Enough Is a Number artwork
Enough Is a NumberS1 · E20:4067 plays Preview: first 60 seconds

The Raise That Disappeared

0:00 / 0:40

Sample the first 60 seconds free. Sign up free or log in to hear the whole episode.

RSS
Show notes

The Raise That Disappeared

A listener from Amman wrote in with a puzzle: a 20 percent raise, and twelve months later less in the bank than before. Maya goes through his figures with his permission and shows exactly where the money went, then shares the rule she uses in her own household whenever income rises.

  • The first three months after a raise, when habits reset
  • Subscriptions, upgrades and the car that was 'about the same'
  • The 50 percent rule for any increase in income
  • Why you should decide what a raise is for before it arrives

Maya closes with the one purchase she allows herself after every good year, and why it is deliberate.

Transcript
Welcome back to Enough Is a Number. I am Maya Sarkis. A listener in Amman sent me a question that I think a lot of you will recognise. He got a 20 percent raise last year, and twelve months later he has less in his bank account than before the raise. He gave me permission to go through his numbers, and today we will do exactly that, line by line. You will hear where the money went, and I promise it is not one big purchase. It is a car that was about the same price, four subscriptions, and a hundred small upgrades. Then I will give you the rule I use in my own house whenever income goes up, and why I decide what a raise is for before it ever arrives. You are listening on Witspeak Podcasts.
Open as text

More from Enough Is a Number

S1 · E1Jun 9, 20260:4133 plays Members

What Is Your Number

Maya explains how she calculated the annual figure her family actually needs, why it was lower than she feared, and how knowing it changed every spending decision.