Author: Naveen Shrivastava
Founder – Findwell Capital
Chapter 3: Is Your Salary Right for Your Age?
The Question Nobody Usually Asks
Most people ask:
“Is my salary good?”
But this is an incomplete question.
A better question is:
“Is my salary appropriate for my current career stage and age?”
A salary of ₹50,000 may be excellent for one person and disappointing for another.
It depends on:
- Age
- Experience
- Industry
- Skills
- Location
- Career stage
- Responsibilities
- Growth potential
Therefore, salary should not be judged in isolation.
Stop Comparing Yourself With Everyone
One of the biggest career mistakes is comparison.
You see someone on LinkedIn earning more.
Your friend receives a promotion.
Someone starts a business.
Another person buys a luxury car.
Immediately, you start feeling behind.
But you do not know:
- Their debt
- Their family responsibilities
- Their financial background
- Their career risks
- Their savings
- Their actual financial situation
Therefore:
Do not compare your salary with someone’s lifestyle.
Compare your progress with your own career potential.
The Five Stages of a Career
Every career generally goes through different stages.
Stage 1: Learning Stage
Age: 20–25
This is the stage of:
- Learning
- Experimentation
- Building skills
- Understanding industries
- Discovering strengths
Salary is important, but learning may be even more important.
A person who builds valuable skills at this stage may earn significantly more later.
Stage 2: Growth Stage
Age: 25–30
This is the stage where you should start asking:
- Am I progressing?
- Is my salary growing?
- Are my responsibilities increasing?
- Am I becoming more valuable?
- Am I developing specialized skills?
This is usually the time when career decisions can significantly affect future income.
Stage 3: Wealth Creation Stage
Age: 30–40
This is a critical phase.
Ideally, income should grow—but financial discipline should also improve.
This stage should focus on:
- Increasing income
- Building investments
- Managing debt
- Developing leadership
- Creating additional income opportunities
- Building assets
A major mistake during this stage is increasing lifestyle expenses faster than wealth.
Stage 4: Asset Building Stage
Age: 40–50
At this stage, the question should change.
Instead of asking only:
“How can I earn more?”
You should also ask:
“What have I created from what I earned?”
Your focus should increasingly move towards:
- Asset creation
- Investment growth
- Debt reduction
- Financial protection
- Retirement planning
- Multiple income sources
Stage 5: Financial Freedom Stage
Age: 50+
At this stage, ideally, your career should have created:
- Assets
- Investments
- Financial security
- Reduced liabilities
- Income beyond salary
The ultimate goal is not necessarily to stop working.
The goal is to have greater freedom in choosing:
How you work, where you work, and why you work.
A Simple Age-Income Indicator
We can use the same basic formula introduced earlier:
Income Multiplier = Monthly Income ÷ (Age × ₹1,000)
Let us look at examples.
Example 1: Aman
Age: 24
Monthly Income: ₹32,000
Calculation:
₹32,000 ÷ ₹24,000
= 1.33
Aman is at the beginning of his career.
At this stage, his focus should be:
- Learning
- Building skills
- Understanding his industry
- Increasing his market value
His Income Multiplier is only one indicator. His future growth potential may be far more important.
Example 2: Rahul
Age: 30
Monthly Income: ₹90,000
Calculation:
₹90,000 ÷ ₹30,000
= 3.0
Rahul may have reached a strong income level compared with his earlier career stage.
Now he should focus on:
- Investments
- Debt management
- Leadership skills
- Income diversification
Example 3: Sandeep
Age: 40
Monthly Income: ₹1,00,000
Calculation:
₹1,00,000 ÷ ₹40,000
= 2.5
The number alone does not make Sandeep successful or unsuccessful.
But it raises an important question:
“Has my income grown at the same pace as my experience?”
At 40, a person may have 15–20 years of experience.
That experience should ideally create:
- Higher responsibility
- Better market value
- Stronger income potential
- Leadership opportunities
If growth has stopped, it may be time for a career review.
The Salary Benchmark Mistake
There is no single “correct salary” for a particular age.
For example, a 35-year-old professional may earn:
- ₹50,000
- ₹1,00,000
- ₹3,00,000
- ₹10,00,000
All four situations may exist.
The difference can depend on:
- Industry
- Education
- Location
- Role
- Experience
- Skills
- Risk-taking
- Networking
- Business ownership
Therefore, Career Yield should never tell someone:
“You are a failure because your salary is below a specific number.”
Instead, it should ask:
“Are you growing according to your potential?”
That is a more meaningful question.
The Three Salary Questions You Must Ask
Question 1: Is my income growing?
Look at your income from the last:
- 1 year
- 3 years
- 5 years
Has your income increased?
At what speed?
Question 2: Is my market value growing?
If you leave your current job today:
Can you get a better opportunity?
If the answer is no, you may need to improve:
- Skills
- Experience
- Personal branding
- Industry knowledge
- Professional network
Question 3: Is my income creating wealth?
A higher salary should eventually create:
- Savings
- Investments
- Assets
- Security
Otherwise, a salary increase may simply create a more expensive lifestyle.
Your Career Is a Long-Term Investment
You invest:
- Time
- Energy
- Education
- Skills
- Relationships
into your career.
In return, your career should gradually produce:
- Income
- Growth
- Knowledge
- Opportunities
- Assets
- Financial security
That is the philosophy behind Career Yield.