EitherOr you bring up REAL good points as well. When I say I "LOST" a decade, you clearly mentioned what I ment, it was that I chose to sacrifice some areas of my life for others, I am doing well in my life, but I was not able until recently to have a girlfriend, or take vacations. Does this entitle me to more $$$, I guess so, .. and do I have skills others don't, yea, I do (though they have some I don't as well, just happens mine are more rare). I very much like your, and everyone else's, reasoning if I where to over pay a person, it is only at the expensive of someone else, likely myself.

". It stresses me out a bit that I make so much more then they do
Read more at http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/d2...

See I have a problem with this, why should it stress you out? For years I always sought working for people who made millions, why? because they learned something I didn't. I could careless they made more than I did, it just made me more aware that if they could do it so could I.
I found that rarely rich people to be called 'evil', corrupt or trying to take from others, they most often were helpful and love to tell others on how they made it. there is absolutely nothing wrong with making more money than others.

I got tripped up when I hit the 6 figure mark. Not so much by guilt as by a sense of unworthiness (although I walked right into the president's office and said: "This is what I want, and you know full well that I am worth it"). The unworthiness issue didn't actually arise from whether he or I knew that I was worth it, but rather from the reality that the vast majority of my coworkers hadn't had raises in a very long time (in most cases this was because they didn't do anything in particular to earn them). The feeling lingered for about 2 weeks and is long gone - just echos from the remnants of attempts at socialist indoctrination while growing up.

Hi kevinnem, it sounds like you already know the answers to your questions, you just need to reason through them. You say, "I might make twice the amount of money that some of the people working under me might make... I effectively lost a decade of my life to training and education to get here."

First off, why consider that decade of training and education "lost"? You are somewhere different (better?) today then 10 years ago, because YOU worked hard to get there. Unless of course you lied and weaseled your way into a promotion, but I am assuming since you are on this site that is not the case? :)

Second, do the people in lower-paying jobs have the same skills you do? Could any one of them take over your position tomorrow? Your decade of training is one difference between you and them. Your salary is the market's way of acknowledging that difference.

I suggest you re-read/ watch the section of AS describing the failure of the 20th Century Motor Company. It is not "good" to give a man more than he deserves -- it only harms hardworking men.

Why should you feel guilty about trading value for value?

Reread what you wrote. It's all 'feel'. What do you 'think'?

If it makes you feel good give it to them