10 States Where You Need To Earn the Highest Salary To Take Home $100K

Taxes can take a big bite out of your take-home pay, so you may need to earn well over six figures to actually take home $100,000 — especially if you live in a state with high taxes.

GOBankingRates determined the salary you would need to take home an annual pay of $100,000 after federal, state and local taxes, plus FICA withholdings for each U.S. state — and these 10 states required the highest salary. READ MORE

Compensation Management Strategies That Work

When talent acquisition and retention are as competitive as they are in today’s labor market, compensation management plays a critical role. McKinsey has found that inadequate total compensation is one of the top reasons why people leave their jobs. Comprehensive compensation strategies help higher performers remain motivated, engaged and loyal. They also encourage other team members to boost their own performance levels. READ MORE

Experts say the gender pay gap may never go away

Over the past two decades, there has been halting progress on narrowing the gender pay gap: As of 2024, women still make about 84 cents for every dollar that men earn, a marginal change from the 80 cents to the dollar that women earned back in 2002. Even as women have made inroads in corporate America and across sectors that were historically dominated by men, pay equity has remained stubbornly out of reach. READ MORE

Why HR is spending less to attract employees but more to keep them

During the Great Resignation, job hoppers landed a median pay increase of more than 20% when they joined a new employer, according to a recent Bank of America report featuring aggregated and anonymized data from the institution. But as of May, that increase has fallen to around 10%, as unemployment has risen to over 4% in the past year. 

For talent acquisition leaders, the slowdown in salary increases bodes well for significant savings as they recruit candidates. However, employers may still have to spend big to retain employees. According to a global survey by recruiting solutions provider Hudson RPO, those who are thinking about leaving their current employer say they would reconsider the move for a minimum 30% salary increase. READ MORE

Trump Wants To Eliminate Income Taxes: How Will This Impact the Upper Middle Class?

Former President Trump said in a private meeting recently that, if he’s reelected in November, he would impose an “all tariff policy.” This would result in no income tax for Americans. During his first term, Trump also favored tariffs when it came to foreign affairs, so it’s no surprise that he would continue to propose tariffs during his second term. In the recent private meeting, Trump also said he would continue to use tariffs as a way to negotiate with “bad actors” abroad.

Not having an income tax seems like it would be an automatic win, but what ripple effects would it have on American workers? What would this mean for the economy, specifically the upper middle class? GOBankingRates reached out to political and financial experts to get their take on what the upper middle class would see if there was no income tax. READ MORE

US agency says apps that let workers access paychecks before payday are providing loans

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Thursday that apps that allow workers to access their paychecks in advance, often for a fee, are providing loans and therefore subject to the Truth in Lending Act, a 1968 law that requires lenders disclose all loan costs and fees.

If enacted, the proposed rule would provide clarity to a fast-growing industry known as Earned Wage Access, which has been compared to payday lending. The agency wants borrowers to be able to “easily compare products” and to prevent “race-to-the-bottom business practices,” CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said on a call with reporters. READ MORE

Big wage hike sends panic through Seattle restaurant industry

When Seattle’s bigwigs in business and labor were negotiating the city’s $15 minimum wage more than a decade ago, one major question threatened to derail the entire agreement: whether small businesses should be treated differently from large ones.

Facing an angry mayor and the threat of one or more ballot initiatives, the parties involved at the time opted to give small businesses 10 years before fully phasing in the city’s precedent-setting new wage law. READ MORE

12 Ways To Champion DEI With Pay Transparency In The Workplace

One important way to foster diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in your organizations is by offering pay transparency. Companies committed to this practice openly share salary ranges, conduct regular pay audits and provide clear communication during salary negotiations.

Below, Forbes Human Resources Council members explain how their organizations create an open and fair work environment through pay transparency. Here's how they've been able to promote equitable pay practices that support DEI standards and build trust among employees and job candidates. READ MORE

Trump wants to "make America wealthy once again:" How wages have changed; plan's impact questioned

Former President Donald J. Trump wants to "make America wealthy once again." That was the theme for day of one The Republican National Convention. Economic policies, inflation, regulation and trade deals, were the focus of Monday's speeches, according to the GOP.

Is pay keeping up with inflation? Are Americans on a path to become wealthier? Here's what we found: READ MORE

JD Vance blames U.S. wage losses on China’s efforts to build its middle class

U.S. presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s new running mate JD Vance stuck to a hard line on China in his first speech since being selected earlier in the week.

“Together we will protect the wages of American workers and stop the Chinese Communist Party from building their middle class on the backs of American citizens,” Vance said on the third night of the Republican National Convention. READ MORE

Changing priorities are driving shifts in 2024 employee pay trends

Economic and financial concerns are causing organizations to revisit – and revise – their approach to their salary budget strategies.

Economies are in a constant state of change, and their trends and dynamics shape pay strategies around the world. This makes comprehensive salary budget insights vital for executives and HR and compensation professionals. In fact, the latest WTW 2024 Global Salary Budget Planning Report reveals movements in salary budgets that are driving trends in talent management priorities as well as the emergence of AI in compensation processes. READ MORE

‘Say-on-pay’ proxy support rises despite concerns about PSUs

The total number of investor activist campaigns this year rose to 691, a 2.4% increase compared with 2023, EY said, noting that activists most targeted the consumer sector, launching 230 campaigns. Investors pursued only 183 campaigns in 2014, EY said, citing Capital IQ data.

Proxy proposals focused on environmental and social topics were most common, representing 63% of all proposals among S&P 1500 companies through June 18, EY said. READ MORE

Code §457 Plans: Making the Best Choice for Your Nonprofit Organization

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a hundred times (ok, maybe just that one time) – recruiting and retaining top talent can be a headache for nonprofit organizations forced to compete against for-profit organizations offering sought-after executives hefty base salaries and generous equity packages. For one thing, nonprofits must comply with IRS rules mandating compensation paid to their employees be both “reasonable” and not “excessive,” and for another, nonprofits don’t typically issue stock or other equity. READ MORE