According to a recent study, salary increases for 2008 don’t look so good. Although base salaries may rise an expected 3.9% next year, this barely keeps up with inflation in the 3.5% range. The news, however, is much better if you’re a top performer. You can expect to see about an 8% increase, on average, over the course of 2008. And, of course, executives can usually expect bigger raises compared to their lower level colleagues.

The moral of the story? If you want to make more money next year (and beyond) start improving your performance or become a top executive. Simple enough, right?