Comments on: 2011 Average Raise – Will Raises Stink Like Last Year?

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 20:59:39 +0000

Looking at these replies I see how good my job is (Luxottica.com). I just got a 7 % raise and a $400 bonus.

Best part, no union, no government interference, pure capitalism.

By: Dr. Timothy Lawler

Dr. Timothy Lawler — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 11:12:06 +0000

Great post, and yes, I completely agree. There is no reason for them to HAVE to give you a raise, but you should try to combat this issue. You should position yourself as an authority/integral role in your company and then ask for a raise. In the military, we received a 1.9% this year vice a 3% increase in the previous years. Keep up the good articles!

By: Funny about Money

Funny about Money — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:25:28 +0000

“Raise”? What’s that? Before I was laid off, we hadn’t seen a raise in three years. Last year, we had furloughs that cut our pay 10%. This year the survivors at my now-former place of work were supposed to get a permanent 2.5% pay cut.

To add to that, contrary to expectation, in 2010 Social Security did not raise the earning limitation for so-called “early” retirees above the 2009 level of $14,160. Since the community college where I’m now scraping together a living with adjunct teaching pays a munificent $2,400 per semester-long course, this meant that to avoid a 50% tax levied by confiscation of an entire month’s SS check, I had to limit my assignments to 5 courses, enforcing poverty by limiting 2010 earned income to $12,000. And no, there are no f/t jobs out there for hypereducated women my age — I couldn’t even get a job driving the tourist tram at the zoo.

By: frugal zeitgeist

frugal zeitgeist — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 22:32:55 +0000

No raise! Still have a job, though, unlike many of my former colleagues.

By: Frugal Brunette

Frugal Brunette — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 16:17:22 +0000

Actually, over here at the Law Office that deals with Foreclosure (talk about job security) we were treated pretty nicely. As for me (hourly) I got 2 bucks more which is rather big. As far as I know, my coworkers on a salary were pretty well off as well.
But again, I work in a business that is BOOMING instead of going down the drain like every other one out there.

By: Carnival of Personal Finance: Unanswered Questions Edition | Mighty Bargain Hunter

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:08:04 +0000

[...] Darwin’s Finance discusses raises. [...]

By: Len Penzo

Len Penzo — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 18:04:33 +0000

Well, this year it was 5.6% – which is pretty good considering the state of the economy, but it is lower than the 7.5% I’ve averaged over my 20-year career.

That is understandable though for life in the corporate world. As our salaries continue to grow it naturally gets harder and harder to maintain that kind of pace.

Best,

Len
Len Penzo dot Com

By: Rainy-Day Saver « Weekend Link Love: Tax Refund Edition

Rainy-Day Saver « Weekend Link Love: Tax Refund Edition — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 13:11:59 +0000

[...] Your Raise Suck This Year? Mine Kinda Did at Darwin’s Finance talks about the average raise being 2.8% in 2010, the lowest in 25 years. (Raise? What’s that? Plus, our healthcare costs went [...]

By: Financial Samurai

Financial Samurai — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 04:14:15 +0000

@Darwin,

I guess so, but i wouldn’t complain too loudly in this economy just yet. There will be someone willing to do it for 20% less!

Sam

By: Darwin

Darwin — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 02:19:33 +0000

@Samurai, I don’t know that it’s something to get excited over, but an annual raise is something people tend to expect – since we live in a world with inflation. While CPI numbers tell one story, we all now “real” inflation that typical Americans experience is much higher than 0-2% each year. Crap toys and cars come down in price while gas, health care contributions, food and all the stuff we actually need goes up 5-10% each year.

So, the headline number is low, but the real number is way higher than 0. So, if you’re getting no raise, you’re basically losing money in terms of real income each year. That hurts!