How to Negotiate a Raise in a Tough Economy (w/ Brown Ambition’s Mandi Money)

NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast

NerdWallet Personal Finance

Business, Education, Investing, How To

4.2 • 665 Ratings

🗓️ 9 June 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Learn how to negotiate higher pay and choose between Roth vs. traditional retirement accounts with confidence. How can you negotiate for a raise in an uncertain economy? Should you invest in a Roth or traditional retirement account? Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola discuss career strategies and retirement planning to help you maximize your earning potential and long-term savings. Joined by Mandi Woodruff-Santos, career coach and host of the Brown Ambition podcast, they begin with a discussion of salary negotiations, with tips and tricks on understanding your market value, making a strong case to your manager, and building a powerful professional network. Then, Sean and Elizabeth discuss how to balance contributions between Roth and traditional retirement accounts in a Q&A with listener Mitch. They cover how your tax bracket impacts retirement planning, the pros and cons of Roth 403(b)s vs. IRAs, and why tax diversification can give you more flexibility in retirement. They also explore the strategies behind reaching Mitch’s financial goals, like early retirement and family financial protection. In their conversation, the Nerds discuss: how to negotiate salary, Roth vs traditional 403b, Roth 403b vs Roth IRA, retirement savings strategy, salary negotiation tips, career change strategy, how to ask for a raise, Roth IRA contribution limits, high income retirement planning, 403b Roth vs traditional Roth, tax diversification retirement, FIRE movement tips, early retirement accounts, high income Roth IRA eligibility, job market 2025, negotiating compensation without a job offer, professional networking tips, LinkedIn career growth, career storytelling, raise during midyear review, 401k vs Roth IRA, no 401k match strategy, high income investing, saving for retirement as a nurse, dual income retirement planning, maximizing 403b contributions, 529 plan strategy, how to build an emergency fund, term life insurance for parents, trust setup for families, how to grow your salary over time, and career moves for higher pay. To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email [email protected]. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Ready to launch your business? Get started with the commerce platform made for entrepreneurs.
0:04.8	Shopify is specially designed to help you start, run and grow your business with easy customizable themes that let you build your brand.
0:12.4	Marketing tools that get your products out there. Integrated shipping solutions that actually save you time.
0:17.4	From startups to scaleups, online, in person, and on the go. Shopify is made for
0:22.8	entrepreneurs like you. Sign up for your $1 a month trial at Shopify.com slash setup.
0:30.5	Sean, if you could pay yourself any amount of money based on what you think you're worth, how much would
0:35.6	it be? This is probably not the answer you want, but the limit does not exist.
0:40.0	I tend to think that people are worth more than a dollar amount can capture,
0:44.0	so I would say an infinite amount of money, Elizabeth.
0:46.6	Well, you could save that for yourself because I would like to be paid $50,000 a month.
0:51.5	Just kidding, that's fair.
0:54.1	All right.
0:54.9	So today we're discussing compensation negotiations and also career strategies for an
1:00.2	uncertain market.
1:07.0	Welcome to NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast, where you send us your money questions and we answer them with the help of our genius nerds.
1:14.0	I'm Sean Piles.
1:15.0	And I'm Elizabeth Ayola.
1:17.1	This episode, we're speaking with a listener about whether they should prioritize contributing to Roth or traditional retirement accounts.
1:24.3	But before then, we're going to chat with Mandy Woodruff Santos from the Brown Ambition
1:29.1	podcast about career strategies for an uncertain market and salary negotiations.
1:34.2	Now, I have to tee Mandy up and let y'all know that she's an award-winning career coach,
1:39.3	personal finance expert, speaker, and writer.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 19 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NerdWallet Personal Finance, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NerdWallet Personal Finance and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.