The ask is cheap
A polite, well-anchored counter is close to risk-free at the offer stage. The expected value is strongly positive even at low odds.
Research desk
Career & Income
Income is the engine behind every other decision on this site, and it is the variable people optimise least. A single successful negotiation compounds through every future raise, every employer match and every percentage-based benefit for the rest of your career. This desk treats compensation as what it is: a financial instrument with terms you can read and change.
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Compensation is a stack, not a number
Candidates negotiate base salary and accept everything else as fixed. Almost none of it is fixed.
- Base salaryThe compounding layer. Every future raise, bonus percentage and match is calculated from it, which is why one increase pays for decades.
- EquityRSUs and options behave completely differently in taxation and downside. Know which you hold and what it is worth if the price stalls.
- Cash extrasSigning bonus, relocation and retention payments are the easiest concessions for an employer to grant — they do not touch the salary band.
- TermsSeverance, notice period, remote status and vesting acceleration cost nothing today and matter enormously on the worst day of the job.
Equity is concentration
Your salary and your shares depend on the same employer. Above 20% of net worth, that is a risk position, not a benefit.
Price your own time
Freelancers who divide a target salary by 2,080 hours systematically underprice. Utilisation and overhead decide the real rate.
Run the numbers
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