What a $100K Salary Looks Like After Taxes in Your State

America is still in the midst of a health crisis triggered by the global coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, this has brought financial hardship to many Americans -- especially because most have insufficient emergency funds. In a recent GOBankingRates survey, nearly half of those polled claimed to have less than one month of emergency savings tucked away, and fewer than 19% have more than six months of savings. At times like these, it’s more important than ever to focus on just how much income you take home from your paycheck so you can budget appropriately going forward. READ MORE

Setting Pay and Policy for Remote Workers

While there were many topics that piqued the interest of attendees at WorldatWork’s “2021 Total Rewards Conference and Exhibition,” a session focused on how to compensate remote workers was among the most captivating.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced most businesses into some form of remote work beginning in  March 2020. And that model, which proved to be viable, has led many organizations to opt for remaining either fully remote or in a hybrid model going forward. With that, however, has come a host of complicated questions and decisions for organizations on how to go about compensating these remote workers. READ MORE

US wages are going up, and those who don’t adapt to the new reality will fail

There is a significant shortage of labor across the United States. Yes, federal unemployment Covid payments ran out after Labor Day. But still, many workers are reluctant to return to work, wary of their health and safety as the Delta variant continues to rage. Many are looking to switch jobs amid reports of the “great resignation” and employers are desperate to do whatever they can to retain workers as demand continues to remain strong. READ MORE

U.S. Tech Salaries Grow, But Not For Everyone

The median income for tech professionals hit US $154,443 in 2020, up from $148,500 in 2019. Adjusted to constant 2020 dollars, that's about a 2.8 percent increase. These numbers exclude overtime, profit sharing, and side hustles. That's particularly good news for engineers this year, considering that inflation-adjusted salaries were basically flat in 2019 compared with 2018. READ MORE

Stock Options & RSUs From Startup To IPO Or Acquisition

Fast-growing private companies rely heavily on equity compensation to recruit, motivate, and retain the best employees. Grants are typically stock options, restricted stock, or restricted stock units (RSUs). However, stock comp in private companies is surprisingly more complex and varied than what’s commonly used in mature public companies. The many challenges range from the inability to sell stock at exercise to fund the exercise costs to lockup restrictions on shares after the IPO. READ MORE

Don’t Let Stock Options Keep You From Leaving a Job

As millions of Americans change jobs, some in the finance and tech sectors may be sitting tight, feeling locked in by equity-based awards. Those industries often pay a hefty portion of compensation in stock options, where employees can buy company stock at a set price, or restricted stock units, where workers are awarded shares outright. To reap the benefits of either, you typically have to wait a set period of time. READ MORE

The myths of ‘income inequality’

It is an article of faith among progressives that income inequality is getting worse in California. In fact, claims of a widening gap between rich and poor are used nationally to justify raising taxes and accelerate the redistribution of wealth.

But like other urban myths, such as how Prop. 13 supposedly starved local governments, it is easily debunked by critical analysis of the data. As it turns out, while the rich are in fact getting richer, so are the poor. READ MORE

SEC Proposes to Amend Form N-PX

The SEC also proposed a new rule (Rule 14Ad-1) and form amendments under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act) that would require an institutional investment manager subject to Section 13(f) of the Exchange Act to report annually on Form N-PX how it voted proxies relating to executive compensation matters (i.e., “say-on-pay”), as required by Section 14A of the Exchange Act. READ MORE

HR Executive and Staff Pay Rose During the Pandemic

New studies highlight changes to compensation for HR executives and staff, as well as the ways in which the pandemic has changed how HR professionals work and the challenges they face.

HR Executive Pay Trends, published in October by Equilar, a research firm that tracks data on corporate leaders, analyzes compensation for HR executives at the 500 largest (by revenue) publicly traded U.S. companies. READ MORE

Here’s what would happen if Americans could look up everyone’s salary

What would you do if you knew how much money your colleagues made?

Imagine being able to look up anyone’s salary the same way you’d search for how much your neighbor paid for their house on Zillow. A tap, a click — that’s all it would take to find out how your salary stacks up with your co-workers, how much you could be making if you’re promoted, and even what your boss’s boss makes. READ MORE

Flexible Working Now More Important Than Salary

Flexible working has overtaken salary as the top benefit for U.S.-based employees, with 65% ranking flexibility as more important than compensation, according to a new report from Jabra that analyzes employee sentiments about hybrid work. The finding is included in the Jabra Hybrid Ways of Working: 2021 Global Report, which surveyed 5,000 knowledge workers in five countries worldwide, including the U.S., United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan.

In the U.S., nearly three-quarters of respondents (70%) believe that in the future, having an office space will be considered an employee benefit as opposed to a mandatory way of working. The U.S. workforce also sees the office as a social amenity (65%) and place to collaborate (63%), with independent working happening better off-site. This shift in attitude towards flexible working and office space suggests that employers need to rethink their benefits packages and ensure that they are appropriate for post-pandemic working life. READ MORE

Why Salary Transparency Matters When Attracting New Hires

Salary is the No. 1 factor workers use to determine which jobs to apply for, a recent CareerBuilder survey found. Yet despite the fact that 54% of workers said they use salary to determine whether or not to apply for a job, many job postings do not include salary information. And those that do sometimes use false numbers to lure in candidates — but this can backfire. The survey found that the top deal-breaker when interviewing for a job is learning the starting salary is lower than what is posted on the job description, with 48% citing this as a deal-breaker.

With these stats in mind, it’s clear that salary transparency is a major factor in attracting candidates, and it may be of even more importance given the current job climate. READ MORE

Enhanced Authority Could Strengthen Oversight of Executive Bonuses Awarded Before a Bankruptcy Filing

Some companies made headlines in 2020 for paying their executives large bonuses while undergoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy. While the Bankruptcy Code restricts executive retention bonuses during bankruptcy, our review of FY 2020 data showed that some debtors may be working around the Code's restrictions by paying these bonuses prior to filing.

We recommended that Congress amend the Code to bring pre-bankruptcy bonuses under court oversight and specify factors the court should consider before approving them. READ MORE