If you got a $240,000 bonus in the mid-2000s in tech, that very likely means you were living in one of the tech metros (SF, NYC) and you could expect nearly 50% of that to be paid in taxes (CA/Fed, NY/NYC/Fed). So you take home about $120,000.
It's a windfall of money to be sure. But being in an employment situation where even such a bonus is possible likely means you already have significantly higher costs than the average person. Maybe you'll pay down some student loans and bolster your savings. But this is far from being "rich". High-earners also tend to have high costs of living.
of course $140k would be life changing for most people. but OP, and i suspect most of the other commenters, are not in that situation.
It’s a fact that my life didn’t change so it wasn’t a life changing amount of money for me.
Maybe it would be life changing for others. tho at least in sf/nyc/la I suspect it wouldn’t for most people. If I had given it to my sister she’d have used it to pay down her mortgage. her life wouldn’t change. she’d have still had a mortgage and her day to day life wouldn’t have changed at all. My nephew could have used it to pay off his student loans. That would be great but again his daily life wouldn’t have changed
Definitely not going to quit my job.
Definitely not going to go back to school.
Sure, I could spend it on a vacations over the next decade but I could already do that so not life changing.
I like my car already.
Maybe a renovation?
At the end of the day, I'm already doing things I like to do so additional money mostly is just going to be saved which isn't life changing. It's nice but not life _changing_.