How to Negotiate a Higher Starting Salary (and Why Most Women Leave Money on the Table)
Let me tell you something I've seen play out more times than I can count in my nearly two decades as a financial planner: women consistently underestimate their value at the negotiating table, and it costs them for years.
When you accept a salary that's lower than what you're worth, you're not just leaving money on the table today. You're compressing every raise, every bonus, and every retirement contribution that builds on that base for the rest of your career. The financial ripple effect of underselling yourself is real, and it's one of the most important money conversations I have with my clients.
Here's the truth: salary negotiation is not aggressive. It's not awkward. It's not arrogant. It's intentional.
And that's exactly how I want you to approach it.
Whether you're returning to the workforce after stepping away to raise your kids, making a career pivot, or simply ready to stop being underpaid, this is your moment. You have skills, experience, and val
...How to Be a Positive Money Role Model for Your Kids at Any Age
Your kids are watching you with money. They always have been.
Not in the formal, sit-down-and-teach-a-lesson kind of way. In the ambient, everyday kind of way. They watch how you react when an unexpected bill arrives. They notice the tension in your voice when money comes up. They absorb your beliefs about what is possible, what is safe, what people like us do with money.
Long before they ever open a bank account, your kids are building their money beliefs from what they see in you.
That is both a responsibility and an opportunity. And it does not expire when they turn 18.
If you are in midlife, you are likely parenting across a wide range of ages right now. Maybe you have teenagers at home and a college student simultaneously. Maybe your kids are already launched and you are wondering what money messages stuck and which ones you wish you had done differently. Maybe you are rebuilding your own financial foundation and you want to do it in a way that models something better than wha...
Leah Hadley, AFC, CDFA, MAFF
Leah Hadley, AFCĀ® CDFAĀ® MAFFā„¢, is a bestselling author and financial planner with over 20 years of experience helping women build wealth with intention. She is the founder of Watch Her Thrive and Intentional Wealth Partners, and the author of Intentional Money: The Modern Woman's Guide to Building Wealth, Purpose & Peace.
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Investment Advisory Disclosure:
Leah Hadley is a Licensed Investment Adviser Representative and the Founder of Intentional Wealth Partners, a Registered Investment Adviser. Advisory services are offered exclusively through Intentional Wealth Partners.
Watch Her Thrive is not a Registered Investment Adviser and does not provide individualized investment advice, financial planning, or securities recommendations. All content provided through Watch Her Thrive is for educational and informational purposes only.