You’re starting to feel underappreciated and overworked at your place of employment. You haven’t had a raise in so long the cost of inflation has slowly and steadily been eating away at your checks.

But you’re worried if you ask your boss for more money, they’ll laugh you out of their office instead of applauding your bravery. Here are a few ways to help tip the odds in your favor for landing that overdue raise.

Take On Additional Work

If you’re already feeling stretched past your limits on your workload, this one might not be feasible for you. But let’s be honest. Most people can handle some extra work at their job. After all, we seem to make time for chatting with co-workers or lingering a little longer in the lunchroom than we need to.

If you want to be worth the extra money you’re asking for, take on some extra tasks and remind your boss of that when the time comes.

Toot Your Own Horn

No one likes a glory hog or someone who pats themselves on the back 24/7. But in the workforce, sometimes you have to toot your own horn because no one is going to do it for you.

If you’ve won some awards, received some special praise, or landed a big account, make sure your boss knows about it.

Do Your Research

If you think you’re being underpaid, do the legwork and figure out by how much. Use online search engines or ask any friends you have in similar positions at competing companies to see how your salary stacks up.

If you know you’re being underpaid, use specific examples to show your boss when you call him out on it. Don’t place any blame when you bring it to his attention. Just tell him it has recently come to your attention that you’re being underpaid for the position you hold. He might not get you up to the pay level you’d like or consider fair, but a modest raise is still better than nothing.

Ask For a Reasonable Amount

Keep in mind that your odds of landing a 5 percent raise are a lot higher than getting a 15 percent raise. While it’s never fun to settle for less than you’re worth, you also need to be realistic when asking your boss for more money.

If they agree to bump you up by 5 percent, and you know you’re worth twice that, take your small victory and try again for the remainder in six months or a year.

Get Another Offer

If the other tactics don’t work, you may need to go through the hassle of applying for other jobs. If you go this route, make sure you’re prepared to go through with it. Don’t make an idle threat if you aren’t prepared to back it up.

This is a risky strategy that could go either way. If your boss still says he can’t pony up the money, you should seriously consider taking your new offer. If you can’t get a raise under these circumstances, you’re unlikely to ever get one at all. It may just be time to cut your losses and move on.

When you want to save money for retirement in an IRA, it can be tricky knowing which kind to use – traditional or Roth. Each kind of IRA offers its own pros and cons.

Roth IRAs do offer a lot of perks traditional IRAs don’t. Here are some of the biggest advantages of setting one up.

Your Withdrawals Are Tax-Free

While you won’t get a tax break on the contributions you make into your Roth IRA, your earnings you take out someday won’t be hit with any kind of taxes. In your retirement years, that can be a big bonus, particularly if you plan to be in a higher tax bracket. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t want tax-free money in their retirement years?

In order to get the money tax free though, you have to meet the criteria. The Roth IRA has to be in place for five years before you take withdrawals. And to use it for retirement without being taxed or penalized in any way, you have to be at least 59 and a half.

You Can Take Your Contributions At Any Time

With most retirement plans, you’re penalized for taking out any money before you reach a certain age – whether it’s your contributions or your earnings. But with Roth IRAs, things are different because your contributions have already been taxed.

You can take out your contributions, which is the money you’ve put in each year, at any point without paying a penalty. So if you put $3,000 in each year for 10 years, that’s $30,000 in contributions you can withdraw at any time, should you need them. While it can be tempting to raid your Roth IRA for big expenses in your life, you’ll do your future self the most good by letting them ride in your account.

You Can Use It to Buy a Home

If you’re a first-time homebuyer, you can take into your Roth IRA to help with the down payment. There are a few conditions though, so don’t think you can pull all your money out and go after your dream house.

You can take out up to $10,000 for that purpose. And the money can’t be used to pick out new, cool furnishings for your home. It has to be used for things like closing costs and down payments.

Finally, before you can use your Roth to help you with your homeownership goal, you have to have held the account for a minimum of five years.

You Don’t Have to Take Money Out By a Certain Age

Unlike traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs don’t require you to take out minimum distributions when you reach the age of 70 and a half. That means your money can keep growing tax-free as long as you need it to.

While not everyone will be in this enviable financial position in their golden years, it’s a perk that those who plan to be well off in their retirement will love. It’s especially helpful for those who would like to leave more money behind for their heirs.