The disincentive to work is very real indeed, I can assure you.  I am making the best money of my life and I aim to make less.  That extra money is costing me time spent on more rewarding pursuits such as writing interesting code, or even just taking a long walk -- and that opportunity cost rises as I grow older.<p>To be clear, if I can make 40% more money with at most 10% more effort, I might consider it.  But after a point the extra after-tax income is not worth the time and quality of life I forfeit.  The whole point of earning extra money, beyond the ability to buy "things," is to buy more time and an enhanced quality of life.  If it does not accomplish that, then the extra money has negative value.