The warning signs grew more obvious over the course of last summer. But I still thought I’d survive the impending funding cuts that my IT project was facing. By the time fall arrived, I had already dodged a few rounds of layoffs. But it wasn’t much longer before my number was up and I was…
Viewing category: Career
It is the Working Man Who is the Happy Man
True happiness involves the full use of one’s power and talents. – John W. Gardner I lost my job on October 2nd, 2017. The news was both disappointing and liberating at the same time. Disappointing that I’d have to pause my wealth-building campaign and draw down savings. And disappointing that my employer of 14 years…
Are “Smart” Money Moves Preventing Us From Becoming Rich?
Back in January of 2017, most personal finance professionals, advisers, bloggers, and just about anybody willing to give you money advice said to avoid investing in crypto-currencies such as Bitcoin. The price of Bitcoin at the close of 2016 was $963.74 per $1 USD. On the last day of 2017, the price was $14,156.40. That’s…
Investing, Blogging, and Nine-To-Fiving – The Year In Review
2017 was an exciting year for me as an investor, blogger, and professional nine-to-fiver. The year started off as expected. But in the last quarter, I was let go from my job putting a halt to most new investments. The extra time has provided the opportunity to focus on my family and to work on…
What If I Don’t Go Back To Work?
Around friends and neighbors, I’m using the phrase “in between jobs” to describe my current employment situation. That’s a convenient euphemism to make it sound less bad. Most people aren’t familiar with my business so they only see a jobless Dad of three kids married to a non-working Mom, dealing with a mortgage and the same…
My Employer Just Liberated Me From My Job! Now What?
In the intro to a recently published blog post, I mentioned that there’s been some turbulence at my nine-to-five workplace. Funding was tight, but it looked as though I’d survive any downsizing. Well, things got worse. My project was hit hard, and the surrounding projects were hit even harder. I found out two weeks ago…
Intoxicated by the Romance of the Unusual
Live the full life of the mind, exhilarated by new ideas, intoxicated by the romance of the unusual. – Ernest Hemingway This Hemingway quote came up in one of my social media feeds recently (read to the end to learn the origin of the quote). Most of the time I roll my eyes at the…
Don’t Need This Stinkin’ Job
Recent contractual turbulence at my 9-5 job has people nervous. Funding is uncertain. Job cuts are likely. Thanks to my expertise and training, I should be OK. But the situation reminds me that the pursuit of financial independence prepares us for corporate layoffs and recessions, even if we’re not 100% financially free yet. A potential…
The Best Summer Job Ever (And Why Lifeguarding Is For Suckers)
A few months before the summer of 1996, I committed to a lifeguarding job at a local pool. It was supposed to be my fifth consecutive summer as a guard. Lifeguarding was an easy and stable summer job in my youth, but it never paid well. This new gig was at a private club with…
Step Off The Damn Treadmill
The financial firm UBS publishes a quarterly report called Investor Watch that analyzes investor behavior. One of these reports has remained on my mind since publication in 2015. The report is called When is enough… enough – Why the wealthy can’t get off the treadmill. The premise is that more than half (52%) of millionaires surveyed…
Strive To Wake Up And Do Nothing (With Your Finances)
If you really have done a great job as a leader, you should wake up in the morning and have nothing to do. – Steve Case, Co-founder of AOL, Chairman and CEO, Revolution This quote changed the way I think about my career. Soon after I read it, a coworker complained to me that his…
“As Long As The Stock Market Doesn’t Crash”
I ran into my former coworker, Bob, in the office lobby the other day. We started talking about retirement. He’s planning to fully retire later this year. He’ll be 62-years-old. The last time we spoke about retirement, his target age was 67. I congratulated him for being five years ahead of schedule. He’s one of…
How To Live On One Income – 10 Things We Did To Make It Work
We sometimes see friends on Facebook asking about local daycare facilities or looking for a nanny to watch their kids while they work. It must be stressful to find high-quality affordable daycare. We’ve never had to deal with child care because we started thinking about how to live on one income before we were engaged,…
Start A Side Business To Empower The Future You
As a kid, I always thought I’d start a side business someday. I wanted filthy wealth, a big fancy house, and to be the boss. Filthy wealth takes A LOT of work. I’m not that motivated. A big house isn’t practical. And I don’t want to be the boss of people. People are a pain…