When I was younger and just hitting the senior engineer rank of my career, I landed an offer at one of the big banks. When we got to the negotiation phase of the offer, I made clear that I wanted the VP title and rank at the bank. Don't worry; it's not as crazy as it sounds; at the big banks, almost everyone is a VP. Being a VP at a bank is not like a VP in Big Tech, at a Startup, or at any nonbanking company.
M&Ms: The Money or the Title?
Interesting, dilemma! My gut said "take the money" so I'm glad that's the advice you condone.