How to make more money in 2016

It was big news when the U.S. average hourly wage posted the biggest increase in years in October 2015. News reports proclaimed that Americans were getting a raise — finally. The amount of that raise was just 2.5 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That increase reflected the growth in hourly earnings over the period of a year, from October 2014 to October 2015. However, since that 2.5 percent increase is an average, some workers have likely seen their wages grow at a faster rate, whereas some might not have seen any improvement lately.

Rather than wait for your wages to grow on their own, it’s time to take matters into your own hands. If you need more cash in 2016, there are plenty of ways to make more money.

1. Ask for a Raise to Get One

Nearly 60 percent of workers have never negotiated for a higher salary, according to a survey by PayScale, a compensation data and software firm. However, the survey also found that the higher your salary, the more likely you are to have asked for a raise, and to have received it. So if you’re not asking for more, chances are you might not get more.

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