14 years with one company is a long time in today’s employment market. My tenure was never been about loyalty or career advancement, and it certainly didn’t earn me a gold watch. The company paid me a salary above the market rate for the job I did. That’s why I stayed. The benefits always lagged competitors….
Viewing category: Career
Broke, Unemployed, and Living With My Parents
I moved in with my parents when I was 27. The football wallpaper in my bedroom was gone and the bed was bigger. But it was still the room I slept in for the first 18 years of my life. While most of my friends were married and starting high-salary jobs after years of graduate…
Build Income Streams in Case You’re Fired!
One striking revelation from the 2016 presidential election process was the sharp contrast between people who think the U.S. is in pretty good shape and those who feel the country never recovered from the last recession. Politics aside, the U.S. was in an epic economic expansion until COVID-19. The longest post-World-War-II economic expansion WAS from…
Abandon Your Cushy Job To Expand Earning Potential
Have you ever declined a work opportunity because you didn’t want the hassle of learning something new? Maybe it was a chance to enhance your skills or get promoted, but it required leaving your cushy job. You declined because the job would have taken more effort and initiative on your part. Or it might have cut…
Well I’m Beginning To See The Light
My retirement goal is still 15 years away. That may seem like a long time if you’re young. But ask any parent of teenagers and they’ll tell you it goes by in a flash. Retirement is closing in on me. I think about it with urgency. Some people work very hard, but still they never get…
Control
Upper management was feeling the heat. The boss’s boss’s boss needed to show the CIO that his division would not falter in a climate of adversity. To allay the perceived fears that the IT project would fail, the second highest executive on the totem pole made a decision. When that decision trickled down to my…
Reject the Assertion You’ll Work Longer than Your Parents
College graduation season will be here in no time. Graduates and their families will celebrate at an uplifting commencement ceremony, complete with speeches by inspirational alumni, business leaders and political figures, followed by a triumphant dinner at Applebees. Business Insider and other Twitter feeds will surely remind us that Steve Jobs gave a cool commencement…
This Blog Post Is Not Safe For Work (NSFW)
Reading this on your work computer? I suggest switching over to your smart phone. You may not want HR to know what you’re reading about here. There’s No Team In I If you’ve made it to this website, you’re probably devising a plan similar to mine. You work a full-time a job. You live below…
That’s The Way I Want To Go
Two men from very different places in my life passed away in recent years. Both died almost instantaneously and without any forewarning. Both died in the presence of their peers. One died in retirement. The other died while still working. Loss of a Coworker One morning I learned that an hour before I arrived at…
My Merrill Lynch Internship Experience
Early on in college, I designated the summer of 1997 as the time to get an internship in finance. Other summers I spent working at the beach or goofing off in my home town. Headed into my senior year, it was time to get serious and start building my career. Merrill Lynch offered me an…
Proxy Voting and the Worst Job I Ever Had
Before a company’s annual meeting, shareholders receive a package in the mail or via email. It contains an invitation and some documents known as proxy voting materials. The proxy voting package outlines upcoming proceedings that will take place at the annual meeting. Usually, this includes voting on the Board of Directors, confirmation of the public…
Learning From Your Coworkers Who Cannot Retire
At my forty hour a week job, I work with a lot of people who are nearing, at, or even past traditional retirement age. In my late 30’s, I am one of the youngest in the office. When the opportunity arises, I try to ask my coworkers questions about their retirement dates and plans, without…