You may be sitting at work one day and realize, that you are working harder and longer than you normally would. You feel like you are not being compensated for the amount of work you do, but you are afraid to make mention because of job security. Well you are not alone and  according to a Yahoo! Finance article, this may be the perfect time to ask for a raise.

Take a look at a few points I have identified from the article and see if you can use them to increase your cash flow in your next performance review.

1. Do your homework before asking for a raise. Use sites like Glassdoor.com and Getraised.com to give yourself a frame of reference

2. Taking on more responsibility makes you more valuable to the company.

3. Your boss may not be aware of your salary, it may be good to have the undervalued and overworked conversation with your boss.

4. Knowing the financial status of your company.

5. Unlike an interview or you resume, be sure to have tangible evidence of your value to the company.

Money and raises are the most difficult career conversations to have with your boss or human resources, but it is better to have the conversation now then to be left behind on the money curve or find yourself burnt out with little reward.