Free tool
The Offer Decoder
An offer is not a number; it is a package wearing one. Put both packages side by side and see what they are actually worth - and where to push. Runs in your browser; nothing you type is stored or sent.
True annual value
Where the difference comes from
Where the headroom is
Heuristics, not gospel: markets, levels and stock risk all bend these numbers. This tool is educational, not financial advice - for the version with a human who negotiates for a living, there is a two-session program below.
Enter a base salary on each side and the comparison appears here - live, as you type.
How the math works
True annual value = base + bonus target + annual equity value + 401(k) match + the cash value of PTO days (valued at your daily rate, base ÷ 260) − your health premiums − commute costs. It is deliberately conservative: unvested equity is counted at face value per year, and we ignore intangibles (title, growth, sanity) that only you can price.
The point is not decimal precision - it is that people negotiate the loud number and sign away the quiet ones. Three fewer PTO days at a $120,000 base is $1,384 of value; a 2-point weaker match is $2,400, every year, compounding.
What to do with the result
Counter once, completely, with evidence. Our rule of thumb: a respectful counter on base sits 5–10% above the offer, paired with the one or two quiet components where this tool shows the package is weakest - PTO days and signing bonuses move far more easily than base. Priya’s essay on negotiating without torching goodwill has the exact scripts.
Next move
Offer on the table right now?
The two-session negotiation program wraps around live offers on short notice - decode, set the counter, rehearse the call, debrief the result. Median client outcome: $14,600 over the first written offer.
Free 30 minutes · In the studio or on video · An honest read, either way