In case you haven't noticed, I love Cosmopolitan Magazine. I have stacks and stacks of Cosmo from many years back. I started reading the magazines for the sex articles when I was a teenager because I was a hormone crazed adolescent that was into erotica and all things sexual. Oh well. Sue me. But recently Cosmo has added a Careers section that I just adore.They feature articles about how to ask for a raise and how to deal with work place blunders (which I have many of) in addition to other helpful workplace tips. In the November edition of Cosmo Careers, there's an article entitled "Paycheck Confessions". I almost cringed when I saw that. Not because I think that we shouldn't share how much we make, but because I knew that I was going to be envious of all of the women who made a bajillion dollars an hour doing exactly what they loved. But I read it anyway. After all, we can't hide from the things that we don't want to see. That makes you a coward.  So let me get to the point here. After reading how much and how little all of the Ladies featured made, I noticed a severe income gap. Some people were way high and some were way low. This made me curious to see what my friends and family were making at their own jobs and if the ranges varied as much as they did around the country. Now let me tell ya'll something, some of my friends are making way more than I thought they were, But then again, some of my friends were making way less. The absolute lowest was about $28,600 a year. The absolute highest was around $96,044 a year. That's a huge difference. But I admired how open some people were to sharing their wages and how unashamed some were to let me know what they were bringing home. Hell, we even had a few mention that they were struggling with student loans and other debt. I'm with you guys on that. My student loan payments a month are more that my rent! Now what I also noticed is that my parents, aunts, uncles, and other older friends were not open to sharing their income at all. They really didn't want anyone knowing how much they make, especially on social media. But why? I never understood this. It's so taboo to talk about income, spending, and how many hours we work. This has never made any sense to me. I mean, we want to all get paid good money. We all see different people go to different jobs and we know they're coming home with a paycheck. But I never understand why no one wants to talk about their earnings. Honestly, I blame pop culture. And here's why. What do we see on TV all the time? Expensive cars. Diamond rings. Over sized homes with golden toilet bowls. There are some celebrities with pools that don't even know how to swim. And this makes absolutely no damn sense in the world. Yet we idolize these people. We want to buy Rolexes and spinning rims for our cars but we barely make enough money to buy groceries and put gas in our cars.  But no wants to admit that they're broke. No one wants the world to know that they only have four dollars in their bank account. No one wants their friends to know that the reason they can't go out and get bottle service in the club is because they're behind on their car note and they have payments to catch up on. Well I'm here to tell you. It happens to the best of us. We all face hard times or mismanage our money. And sometimes we even work jobs that don't pay us enough to live comfortably. And that's the truth. When my fiance and I moved to where we live now, we both had jobs. Him full time. Me part time. But there were weeks that we played rock, paper, scissors to decide who's car we were going to put gas into because there wasn't enough money for gas AND food. And I was pregnant. It was real. So if you're in that place, don't worry. It doesn't last forever. I also believe that we're shorting ourselves by not talking about money. Think about this for a second. When we job search or are up for a promotion, we usually don't know how much to ask for. We just tack on a few dollars to what we were making before and put that amount on paper. But it wouldn't it be smart to see what others in your field are making, or what the person that held the position before you was paid? It will make things a hell of a lot easier when trying to negotiate pay. Now of course, keep in mind that experience and qualifications do play a big part in how much a company is willing to pay their employees. But talking about how much you make and how much you're willing to accept is always a good start. Just don't be a blabber mouth. Work place envy is usually caused by people making more money than others and that kind of junk. Get the information you need, use it to your advantage, and keep it private until you can pay it forward.  So the next time you move up or job hunt, keep in mind that there are tools out there to help you make the best money possible, no matter what job you're looking for. Websites like glassdoor.com not only help you look for employment, but also help you to see what kind of salary others in your field are making. Point blank: you have to ask for what you want. That's the only way that we're going to close the income gap, not just for men vs. women, but for women who work similar jobs in the same field. We're all trying to make money honey! And I don't want someone who is just as skilled and talented as I am to be paid more money than me. Hell no.  Be educated before negotiating. Be brave when speaking with employers about compensation. And know you're worth. Once you practice all of these things, watch how much your paychecks increase. And they you won't have to pay rock, paper, scissors, to decide to who's going to get money for lunch that day. It's a great feeling. =) Want to learn more? Check out this link on wealth inequality in America. Blog post on wealth and money management coming soon. =)