Career Calculator
Model the compounding differences between standard cost-of-living raises and strategic career hopping over a 10-year horizon.
Year 10 Raise Delta Portfolio
Compounded at 8% annual return
Year 10 Salary Comparison
+26% Switcher premium
Year 10 Net Take-home
Inclusive of tax, matches & transition friction
Visualize the divergence in salary or compounded raise portfolios.
Strategy note
Studies show that staying at the same company for more than two years can cost you up to 50% in lifetime earnings compared to strategic job-hopping. This simulator compiles all cash-flow sources (base, bonus, match, tax, location, and hours) to visualize the true financial divergence.
Formulas
Raise Delta:
ฮN_t = N_switcher,t - N_stayer,t
Compounded Portfolio:
P_t = P_t-1 * (1 + R_p) + ฮN_t
Effective Hourly Rate:
Rate = Comp_CoL / (Hours_Year)
FAQ
The loyalty tax is the economic penalty paid by long-term employees. Because corporate talent acquisition budgets are significantly larger than internal merit raise pools, external hires are priced dynamically to market demand, regularly leaving loyal employees earning up to 50% less over their lifetime.
Transitioning between companies triggers immediate job-hopping frictions, such as unvested 401(k) matching forfeiture, unvested performance bonus cuts due to timing, and COBRA gap healthcare coverage. In the short term, this friction can outweigh the salary bump, though the higher base salary compounds to a massive net positive by Year 10.
The calculator isolates the "Raise Delta"โthe net take-home pay difference between staying and job-hoppingโand models investing that capital directly into an index portfolio compounding at a specified market return rate (default 8%).