So first, tax is marginal. Only the amount above a tax bracket is taxed at the higher rate. > So going to 250k seems like a jump, but it's going to have a much

So first, tax is marginal. Only the amount above a tax bracket is taxed at the higher rate. > So going to 250k seems like a jump, but it's going to have a much less increment on your lifestyle. Second, the difference between 200k and 250k is that your adjusted gross income legally allows you to participate in private equity investments without you having to get an accountant to lie for you. So therefore, instead of having to spend 8 years of your life just to get the OPTION of buying $4,000 worth of the two startups you were stuck working at, you can get into the deal flow for any of the trendiest and flashiest companies with the biggest upwards trajectory. Or even better, invest in a VC fund that does this better than you. You can finally stop lying to your company's cofounders about all the passion you have for their non-sensical company just so you can eek out another 1/48th of your option while getting another month of React under your belt for the next move. There's really no reason to rationalize if you are already that close. You are playing the money game or else you would have used the exact same rationale to not pursue the salary increase from $50k to anything above $75k in whatever suburb or regional support city that you came from. Its only financial engineering from here on and you are in a position to create generational wealth. You are close to an exemption from the income taxes that make 20% increases in your comp demotivational, when your long term capital gains start rolling in. You are close to an exemption from the socioeconomic problems of your costly urban environment. You are close to an exemption from the class system preventing you from obtaining the cheapest and most lucrative investments. This is about honesty.