# How relatively well off financially were the main Seinfeld characters? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 17, 2010, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017 "2010-07-17T09:53:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/21 "2010-07-18T02:11:50Z")
Whatever the truth was about J. Peterman and George Steinbrenner, the corresponding characters on the _series_ were somewhere between eccentric and bat-shit crazy. So it’s quite possible that Elaine and George would be vastly overpaid for whatever it was they were supposed to be doing, and whatever any real-world counterparts took home would be largely irrelevant. ETA: Jerry was well off enough to be able to afford just about anything his character needed to do, such as fly to Florida and back at a moment’s notice. The fact that he lived frugally and didn’t like to throw money out the window (literally) doesn’t really contradict that. He also had relatively simple tastes, preferring jeans and a sweater to an Armani suit and eating at diners more often than trendy restaurants. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/22 "2010-07-18T02:55:39Z")
Also remember the episode where Jerry was buying a Saab 900 Convertible at Putty’s dealership. That isn’t exactly a cheap car and any sort of car in Manhattan is a bit of a luxury/pain in the ass. I seem to recall some of the episode concerned finding affordable parking. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/23 "2010-07-18T06:59:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Elaine had rich parents. Her father was a famous writer. Given the self-referential nature of the show, that may be a reference to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ background. Her family is exceedingly wealthy (as in the multi-billion dollar level). ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/24 "2010-07-20T00:30:25Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Given the self-referential nature of the show, that may be a reference to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ background. Her family is exceedingly wealthy (as in the multi-billion dollar level). The part about her dad being a famous writer was inspired by a real-life former girlfriend of Larry David’s. He used to date the daughter of [Richard Yates](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Yates_%28novelist%29) (author of, among other things, the novel _Revolutionary Road_). ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/25 "2010-07-20T00:55:45Z")
Did he ever have an affair with John Cheever? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/26 "2010-07-20T03:39:17Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I ask 'cause I don’t know what state the Yankees were in during the series. I didn’t actually watch the show, but I’m pretty sure they (the Yankees) were in New York state. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/27 "2010-07-20T05:52:59Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > Also remember the episode where Jerry was buying a Saab 900 Convertible at Putty’s dealership. That isn’t exactly a cheap car and any sort of car in Manhattan is a bit of a luxury/pain in the ass. I seem to recall some of the episode concerned finding affordable parking. I am not sure of that episode, but Jerry used to pay a guy to move his car from one side of the stree to the other. Remember when this guy went on vacation and George took the job over and blew it. Also flying is pretty cheap, especially if you’re a comedian and fly anyway, you get all those airline miles. And back then the premiums for last minute flights weren’t as bad as now. So what did Newman make? A mailman in NYC What about Jerry’s father, he was a buyer (I think) for coats and clothing in NYC garmet district. What did George’s dad do for a living? Other than go on business trips to Korea 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/28 "2010-07-20T10:21:52Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > What did George’s dad do for a living? Other than go on business trips to Korea 🙂 At the time he went to Korea, he was selling religious statues. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/29 "2010-07-20T12:19:51Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Anyway as far as what a traveling secretary does, and this is just a WAG, I imagine they probably book hotels, process expense reports and keep tabs on the team’s private jet. [http://www.usatoday.com/travel/columnist/mcgee/2006-10-24-mcgee\_x.htm](http://www.usatoday.com/travel/columnist/mcgee/2006-10-24-mcgee_x.htm) That sounds like exactly what they do. Along with getting the equipment to the stadium and coordinating the travel details of all the extra people like trainers, family members and other personnel (which is often upwards of 200 extra people beyond the players and the coaching staff). I’d imagine the traveling secretary makes a good six figures and his assistant probably makes a pretty penny as well. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/30 "2010-07-20T13:42:40Z")
> [@Manwich](#): > > I am pretty sure Kramer was a fantasy character, able to have and do whatever it took to make a good story line. He did not exist in the regular universe of physics, finances and toilet paper. > [@Markxxx](#): > > Kramer is a joke character that couldn’t exist in real life. Kramer was based on a real person – Kenny Kramer – whose lifestyle was essentially was like the fictional Kramer’s – no steady job, mooching off the neighbors. He lived off of patent royalty checks of some kind. So, he did pretty much exist in real life. > [@Markxxx](#): > > What did George’s dad do for a living? Other than go on business trips to Korea 🙂 He sold religious tschotschkes. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/31 "2010-07-20T13:52:42Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I’d imagine the traveling secretary makes a good six figures and his assistant probably makes a pretty penny as well. I would wager they make significantly less than that. Outside of the very top jobs, mlb jobs pay very poorly. The supply of smart and dedicated people wanting to work in baseball vastly outnumbers the available jobs. This allows teams to pretty much pay whatever they want for mid/low level jobs, because if you won’t work for $30k a year, there are dozens of other qualified people who will. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/32 "2010-07-20T13:55:18Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I’d imagine the traveling secretary makes a good six figures and his assistant probably makes a pretty penny as well. IIRC, George was replaced by a part time, unpaid intern. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/33 "2010-07-20T14:03:06Z")
Kramer had a small stipend from the Union for being on strike from the bagel shop. He maintained that the people who’d been working there for the last ten years were “scabs.” For a wile there he had to go back, but then he found some other violation within a day or two and took the “scabs” out with him . . . His apartment was rent controlled, and technically in the name of the husband from “Mad About You.” He finally gave it up, and let Kramer have the lease. What is a comfortable salary living on Manhattan? It seems to me that $100k wouldn’t go very far. . . ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/34 "2010-07-20T15:07:42Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I’d imagine the traveling secretary makes a good six figures and his assistant probably makes a pretty penny as well. I wouldn’t be so sure of this as I’ve know lots of assistants who only make 10% or 20% of what the bosses make. I am sure the position “traveling secretary” is well paid. But George isn’t the “assistant traveling secretary” he is the “assistant TO the traveling secretary.” That makes a huge difference. Manhattan isn’t really that costly outside of housing and parking IF you have a car. Which you don’t need in NYC. I lived in Manhattan for about a year and the only really costly thing was the rent. And I didn’t pay that, my company did. Public transit is comparable to Chicago, so is food and clothes, IF you look. Sure there are more expensive shops and resturaunts but you don’t have to eat at them. A hundred grand would be easy to live in Manhattan. You would be paying about 25% of your gross for a flat. $2,083 a month for a flat. Easy to find really nice flats in Manhattan for that. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/35 "2010-07-20T20:51:21Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > George scraped by … It was generally implied that Steinbrenner just kept him around because he liked him … It was for the calzones. - Excellent calzone you got there, Costanza. Okay, a little jealous now … You know that eggplant was very good. Everybody out! I got eggplant on my mind. Costanza get me couple of those calzones right now. Pronto. Move out. Big Stein wants an eggplant calzone! \* ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/36 "2010-07-21T03:14:07Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Elaine, I think, was the only one who ever really had anything resembling genuine career skills, with a good education… Even though she went to Tufts…her safety school! > [@Lamia](#): > > In that episode Susan came right out and said that she had a lot more money than George, although it may be the case that he didn’t really know how MUCH more. George didn’t really care about the pre-nup for financial reasons. He only asked to try to get Susan to dump him. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017/37 "2010-07-21T03:32:39Z")
George had an affair with his secretary while he worked for the Yankees. During the love making, George promised her a raise. George pleaded with Steinbrenner to give her a raise and Steinbrenner gave her a 25K raise which put her salary above his salary. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relatively-well-off-financially-were-the-main-seinfeld-characters/547017.md?page=1)