Kevin Garrett - Integrated Financial Group

12.5% of U.S. households earn $200,000 or more — but that number swings dramatically depending on where you live.

In Washington, D.C., more than one in four households reaches that threshold. Massachusetts, New Jersey, California, and Maryland are all above 20%. Meanwhile, in West Virginia and Mississippi, fewer than one in fifteen households earns at that level — and seven of the ten lowest-ranked states are in the South.

This matters for financial planning in ways that often go unnoticed. A $200K household income puts a family in very different financial circumstances depending on their zip code — local tax burdens, housing costs, and cost of living vary enormously. The number alone doesn’t tell you much about actual purchasing power or wealth-building capacity. Geography shapes what income actually means.

If you’re advising clients or managing your own finances, the question worth asking isn’t just what you earn — it’s what that income actually buys where you live.

Alabama just guaranteed Kalen DeBoer $92 million through 2033 — a $2 million raise per year, despite a 38-3 Rose Bowl exit to close last season.

The football story is interesting. The contract structure is more interesting.

His agent, Jimmy Sexton, built a deal where Alabama owes DeBoer 90% of his remaining salary if they fire him — with no obligation for DeBoer to find another job to offset those payments. Firing him right now costs $67.5 million.

What's easy to miss in the coverage is that the leverage wasn't really about DeBoer's record. It was structural. When Michigan came calling, Alabama's cost to keep him was low — a $5 million departure fee under the original deal. Sexton used that window to reprice the entire relationship. By the time the item hit the Board of Trustees agenda — added at the last minute — DeBoer was locked in at $12.5 million annually, tying him with Ohio State's Ryan Day for fourth among known coaching salaries. Curt Cignetti leads the list at $13.2 million after winning the national title; Smart and Kiffin sit just behind him at $13 million.

A few things worth noting for anyone advising athletes or high-earning clients as I do:

— Long-term guarantees matter more than headline salary. The no-mitigation clause is where the real security lives.
— Leverage windows close. Sexton moved when Alabama was exposed, not after.
— Public statements don't reflect private negotiations. DeBoer was saying all the right things publicly about staying — that's not a contradiction, it's positioning.