Information has value and power when it is scarce and loses value when shared. Honestly, I think more people should be open about how much they make, how much p

Information has value and power when it is scarce and loses value when shared. Honestly, I think more people should be open about how much they make, how much profit margins their businesses have, etc. because transparency in the long run deflects a lot of questions and problems. Many/most people are basically rational and understand things in somewhat reasonable terms, even if greed is problematic. For example, Bill Gates is worth like $50 billion or whatever. I'm not rushing to take his money, company, or job. Yet, if I know that I'm charging $85/hr. for developer consulting when my competition is charging $150/hr. perhaps I'd be better off adjusting my rates higher. Or, at $250/hr if I'm already top of market maybe I don't have as much room to raise my rates. Knowing that I can make rational decisions about what to charge and so on and people won't freak out about that. The way people handle salary negotiations by and large is really bad simply because we are a nation of price takers, not price setters. Thus, the majority takes what they are offered and doesn't bat an eye. The handful of people with professional negotiators or who are good negotiators themselves are making far more than everyone else. If you tell your kids how much money you make and explain why, they have a better chance of making the same or more money than you do.