The line items most people never add up, from equity to parental leave

Most people in Las Vegas fixate on the base salary, yet it tells you the least about what a job is really worth. Deloitte's 2025 study of 7,500 working women showed that a mere 5% plan to stay put for beyond five years, which means a fresh offer in Southern Nevada may land on your desk well before you expect it. It pays to get comfortable adding up the whole compensation package right away.

Picture one offer in Summerlin that tops the other, from a firm in Henderson, by $20,000 in base pay. Think of it this way: moving a target bonus from 10% to 20% on a $200,000 salary adds $20,000 a year, and lifting the retirement match from 3% to 6% contributes another $6,000. Before you even get to the benefits page of that Winchester office letter, the lower number may already be pulling ahead.

The tab

Count the lighter bundle. Go line by line and mark each one yes or no, then tally the yeses.

Uno. Does the bonus make up a bigger chunk of your pay, and did the business meet or exceed its goal in each of the past two years?

Dos. Does the retirement contribution come out ahead, vest on a faster timeline, or win on both counts in Las Vegas?

Tres. Are equity grants part of the deal, and do you clearly grasp the vesting timeline, the strike price or most recent valuation, and what becomes of unvested shares should you be laid off from your Sunrise Manor role?

Cuatro. Does the policy for parental or caregiving leave run longer and stay fully paid, and do colleagues at your level actually take advantage of it?

Cinco. Would the title and reporting structure place you a rung higher than the competing offer does?

Seis. The remote or hybrid arrangement is spelled out in the offer letter, not just promised in a hallway conversation.

Siete. After you account for premiums, deductibles, and the coverage your family would receive, is the monthly health cost lower?

Ocho. Is paid time off more generous, and do the managers who are interviewing you take their own days off?

Nueve. Does the salary range leave you room to grow, so that your next couple of raises won't bump into the ceiling?

Diez. A signing bonus or retention payment covers what you give up by moving, such as an unpaid bonus or unvested shares at your current employer.

Reading your tally

0 to 3: The larger figure takes it. The smaller offer is genuinely smaller. Accept the base figure and push to improve everything else, since the difference you just measured gives you a strong case.

4 to 6: A narrower gap than it first appears. That $20,000 difference is likely genuine, yet a good portion of the smaller offer's value is real as well. In Clark County terms, price each yes and place the two sums next to each other for a direct comparison. Plenty of people discover that the spread narrows to less than $5,000 during the first year and flips entirely by the third.

Scores of 7 to 10 point to the smaller offer as the more valuable one. Across Clark County, what sits before you is a better-engineered bundle that simply advertises a smaller headline number. Base is the easiest line to move, so ask for it to move.

Next step

If you scored 0 to 3, return to the smaller offer and say: "I'd like to accept, and I need the base to reach X to make the move work." You have little to lose but a number.

For a score of 4 to 6, sketch a two-column worksheet that prices each line, then put one question to each employer: "Is there room to move on the item where you fall short?" The employer who responds with a specific figure is revealing how badly they want you.

For a score of 7 to 10, take the richer package and request that part of the base shortfall be paid out in cash immediately, with the remainder handled at a scheduled review date. "Could we settle half of that at signing and take another look at the remainder after six months?"

Which package came out ahead, and were you caught off guard by the result? Tell us.