Feeling underpaid comes with a decision: ask for a raise, push for a promotion, or leave. This 2-tool workflow quantifies both paths. Step 1 tells you what asking for a raise is actually worth (EV, lifetime silence cost, scripted anchor). Step 2 tells you whether staying for a promotion beats jumping to a new offer — in present value terms.
Most people don't ask for raises because they're afraid of the outcome — but the expected value math is almost always strongly positive. Even if there's a 50% chance you get nothing, the expected annual gain from a $5,000 raise ask is $2,500+ year one, compounding forward. This tool calculates year-1 EV, lifetime EV (present value of the raise compounded by merit over your horizon), and the "silence cost" — the dollar amount you're giving up by not asking at all. It also outputs a recommended opening anchor (15% above your target) and a scripted ask framework. Carry the raise amount into Step 2 if your manager says no and you're considering whether to hop.
Open Raise-Ask EV Calculator →The promotion vs. job-hop decision looks simple but almost always has hidden costs on the hop side: ramp-up discount, benefits gap, unvested equity, lost pension credits, and the tenure premium from years of service. This tool models both paths as discounted cash flow streams over 5 years and outputs cumulative PV, the verdict (stay or hop), and — critically — the break-even hop premium: the salary increase percentage you'd need to make jumping financially equivalent to the promotion path. If the hop premium exceeds the break-even by a large margin, leave. If not, the promotion timeline may be worth riding.
Open Promotion vs. Job-Hop Calculator →