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Umm no I wouldn't even make a connection that they had a higher salary than me either. There's a lot of factors that go into people's finances and how much house they can afford. If you feel you deserve a raise, ask for it and make a case based on your performance why you deserve it. Or, find a new job...

For all you know he could have secretly won the mega millions. The speculating your doing is a little ridiculous, sorry.

This feels very "keeping up with the Jones'" catty territory.

There are way too/so many ways that people purchase property that have very little to do with their salary. This isn't a connection I'd make an issue out of.

I don't think it's wrong to question salary/bonus issues, but i really don't think you should be drawing suspicions based on someone's lifestyle/home.

What if the wife is from money and that's how all of the extras are being paid? What if he was an early investor of a stock that took off? Also, some people only put very little down on a house, so i don't really presume much about someone's wealth based on their house.

I don't see what one has to do with the other. You have no idea how they were able to afford their home or their lifestyle. All you know is that you work at the same place, his wife doesn't work, and they live in an expensive house.

I wouldn't be upset - maybe a bit jealous that they live in such a luxe place!

Like previous posters have mentioned, there are just too many variables. A close friend of mine was unemployed for looong time and during that period, still managed to have a very large wedding, buy a nice house, have a baby and take regular vacations. Turns out his spouse had a very large inheritance that they were living off. On the flip side, another close friend bought a small 2-family house in a less than desirable neighborhood and refuses to upgrade despite the fact (which I only recently learned) that he's sitting on several hundred thousand dollars in his savings account. Point is, you just never know what is happening behind the scenes.

That said, it sounds like you have a legitimate issue with your salary and this new knowledge about your coworker is seriously fanning the flames for you. I'd forgot about the coworker but not the salary issue.

Nope, I wouldn't be upset. Maybe he received an inheritance? Maybe he has a side job? Maybe he charges everything to credit cards? Maybe he has another family member help out financially? There really are too many variables. Now if the issue is that you think you are being paid unfairly, I would talk to your boss about your compensation or find a new higher paying job.

From what you've said, it really sounds like they have a lot of family money/help.

It doesn't hurt to ask for a raise though!

This situation sounds very similar to one with a former coworker of mine. We didn't have equivalent positions, but I knew the cap on his salary and it isn't that high, and yet he lived in a multi-million dollar house because his wife's family was very wealthy and bought it for them. (that was gossip/anecdotal, but made sense considering his salary)

I have asked for a salary review with other people in the company who do the same job as me and have the same title. I suggested I was being underpaid as a woman (the other person with the same job title was a man). The company reviewed and I was offered a huge jump in salary. Turns out for years I was underpaid. It's worth discussing with the company. I knew I was getting paid less as charge out rates for us were different and they were open among staff (although we were told they don't directly correspond to salary...)

Definitely push for a major raise. Salary equality is a huge issue and you have every right to be upset if you have been denied a raise for so long.

I won't comment on the house issue, since my viewpoint has already been echoed by so many other people....

But as far as the salary of your coworker, here's one other thought on why he could make a lot more than you that doesn't have anything to do with you/your performance. Is it possible that at the time he started, he needed to be "bought"? Ie., lured away from another role at another firm? In my field (finance), this is a totally common thing. If at a certain point, Firm A really need employees who are experienced and highly skilled at doing "x", they might be willing to match and exceed these employees' current salaries at Firm B. It's not the nicest move on the firm's part with regard to their loyal employees (who are probably still being compensated at the "typical" rate for their position/experience, but it happens more than you'd imagine. So your company may be telling you the truth that no one is getting raises, but not everyone necessarily started at the same level (as unfair as that may be).

In this case, you're well within your rights to ask HR for certain information related to your own compensation. Perhaps you can frame it as wanting to know where you fall percentage-wise in your level at your company. Are you in the top 10%? The bottom 10%? somewhere in between? They should be able to give you a sense of where you stand without revealing anything personal about anyone else, even if that means aggregating data over several departments, or a few different levels, in order to provide privacy for everyone. If you're way below where you feel you should be, ask what can be done (by you and by them) to get your pay to a more median level, at least. Good luck!

@Modern Daisy: I think it never hurts to advocate for yourself if you think you are underpaid.
But I really don't think your coworkers spending should be a data point. Spending just isn't a good indicator these days. My husband makes a very good living. We have a friend who also does ok but makes less than half what my husband makes (this is a fact). And their expenses definitely exceed ours. They are just more flamboyant about their purchases, get family help, and are ok with being in debt and not saving much. Outside looking in someone would probably think they make more, but I know for a fact they don't.
I totally see why it raises an eyebrow, but I don't necessarily think it indicates anything regarding his income vs yours. It sounds like he'd have to make at least twice what you do, if that was the case. And that's really hard to fathom for any peer/coworker situation. But you know your work environment best - is that possible?

@Modern Daisy: The advice I've always been given is to advocate for yourself based on your own merits. Many years ago, I found out that a coworker got a promotion and I didn't. We were both new grads and salaries were standardized at that level. I thought that the work I did should have merited a promo as well, but the advice I was given from my mentor was that comparing myself to my coworker would be pointless (and make me look juvenile) and I should just advocate based on what I did.

I will be honest, I don't think that getting an attorney involved is a good way to move this forward.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but the best way to get a raise is to get another job offer with a higher salary and try to get your job to match or beat it. You need to be prepared to actually take the other job though if it doesn't work out. But that is the usual way of getting a big salary bump.

I keep going back to the fact that based on the living situation you've described and your lack of belief in family money, he would have to be making 2x or more than you. Do you really think your employer could 1) afford to pay him that much more, or 2) hide the fact that he did if they did pay him that much more. I feel like you must have other reasons for feeling that you're being paid unfairly.

You could get an attorney involved, but I feel like any decent lawyer is going to tell you that, right now, you have no claim. Full disclosure, I am a lawyer. I'm not even sure you have any right or ability to compel information from your employer about other's salaries. Obviously, they have an obligation to pay you fairly. Do more additional digging and try to find out if you're being paid fairly. Ask the secretaries/assistants, those betches know everything (only sort of joking).

ETA: I also think in this day and age, employers are more willing to be transparent about salary information. Especially honest employers. They don't want to open themselves up to litigation risks. They're generally pretty conservative about trying to avoid those lawsuits. So, even if you can't get exact numbers, ask for a range of salaries in your level and experience as well as factors considering in setting salary, raises, bonuses, etc. If your reviews/history reflect that you're being paid on the low end, then I'd get upset.

I would be curious too! I might cheekily ask him!! HA!

I'm willing to bet her family paid for the house and private school for the kids. I wouldn't be surprised if he is earning more than you (especially if you are in a male-dominated field), but I have a hard time believing the difference in salary explains the difference in assets.

Having said that, I'd still consult a headhunter to find out if you're within the range of where you should be.