The Ultimate Guide To Getting a Raise & Boosting Your Salary
By reading this Ultimate Guide you’re already taking the first steps on your journey to a Rich Life. This is only an introduction to the ideas and material you’ll find inside IWT.
I started this site in 2004 while I was studying technology and psychology at Stanford. I’ve spent the time since testing and honing my Rich Life systems on thousands of successful students.
At IWT you’ll Learn:
Buy all the lattes you want!
A $5 coffee is not going to change your financial life. But learning how to automatically invest, how to select the right asset allocation, and how to negotiate a $15,000 raise will. I believe in asking $30,000 questions, not $3 questions.
Your Rich Life is yours
A Rich Life can be picking up your kids everyday from school. Or buying a $1,000 cashmere sweater. It can be buying a round of drinks for your friends, or traveling for 8 weeks per year. You decide. Your Rich Life is yours. (Here are some of my Money Rules.)
There’s a limit to how much you can cut, but no limit to how much you can earn
I have readers who earn $50,000/year and ones who earn $750,000/year. We’ve helped tens of thousands of people earn more money by negotiating their salaries, investing, and starting businesses.
Spend extravagantly on the things you love, as long as you cut costs mercilessly on the things you don’t
I don’t believe in cutting back on lattes. In fact, I want you to spend more on the things you love. What if you could double your spending on travel, or eating out, convenience, or charity? I call those Money Dials and I’ll show you how.
The 85% Solution
Getting started is more important than becoming an expert. You don’t need to be perfect to take control of your money. It’s OK to make mistakes. Get 85% of the way there and move on with your life.
Investing should be very boring
And very profitable—over the long term. I get more excited eating tacos than checking my investment returns.
Money is political
You can simultaneously acknowledge personal responsibility and real systemic problems. This is a core part of the I Will Teach You To Be Rich philosophy. Housing is political. Healthcare is political. Voting rights are political. If you’re looking for bland tips on cutting coupons, this site is not for you.
I consider it a tragedy to live a smaller life than you have to
So many of us have been raised to believe that money is something to be scared of. We use phrases like “I’m not good with money” or “Money changes people.” Yes, money does change people. Money allowed me to dream bigger, to be more generous, and to be more adventurous. It can do the same for you.
A Rich Life is lived outside the spreadsheet
What’s the point of all this saving and investing if you’re simply going to wait until you’re 80 to live? No thanks. I believe that once you’ve set up your finances, you’ll see that the most important part of a Rich Life is outside the spreadsheet—it involves relationships, new experiences, and giving back. You earned it.
Welcome to your Rich Life journey, I’m excited to see what you do next!
* Watch founder Ramit Sethi on Netflix
* Get the NYT-Bestselling book
* Check out the hit podcast
And join over 800,000 readers getting our Rich Life Insiders newsletter:
Ultimate Guide to Getting a Raise & Boosting Your Salary
Are you ready to get paid what you deserve?
Did you know increasing your salary is the easiest and fastest way to make more money? It’s true! Just a single raise can boost your salary by thousands of dollars.
And that’s just the first year. A one-time salary increase of $5,000 — properly invested — adds up to over $1,300,000 by the time you retire. Talk about a Big Win.
No more frugality. No more cutting coupons. No more worrying about bills.
That single conversation can be worth enough money to spend lavishly on things you love, take that exotic trip, pay off debt, buy drinks for your friends, even retire early — and you don’t even have to do any extra work.
Like I always say, there’s a limit to how much you can save, but there’s no limit to how much you can earn.
And with just one conversation, you can boost your income for life.
How much is one raise worth to you?
We all love getting bonuses.
But imagine what it’d feel like to get a raise — not just one big check — but a bigger paycheck every payday for life.
It transforms how you think about things like debt, savings, vacations, and shopping — because you have more money to live a Rich Life and do the things you want.
Whether you want to travel to visit friends on the weekend, buy something extravagant you love, pay off the mortgage, or just buy drinks for your friends… I want to show you how much just one relaxed conversation with your boss could be worth to you.
So why is negotiating our salaries so rare?
We all want a raise, but nobody really tells us how to get one. What do you say to your boss? What can you do to make your boss HAPPY to pay you more?
Yes, we hear woo-woo statements like, “Be yourself!” And we see blog posts that tell us:
“Wear your best outfit and smile.”
With advice like that, it’s no wonder most raise conversations go like this:
– US: “It’s been a while since I got more money, and I think I deserve to get a raise. Is that something you can do?”
– BOSS: “There’s no room in the budget for that. Maybe next year.”
– US: “Oh, okay. Thank you.”
It’s embarrassing and humiliating — especially because we know other people still got big raises.
We tell ourselves things like:
- “I can’t negotiate.”
- “The economy is terrible. My company is struggling.”
- “If I just work harder, my boss will notice me.”
And we settle for a fraction of what we deserve. But you don’t have to be a master negotiator to boost your salary — and your company doesn’t have to be raking in money. The reason is an impolite little secret your boss doesn’t want you to know:
$5,000 or $10,000 means nothing to a company, but it means everything to you
Here’s the key:
Even if your boss notices you, he won’t pay you more unless you ask. (After all, would you pay $110 for something with a $100 price tag?)
Until now, most of us never had the tools to avoid common raise-killing mistakes. Do you make these negotiation mistakes?
The first step to boosting your salary is to STOP shooting yourself in the foot. Most hopeful negotiators walk into these well-known traps and never get out of them. This guide will walk you through each of these, but first, beware the danger…
What you really need to crack the negotiation code
You don’t need tired hacks. You don’t need feel-good motivational speeches.
You just need the exact systems, mindsets, and negotiation strategies that are proven to make your boss loosen the purse strings.
I studied every major book and course on asking for a raise, then I worked with world-class negotiators and social skills coaches to refine my system. My team invested thousands of hours testing over 100 different approaches to asking for a raise. And I flew leading experts to the studio to record in-depth video sessions for you.
And I’m revealing the exact systems, word-for-word scripts, and video case studies thousands of students have used to ask for a raise and get a bigger paycheck every payday. Nobody else will tell you about the psychology behind negotiation. Nobody else will share case studies of how people really boosted their income year after year. And nobody else will give you the word-for-word scripts and insights you need to ask for a raise and win.
All this is my gift to you because I give away 98% of my material and I want you to become a student for life. Besides, you’re going to work anyway — why not get paid what you’re worth?
In this guide, you’ll learn:
1. How to get paid what you’re worth
I want to show you how to land a raise that could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, or more, over your lifetime. Get the step-bystep process for negotiating a raise — plus word-for-word scripts you can use.
2. Salary negotiation tactics that multiply your success
What are the signs that show you’re worthy of more respect, attention, and income? Learn these 3 salary negotiation tactics to multiply your chance of getting a raise and prevent social mistakes from holding you back.
3. In the hot seat: Watch salary negotiations in action
Learning from other people is the fastest way to improve. Check out these video case studies, practice negotiations with actual students, and see where they go RIGHT and WRONG.
4. What’s next
At this point, you’ll have learned some of the systems and strategies to ask for a raise and boost your salary for LIFE.
You’re missing the full experience! The original, unabridged version of this guide is available to download as a PDF. It’s 100% free – just tell us where to send it.
How to get paid what you’re worth
Alright, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty. I want to show you how to land a raise that could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, or more, over your lifetime.
I’ve helped tens of thousands of students like you get raises or find their Dream Jobs. And I’ve discovered most of us have the same questions — so I went to the studio to clear up these problems for you once and for all.
In the videos below, you’ll discover how to:
- Get a raise or crush a salary negotiation using an easy-to-follow, stress-free approach
- Multiply your success with tested, word-for-word scripts
- Build confidence and instantly connect with your boss
- Eliminate your fears using powerful psychological levers
How to negotiate your salary and win — even if you’re inexperienced, nervous, or in a stagnant industry
Here’s the fastest, most effective approach to get a raise and make more money for life: Meet Justin, one of the best negotiators I’ve ever met. He’s so good, I flew him into the studio just to break down exactly how the best negotiators think and speak during a negotiation.
The powerful word-for-word scripts in this behind-the-scenes interview will show you precisely what to say to negotiate your salary and open the door for more raises in the future.
Avoid this trap: How to negotiate when they tell you there’s “no flexibility”
Companies often use this scare tactic to make us settle for less than we deserve… and pocket the money that should’ve been ours.
But with this approach — and my word-for-word scripts — you’ll command their respect and make them excited to pay you what you’re worth.
How to explain an employment gap in just 3 sentences
Most of us are terrified of explaining employment gaps — whether from layoffs or personal reasons such as mental health. Answer these questions wrong, and almost nobody will hire us, let alone pay us what we deserve.
But it doesn’t have to be that way if you know exactly what to say. Here’s the word-for-word script to turn raise- and negotiation-killing questions about your employment history.
How to prepare your boss for giving you a raise
The extra work it takes to get noticed is difficult — chances are, you’re already doing it.
We think, “If my boss really cared, she’d recognize how much I’m helping and pay me more.”
But working harder isn’t enough to get most of us a raise.
We have to ask for it — and prepare our bosses ahead of time. In this video, you’ll learn exactly how to set yourself up for raise after raise.
The secret technique that makes bosses say “Yes!” to raises
It’s easy to tell the boss you’ve done great work. But when you actually prove it – and explain how your work translates into more profit or savings for the company – you’ll instantly grab your boss’s attention.
The secret is SHOW, DON’T TELL.
By making the presentation about your boss and offering proof that you’re driving the metrics that matter to her, you’ll show you’re a great investment — and be in a great position to land a raise. This principle is called the Briefcase Technique, and it’s helped IWT students amaze employers and earn hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Here’s how you can use it right away:
Salary negotiation tactics that multiply your success
The first time I negotiated my salary, I stumbled through it… and bombed. It wasn’t that I was a bad employee or undeserving. What killed me was how I asked for a raise and the mental barriers that caused that uncertainty
How Top Performers get a job
Have you ever seen someone who’s less qualified absolutely nail a presentation or talk with your boss — and wondered how they did it?
Their secret was Competence Triggers — subtle psychological signs that demonstrate to other people that we’re worthy of respect, attention, and the income we deserve.
And because we’re all hard-wired to react to these triggers, they transform how people look at us.
In this video, you’ll learn some of my favorite Competence Triggers, from how to project competence to the ONLY way to answer tricky questions about your salary.
How to stop being shy
Shyness can hold us back in everything from social situations to the negotiating table.
But fortunately, for most of us, there are psychological systems you can quickly put to use to overcome this barrier.
This isn’t about changing who you are or becoming the life of the party.
Instead, it’s about building your ability to communicate with your boss, eliminate stress and nervousness, and build a Rich Life. And it’s easier than you think.
Smiling too much: Social skills teardown
Like bad breath, this is a problem nobody will tell us about — but everybody will notice. I never smile, so this isn’t an issue for me.
But while friendliness is good, some people smile too much — and send the message that they aren’t serious or a worthy candidate for a raise. If we smile too much, it isn’t our fault. And luckily, there’s a simple way to become aware of this… fix it… and regain confidence and respect.
In the hot seat: Watch salary negotiations in action
Learning from other people’s success is the fastest way to improve. That’s why I tested hundreds of different negotiation approaches, gathered over 50,000 data points, and flew students across the country into our studio to practice.
Practice negotiation: Face-to-face with your boss (How to ask for a raise)
Dave was meeting with his boss soon, and he was nervous about how to negotiate a raise.
In this practice session, you’ll learn:
- Which simple tactic instantly demonstrates that you’re prepared and confident
- How to prepare so when you ask for a raise, you’re almost guaranteed to get it
- Exact scripts to persuade your boss — even if they say, “Times are tough” or “Maybe next year”
- The Would You Agree Technique that gets your boss nodding her head with you and puts you at an advantage
Negotiation case study: How Karen got a $10,000 raise
When Karen started salary negotiations, she was worried her employer would find out about her previous salary (she was making $13/hour).
You’ll discover her uncommon approach and find out which techniques and strategies she used to negotiate a huge salary increase. And you’ll learn some of the word-for-word scripts that turned her interview into a $10,000/year raise.
What’s next
You’ve learned some of the systems and strategies to ask for a raise and boost your salary for LIFE — in as little as a few weeks. Now, I want you to have even more of my best material to ask for a raise or negotiate your salary, stress-free, including:
- A near-foolproof way to establish a salary range, so you don’t leave money on the table or get disqualified for being too expensive
- Unconventional tactics to get stock options, additional vacation days, and other compensation in addition to your raise
- Exactly what to say to the trickiest and most common objections your boss brings up
Plus, I want to give you the tools to land the best leverage you can have in any salary negotiation — having MULTIPLE JOB OFFERS from different companies.
- “Ramit, thanks for the extra $10K, 5+ weeks of vacation and 6% 401(k).” – Justin R.
- “11% salary increase, plus a bonus worth $2,000.” – Jacqueline V.
- “I used what I learned [to]….negotiate a raise while salaries were frozen at my job… I was able to secure an increase over 10%. Thanks!” – Brian P.
- “Using one tip alone, negotiated my salary by $30,000.” – Jeff B.
Getting a raise is easier than you think.
You can have your own success story here, just like these students who’ve been quietly using this material to secure $5,000, $10,000, even $20,000+ raises — often with a single conversation. Join No-Stress Negotiation and start getting paid what you’re worth today.
Join over 800,000 readers getting content that’s not available on the blog, free:
Host of Netflix’s “How To Get Rich” NYT Bestselling Author, & Host of the I Will Teach You To Be Rich Podcast. I’ll show you how to take control of your money with my proven strategies so you can live your RICH LIFE.
Ramit Sethi
Host of Netflix’s “How To Get Rich” NYT Bestselling Author, & Host of the I Will Teach You To Be Rich Podcast. I’ll show you how to take control of your money with my proven strategies so you can live your RICH LIFE.
