m.

These government IOUs are the safest repository for “chicken money” — money you cannot afford...

BE PATIENT | Once you have a plan set in stone, be patient. Burnout isn't going to go away overnight, but your new goals are stepping stones to getting there.

Coronavirus burnout? Work from home burnout? Steps to take to address it with your boss

By Active Times

December 7, 2020 at 3:18 p.m.

You might consider yourself a high-achiever who goes above and beyond on the job, and...

A psychologist explains the 5 habits of highly focused people

By Inc.

October 1, 2020 at 4:32 p.m.

Are you having a hard time staying focused on work, especially in these high-stress days?...

Before you quit: Dealing with the 6 types of bad bosses

By Fast Company

October 1, 2020 at 4:30 p.m.

If you're one of the many people who feel you work for a tough or...

Unemployment claims| <a href=https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf>Initial unemployment claims seasonally adjusted</a> (week ending May 23, 2020): 2,123,000</p> |

<p>More than 2.1 million people filed a new unemployment claim for the week ending May 23. It indicates that companies that retained their staff through March and April may have needed to close in mid-May, or may have faced a slowdown that affected their ability to keep people employed.</p>

The first female recession threatens to wipe out decades of progress for US women

By Bloomberg News

October 1, 2020 at 9:34 a.m.

Women helped pull the U.S. economy out of the last recession. This time around they...

There are several estate planning strategies to consider before the rules change.

Now’s the time for estate tax planning

By Joy Taylor

September 30, 2020 at 4:47 p.m.

This year is an opportune time to consider succession and wealth planning. One reason is...

Jill On Money: Does the federal government’s budget deficit matter?

By Jill Schlesinger

September 30, 2020 at 4:47 p.m.

In a Q&A column this summer, I wrote about the nation's ballooning debt and deficit....

The first female recession threatens to wipe out decades of progress for US women

By Bloomberg

September 30, 2020 at 4:46 p.m.

Women helped pull the U.S. economy out of the last recession. This time around they...

JOBS WITH THE HIGHEST VARIANCE IN PAY | Some careers come with a reasonably predictable salary spectrum that gives job hunters a good idea of what they can expect to earn when entering the field and advancing in their careers. Others, not so much.

In some industries, those in the bottom 10th percentile of earners take home less than the country's median salary—$39,810, according to <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/home.htm">Bureau of Labor Statistics data from May 2019</a>—while those in the 90th percentile earn into the six figures, sometimes more than $200,000 per year.

This list explores 50 occupations with a six-figure gulf between those in the profession who earn the least and those who earn the most, all of whom do the same job—technically, at least.

In some industries, like postsecondary education, two different professors could earn radically different salaries depending on whether they work at a private university, public college, or junior college. Their pay might vary based on their tenure status, their history of securing grants or other awards, or the amount of research they've published.

Salaries in other industries, like sales, are based mainly on commission, which means earnings can vary wildly based on factors like the quality of leads, the competitiveness of the industry, and, of course, the salesperson's talent for selling.

Using 2019 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/home.htm">Occupational Employment Statistics</a>, released on March 31, 2020, <a href="https://stacker.com/">Stacker</a> compiled the top 50 jobs with the highest variance in annual pay between the 90th percentile and the 10th percentile. Jobs with "all other" in the name were excluded, as these were aggregates of several jobs, and the wage data was not accurate to one specific job.

Keep reading to learn about the careers where the pay variance is so vast that the difference between the lowest earners and the highest is often more than the entire salary of those on the bottom end of the pay scale.

Talk about a raise: These are the 50 jobs with the highest pay variance

By Andrew Lisa

October 1, 2020 at 4:41 p.m.

Using 2019 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, Stacker examines...

FILE - This Oct. 8, 2019 file photo shows the Apple Pay app on an iPhone in New York. Using contactless payments for in-person retail transactions offers convenience and security benefits, but amid the coronavirus pandemic, hygiene might be the best reason yet. "Contactless" usually means tap-to-pay credit and debit cards, smartphone digital wallets or retailer apps. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

Avoid dirty money with touchless payments

By Associated Press

September 29, 2020 at 3:45 p.m.

If you're looking for a self-improvement task in this pandemic era, try teaching yourself to...

The Savings Game: Final working years can boost Social Security benefit

By Elliott Raphaelson

September 29, 2020 at 3:42 p.m.

Q: I have not reached my full retirement age; I am five years away. However,...