I Will Teach You to Be Rich: No Guilt. No Excuses. No B.S. Just a 6-Week Program That Works.

by Ramit Sethi

Do nothing and figure it out later.

Acknowledge reality and plan for the wedding.

Interestingly, changing the number of guests doesn’t change the cost as much as you’d imagine. In the example on the next page, reducing the head count by 50 percent reduces the cost by only 25 percent.

negotiating for better prices on the venue and food—the best suggestion I’ve heard about cutting wedding costs is to tackle the fixed costs.

Should You Sign a Prenup?

Who needs a prenup? In pop culture, it’s celebrities, industrial tycoons, and wealthy heirs—three groups I’m not a member of.

I found that most people don’t need a prenup unless one of you has a disproportionate amount of assets or liabilities relative to the other—or there are complications like one of you owning a business or having an inheritance. Ninety-nine percent of people don’t need one.

I later discovered that because prenups are, by definition, customized, high-stakes legal agreements for wealthy individuals, there is no incentive to publicize how they actually work. Take what you read online with a grain of salt.

I reassured her that I planned for our marriage to be forever.

I told her why we were even talking about this.

I emphasized marriage was about creating a team.

I emphasized our lifestyle.

But I was firm about wanting to sign a prenup.

Negotiating Your Salary, I Will Teach You to Be Rich Style

you can earn $5,000 or $10,000 in a simple ten-minute conversation.

1. Remember that nobody cares about you.

Negotiating tactic: Always frame your negotiation requests in a way that shows how the company will benefit. Don’t focus on the amount you’ll cost the company. Instead, illustrate how much value you can provide the company.

2. Have another job offer—and use it.

Negotiating tactic: Interview with multiple companies at once. Be sure to let each company know when you get another job offer, but don’t reveal the amount of the exact offer—you’re under no obligation to.

3. Come prepared (99 percent of people don’t).

Don’t just pick a salary out of thin air. First, visit salary.com and payscale.com to get a median amount for the position.

Negotiating tactic: Most of the negotiation happens outside the room. Call your contacts. Figure out the salary amount you’d love, what you can realistically get, and what you’ll settle for.

4. Have a toolbox of negotiating tricks up your sleeve.

Negotiating tactic: Have a repertoire of your accomplishments and aptitudes at your fingertips that you can include in your responses to commonly asked questions. These should include the following:

Stories about successes you’ve had at previous jobs that illustrate your key strengths

Questions to ask the negotiator if the conversation gets off track (“What do you like most about this job? . . . Oh, really? That’s interesting, because when I was at my last job, I found . . .”)

5. Negotiate for more than money.

offers a bonus, stock options, flexible commuting, or ...

“Let’s talk about total comp,”

6. Be cooperative, not adversarial.

You should be confident, not cocky, and eager to find a deal that benefits you both.

“We’re pretty close

7. Smile.

8. Practice negotiating with multiple friends.

9. If it doesn’t work, save face.

“I understand you can’t offer me what I’m looking for right now. But let’s assume I do an excellent job over the next six months. Assuming my performance is just extraordinary, I’d like to talk about renegotiating then. I think that’s fair, right?”

Check out iwillteachyoutoberich.com/bonus/

Five Things You Should Never Do in a Negotiation

1. Don’t tell them your current salary.

“I’m sure we can find a number that’s fair for both of us.”

“I’m not comfortable revealing my salary, so let’s move on. What else can I answer for you?”

Typically first-line recruiters will ask for these. If they won’t budge, ask to spe...

And in New York, asking for your current salary is actually against the law.

2. Don’t make the first offer.

“Now come on, that’s your job. What’s a fair number that we can both work from?”

3. If you’ve got another offer from a company that’s generally regarded to be mediocre, don’t reveal the company’s name.

“It’s another tech company that focuses on online consumer applications.” If you say the name of the mediocre company, the negotiator is going to know that he’s got you.

4. Don’t ask “yes” or “no” questions.

“Fifty thousand dollars is a great number to work from. We’re in the same ballpark, but how can we get to fifty-five thousand?”

5. Never lie.