How the income at 35 quiz works

EarnMatrix is a quiz that guesses how much you'll make a year at 35. You answer 15 quick questions about your habits, skills and plans, and you get a number, a title and the life that comes with it. It takes about two minutes, it's free, and there is no sign-up.

How your number is made

1. Everyone starts at $52,000 a year.
2. Each answer moves your number up or down. Picking tech over teaching moves it. So does your screen time, how you'd spend a surprise $1,000, and how many people would lend you money tonight.
3. The moves stack on each other, which is why two strong answers are worth more than twice one.
4. You watch the number change after every question, and the last answer sets your total.

The quick count is 15 questions. The deep count asks all 114 and takes about 20 minutes, and your number keeps moving the whole way.

What you get

• Your number: a yearly income at 35, printed on a bill with your name on it.
• Your title: one of eight, from "Van life, not by choice" at the bottom to "Buys the team" at the top.
• Your life at 35: the home, the car, the vacation, the Friday night and the group chat that go with that income.
• Your odds: your chances of landing in each bracket, from under $50K to $10M and up.
• A crew board: send a challenge link and everyone who takes it lands on one board, ranked.
• A picture for your story: your bill as an image, ready to post.

Is it accurate?

No, and it isn't trying to be. The numbers are exaggerated on purpose. The shape is borrowed from real life, where most people land in the middle and a few land very high, but the weights are made up for fun. Nothing here is a forecast, a promise of earnings, or financial or career advice.

The full file

The quiz, your result, the picture and the crew board are free. The full file is an optional extra for a one-time $4.99, with no subscription and no account. It adds:

• Your number at 25, 45 and 55.
• The three answers costing you the most, and what each one costs a year.
• Every answer priced, one by one.
• A longer, meaner version of your story.

Questions people ask

Do I need an account?

No. Your answers stay on your phone and are never sent to us.

Can I take it again?

Yes, as many times as you like. Change one answer and see what it does to your number.

Who is it for?

Anyone 13 or older who wants to argue with their friends about who ends up richer.

What happens to my data?

Very little is kept. The details are on the privacy and terms page.