Welcome to reThinkable - my Sunday newsletter where I share actionable money tips, strategies, and resources to help you make smarter money moves.

Read time: 3.5 minutes

Hey friend,

It’s finally spring in NYC and I have mixed feelings.

I'm happy about the warmer weather, but I’m NOT looking forward to my allergies acting up.

But as you put your winter coat away, there is 1 item of spring clean I want you to focus on:

Your salary cause it might be collecting more dust than you realize.

In today's newsletter, I'll help you determine whether you're being paid what you deserve!

Are you underpaid?

Think of your salary as an ongoing battle: you want to get paid more BUT your boss wants to pay less.

In a perfect world, it’d be a win-win: you get paid what you’re worth, they get a motivated employee who sticks around. Everybody’s happy.

But that’s not how it usually goes. Employers will stall, lowball, or stay quiet—hoping you don’t ask.

And if you don’t? They assume you’re fine with what you’re getting. 

That’s why so many people only see real raises when they switch jobs. On average, job switchers get a 14% pay bump, compared to just 4.6% for those who stay. Not because they suddenly got better—just because someone else pays market value.

So here are 3 ways to check if you’re underpaid:

Check with yourself

Start by getting honest about your own situation. Do any of these sound familiar?

• You’ve been working hard, but your boss never recognizes it.

• You didn’t negotiate your starting salary—and haven’t during any reviews since.

• You’ve gotten small cost-of-living bumps, but nothing that actually reflects your growth.

If you said yes to any (or all) of these, you’re being underpaid.

Check with the market

Next, back your gut feeling with real numbers. That’s where the internet comes in.

Use salary data sites to see what people in your role, industry, and city are earning. Because let’s be real, an engineer in Silicon Valley is going to earn more than one in the Midwest.

Start here:

• Glassdoor.com(great for transparency)

• Payscale.com 

• Built In (especially for tech/startups)

• CareerOneStop (powered by the U.S. Department of Labor)

Once you see what others are making, you’ll know whether it’s time to refresh your resume—or walk into your next review with receipts

Check with your colleagues

I know, talking about money feels… icky. Most people would rather ask for a kidney than ask a coworker what they make.

But silence keeps people underpaid. The only way to know if you're being paid fairly is by sharing information.

That doesn’t mean grilling people around the water cooler, instead:

• Network with people in your industry (especially at other companies).
  

• Trade info casually: what would you expect someone in this role to earn?
  

• Stay in the loop and open doors. These conversations can lead to opportunities and clarity.

Company loyalty might’ve worked for our grandparents.

But today, you need to know your worth and have a network ready to back you up when it’s time to level up.

So let me ask you this: Who’s more likely to walk out of their next review with a raise?

1. The person who knows their value and has the receipts to prove it?

2. Or the one hoping their boss just… notices?

To making smarter money moves,

— Vincent Chan

Cool things I found this week

• This mobile carrier launched a 100% FREE phone plan with 3GB of 5G data, 300 texts, and 100 mins of calls (no credit card required). Get the app here and use code VINCENT to receive $10 of Cloud Points which can be used for gift cards to shops, eats, travel, and more. Note: to get the free plan, you do have to share anonymized location data to help improve Helium Mobile’s network coverage.

• These are my 9 non-negotiable money rules that I follow every single day. Do you agree with the 4th one.

• Your next iPhone might cost over $2,000 thanks to tariffs…

Vincent Chan

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