How much is one skipped negotiation actually costing you?

A missed $10,000 raise does not stay a $10,000 problem. It resets the base that every future increase is calculated from, shrinks the employer match, and removes years of compounding from the retirement number. Compensation decisions are financial planning decisions, even when they feel like career decisions.

Stacy Jackson, executive coach and founder of SBJ Consulting, works with leaders on understanding total compensation as a leadership skill. She breaks down which parts of an offer are genuinely negotiable, where people undervalue themselves without realizing it, and what the research shows about the motherhood penalty and the fatherhood premium.

Listen in as Stacy explains how to anchor your number to the market instead of your current pay, how to ask direct questions without being labeled difficult, and what to protect during a career break so re-entry starts from a stronger position.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why base salary is often the least flexible part of a compensation package.
• Where to find credible market data before entering a negotiation.
• Why anchoring your ask to your current salary limits lifetime earnings.
• How the motherhood penalty and fatherhood premium appear in pay research.
• How mitigating language weakens a request before it is made.
• Why equity, vesting schedules, and benefits belong in the total compensation math.
• What to maintain during a career break to protect future earning power.
• How workplace proximity and mentorship affect early-career pay outcomes.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

• "You should never anchor your base salary number off what you're currently making. That's another huge mistake." - Stacy Jackson
• "If you haven't been compensated the way you want in the past, why is that? It's not necessarily because you didn't deserve it. It's because you didn't advocate for it." - Stacy Jackson
• "All you need is somebody to answer one question, and you're off and running, because the next question will give you the next question, will give you the next question." - Stacy Jackson

Resources:

• Stacy Jackson: Website | LinkedIn | stacy@sbjconsultinginc.com
• Genevieve George: Website | LinkedIn
• Thought Partner Newsletter
• Glassdoor
• SHRM

Connect with Us:

If you're ready to stop avoiding your finances and start building the future you deserve, schedule a free call with me at pelicanfinancialplanning.com and let’s create your personalized financial plan together.

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