Personal Budget Planning Builds Household Wealth  To some people, 'budget' is a dirty word. In reality a budget is just a schedule of income and expenses, a way of documenting how much money comes in and how it should sensibly be spent. There's everything to gain from sticking to a budget, but adhering to a budget is difficult for many people because it usually means denying cravings and luxuries beyond reach.Well, after all, that's the point of a budget.What percentage of your income goes to housing every month? What goes to entertainment? Knowing those spending ratios is a valuable tool to ... view article details

Negotiation Myths & Reality Negotiating salary is an incredibly complex and emotional endeavor. And as such, it becomes a personal and charged issue that all too often results in misinformation.An earlier survey this year showed 41% of people didn't negotiate salary for the job they currently hold. So in an attempt to figure out what's true and what isn't regarding salary negotiation, we sent out three new surveys filled out by more than 1,000 employees and employers. The goal was to decipher whether people negotiate, why there's a stigma attached to negotiating, whether employees bel... view article details

What is the PSR? The PSR is our Personal Salary Report. You probably know about and have used our free Salary Wizard, but the PSR is an enhanced compensation analysis that costs a little bit of money, but gives you much more of an edge when it comes to negotiating salary.So why should you buy the PSR when you can get free information in the Salary Wizard? Glad you asked, because here's our step-by-step guide to understanding the PSR.For Starters... The very first thing you'll do is enter your job title, state, and city. This is important because the region in which you live h... view article details

Workers Are Negotiating Less Often We love all things salary negotiation. It’s our business, our passion, and the reason our company exists. But it’s not enough for us to love it, we need you to love it as well.Unfortunately, many of you aren’t convinced of the importance of negotiating your salary.For the last few years we’ve conducted a survey to determine how often people negotiate, when they negotiate, and why they’re afraid of negotiating. It culminates in our annual Salary Negotiation Week, in which you can pick up some great tips on salary negotiation tactics. This year, we sur... view article details

Is it a dream of yours to have a job that pays over six figures? While many say money doesn't buy happiness, it can certainly alter a person's lifestyle. Although it depends on the location of the job and other factors, certain occupations are known for paying much more handsomely than others. According to Salary.com data, here are 10 jobs that pay out the "big bucks." We've also provided job descriptions for each one so you can decide if any of these jobs sound right for you to pursue.   1) School Principal: $103,217  A School Principal directs and oversees education and teaching programs for... view article details

Is salary your top priority when searching for a job? It may come as no surprise that doctors dominate the realm of high paying jobs, according to Salary.com data. These roles require advanced degrees and intense training, but you'll be sitting pretty once you start practicing. Here are jobs in the medical field that come with hefty salaries: 1) Physician - Cardiology - Invasive Median Salary: $407,692 2) Physician - Radiology  Median Salary: $397,527 3) Surgeon Median Salary: $377,479 4) Physician - Cardiology - Non-Invasive Median Salary: $374,924 5) Anesthesiologist Median Salary: $372,767 ... view article details

If you’ve elevated into management, you can often negotiate higher bonuses, stock options, and profit sharing, tying your performance into the success of the overall company. Since you may have put your stake down on a house, priorities change in that you might take a job that’s closer to home, has a less brutal commute, or allows you flextime to work from a home office a few times per week. And with your kids reaching school play and Disneyland age, you’ll want to lobby for more vacation to keep up your work-life balance.For those not ready to throw in the flag on middle age just yet, many pr... view article details

Even if your negotiation goes poorly and you don’t receive any additional income, the simple process of putting yourself in that situation and asking for what you want will be an incredible learning experience.After receiving an offer, you’ll want to make a modest counter-offer to get that first negotiation under your belt. But in the first few jobs right out of school, factors like getting experience, finding out what you like to do, and having a great boss or mentor is much more valuable than earning top dollar. Yet, you’d be surprised at the confidence you’ll gain if you get a small bump in... view article details

Q. What exactly is meant by the word equivalent in the phrase 'four-year degree or equivalent'?A. When an employer uses the term equivalent, it typically means they will consider any job-related experience that will provide the candidate the necessary knowledge, skill, and abilities (abbreviated 'KSA') to be able to perform the functions of the advertised position proficiently. A formal education with a four-year degree can be sufficient to provide a candidate with necessary KSAs. Or, a high school diploma and four years of experience in a particular job can also help a candidate develop suffi... view article details

How does a college kid with no experience go from being a complete homer to drawing Homer (Simpson) professionally? For Brad Ableson, it was a little luck and a metric ton of hard work. Ableson, now 36, spent 15 years as an animator and storyboard artist for The Simpsons, the infamous animated TV sitcom that has been on the air for more than two decades. That means when Homer dishes out his patented 'Why you little---' and starts to throttle his mischievous son Bart, there's a good chance it was Ableson who came up with the angle, the actions and everything else that brings the characters to ... view article details