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Dave Ramsey calls cost of living raises 'insulting' and shares how he decides what to pay people

In this issue, what to pay GOOD people, the college major that's best at creating them, and ten subtle clues you've found one.

In partnership with

There’s a better way than 2% and a pat on the back.

2% isn’t even enough to stay in place.

The word “inflation” has been bandied about like a hand grenade recently. Data says it’s not so bad, but tell that to my pocketbook* as it weeps at the cash register of the grocery store.

But inflation doesn’t really matter if your paycheck keeps up. Or, that’s the theory. Financial guru Dave Ramsey says cost-of-living raises aren’t the answer. On his podcast, he argued they’re unfair and don’t reflect the true value of an employee’s work.

“A two percent raise in a nine percent inflation economy is insulting.”

Dave Ramsey

So if Ramsey isn’t a fan of the cost-of-living raise, what does he do instead? As Erik Barnes reports, there’s a much better way to know what to pay your valued employees.

* - Metaphorical pocket book, obviously. “Tell it to my phone as I tap it…” doesn’t sound the same.

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It’s not all togas and deep thoughts.

I imagine that the most challenging part of majoring in philosophy is getting parental sign-off on dropping $120,000 in the ancient art of… thinking? If that’s a fight you’ve had, send this article by Michael Vazquez to your parents STAT, cause boy, have we got a pile of I-told-you-sos waiting for you.

Apparently, philosophy majors outperform all other majors on verbal and logical reasoning tests. Are they still not convinced? Try letting them know that philosophy majors tend to exhibit higher levels of intellectual virtues.

What sort of questions are even left to answer, thought? Plenty. AI ethics, the collapse of capitalism, and whether you owe your roommate moral reparations for drinking their oat milk, to name a few. Philosophy’s never been more relevant.

Warning: This article might change how you feel about yourself.

What does goodness actually look like? Not in a grand, Oscar-speech kind of way—but in the quiet, everyday moments most people miss. A recent crowdsourced thread unearthed the little things that speak volumes about someone’s character: how they treat people who can't “do” anything for them. Whether they return a shopping cart that isn’t theirs. If they show kindness to animals without making it a photo op. If they listen—really listen—when a kid asks a question.

As Adam Albright-Hanna unpacks in this piece from the vault, the truest signs of integrity are rarely loud. They’re small, consistent, and usually unnoticed... until someone points them out.

Which of these quiet little habits screams “good person” the loudest to you?

Let's see those green lights.

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

And what did we learn?

Yesterday, we shared tips for breaking free of misinformation. And we asked which bit of bogus “truth” had its claws in our readers the longest.

  • Einstein failed math as a kid (16.7%)

  • Gum takes 7 years to digest (34.6%)

  • You swallow 8 spiders a year in your sleep (11.5%)

  • Bulls hate the color red (37.2%)

Bulls don’t care about red at all, they’re basically color-blind. So, where’s the BS (ha) come from? The drama comes from the matador’s cape whipping around, not the shade. The red dye was just for hiding blood in the bullring.

💬 From the group text…

I’m not saying I was ever an actor… but had I been, I might have found this fascinating! It’s the sort of thing you never notice, and then you see it and it’s obvious.

Until tomorrow, may the wisdom of the ages lead you to the raise you deserve.