SoFi Blog

When was the last time you assessed your value or negotiated your salary at work? According to a recent survey¹ conducted by SoFi, over half (57%) of respondents said they feel that they are underpaid, yet only 33% plan to ask for a raise this year.

The conversation surrounding financial independence often only focuses on cutting back to save money – eliminating a daily latte, or bringing lunch to work. Of course, being financially responsible is an important part of getting to financial independence. At SoFi, we believe there is another important dimension to this discussion: earning your way to financial independence. Earning more money gives you the opportunity to put it towards your financial goals faster, whether that means saving for your first home, paying down existing debt, or investing more. Our goal? To help you get your money right—and steer you toward an accelerated path to financial independence.

During the interview for your current job, you may have been asked where you see yourself in five years. But have you ever revisited that conversation? To keep your career on the right path, it’s important to learn how to talk to your boss about your job—where you are now and where you see yourself in the future.

It might feel awkward to bring up your career development to your manager. You may not want to boast about your achievements and why you deserve to move up. Or, maybe you’re worried that your company foresees you moving into a different direction than you have in mind. And there’s always the potential for rejection if your boss doesn’t think you’re ready for a particular career track.

That doesn’t mean you should avoid the awkwardness altogether—you just need a few career tips on how to talk to your boss about your job and career progression. Here’s where to start.

A great way to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the infamous Equifax breach (September 7, 2017) is to take steps to protect yourself to keep your information secure.

First, the backstory: Equifax, a financial information company based in Atlanta, reported a cybersecurity incident that potentially affected 143 million U.S. consumers. Between May and June 2017 , criminals gained access to certain Equifax files through application vulnerability on a U.S. website.

The information exposed included social security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and drivers’ licenses. Approximately 209,000 credit card accounts for approximately 182,000 U.S. consumers were also compromised. These accounts include dispute documents and personal identifying information. Even a year later, the cleanup continues .

New York Fashion Week (NYFW) always brings this dreaded thought to mind: “I have absolutely nothing to wear, and I hate all my clothes.” Take heart, though: while those models are working that runway, you’re working your career.
Some of those models won’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day, but you may not have that option—yet. If so, we offer some tips on how to build an amazing new work wardrobe on a budget.

Just keep this in mind before you star in that clothes-shopping/dressing-room montage: don’t expect to buy a complete wardrobe all at once. It’s going to take some time, planning, and smarts. You already have the smarts, but let’s work on the time and the planning.

Money may not be everything, but it certainly plays a considerable role in your job satisfaction. And if you suspect you’re underpaid, your happiness can plummet—quickly. A recent Indeed survey revealed that only 19% of American workers are comfortable with how much they make and say they’d need a $6,000 raise to feel good about their salaries. Additionally, Glassdoor found that a majority of its users are underpaid by an average of $4,700.

If you think you deserve more, it’s worth doing some research to determine if you are truly underpaid—and if so, using that information to have a conversation with your boss. But before you set foot in his or her office, you have to understand how much of a raise to ask for and the best way to ask for a raise in that situation.