I don’t have many regrets from my first thirty years on Earth. However, there is one that makes me wish I had a “mulligan,” or do-over, to relive a decade of my life with a new goal in mind. I read about a 50% savings plan at The Simple Dollar and the concept really intrigued me. According to the plan I would have five years of financial independence banked if I had started when I began my career at twenty years-old.

The 50% Savings Plan

Under the 50% plan workers sock away 50% of their income and live on the remaining 50%. Sounds pretty aggressive, doesn’t it? Could you live on half of your earnings now? How about when you first started your career? There are several benefits to such a plan. First, to live on half of your income you would be forced to make some very conservative decisions regarding major expenses such as housing and transportation. Not much room in this plan for a $1,500 mortgage payment, or a $400 a month new car lease. Second, by saving such a large amount of money so early you would benefit from the compounding growth of that money over a longer period of time. Many times, new workers opt out of contributions to 401(k) plans and other retirement vehicles because they can barely afford their living expenses. It isn’t until they hit thirty or thirty-five that they finally realize they need to be saving for retirement, and at that point they have lost 10-15 years worth of compounding growth.

Path to an Early Retirement?

One of the most exciting aspects of this plan is that for every year you work and faithfully put way 50% of your income, you are “buying” yourself a year without work. In my case, if I had implemented this from the beginning I would have five years worth of 50% earnings in the bank, meaning I could theoretically quit or take a five year sabbatical if I so desired. Of course, to do that the money would have to be saved outside of retirement accounts, so it may make sense to max retirement accounts first and then save the remainder in low cost index funds in taxable accounts. This way some of the money will be accessible before I reached the required age for withdrawal from retirement accounts.

Is It Too Late?

It’s never too late to start the 50% savings plan, but it is so much easier in the beginning. As we get older we get more and more trapped by things like debt, lifestyle, etc, making the very idea of saving 50% of our income seem impossible. Implement this plan early on, before you have the opportunity to acquire such expensive trappings. What if you are like me and find yourself unable to live off half of your earnings? Start paying off debt like a crazy person! Imagine if you didn’t owe a dime to anyone - no car payment, no mortgage, no credit cards, and no student loans. Could 50% of your income provide for food, utilities, medicines, and a few fun purchases each month? Absolutely! And just imagine how much brighter your financial future would be after socking away half of your earnings for the next couple decades.

So what about you? Could you afford to save 50% of your current income?

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photo by Victor Geere

The other day I read an excellent article over at Cash Money Life, How to Evaluate a Job Offer. It was a very thoughtful review aimed at helping job applicants compare the true benefits of a particular job offer. With any offer there are tangible and intangible benefits to consider, and it is the intangible ones that are usually the most difficult to evaluate. When I’ve gone on interviews in the past I have used the opportunity to learn a bit about the health of the organization by paying close attention to the work environment.

A Stale Company Website

It is always a good idea to review a company’s website before going on an interview. A well-conducted interview should involve questions from both parties, and if you don’t do your homework you may not have any intelligent questions to ask. Phrases like, “I read on your website…” or “I see from your company’s website that you are involved in…” show an expressed interest in the company, and in the job. Interviewers like this sign of initiative. While perusing the site take a look at news items, or a recent projects section. Are these areas outdated? It could be the sign of a lazy webmaster, or it could be a sign that little is happening at the organization. Review the executive staff bios, usually found under “About” or “Management” tabs. Do any of the bios indicate someone is the “acting” director/manager? This could be a sign of a recent shakeup as the eliminated position is now being covered by another executive.

Empty Offices

Nothing says “we aren’t growing” like vacated offices, unless there is only one empty office and you are you are hoping to occupy it. Corporate headcount has a natural ebb and flow, but an abundance of empty offices is a warning sign. Either the company is in the process of “restructuring” and has failed to replace workers, or they have not grown into their space according to anticipated plans.

An Empty Snack Machine

Empty snack machines can mean one of two things: the vendor is slow to replace items, or items are consumed rapidly. It is the latter that we are most concerned with. Employees working long hours frequently have to hit the snack machines to supplement what should be their dinner hour at home. Low snack supplies could also be a symptom of workers plowing through their lunch breaks (which is fine occasionally, but shouldn’t be the rule).  Pillows, blankets and cots (yes, I’ve seen them stowed under cubicles) are also obvious red flags.

No Personal Belongings

A worker who feels content in their position likes to decorate. Family photos, plants, souvenirs, etc. all tell me that the employees feel their position is stable and that the employer encourages a work/life balance. If I don’t spot any of these comforts, and instead find lots of empty walls, cleared desks and a bland decor, it tells me that the employees are “traveling light.” This is a sure sign of discontent, or a nomadic lifestyle, neither of which say much for the stability of the work environment.

One of my favorite movies about work is the DVD classic, Office Space. The movie basically pokes fun at everything “corporate,” from cubicles to consultants. In one scene the main character, Peter, is lamenting to friends about his plight as an office worker:

Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements.

It is a valid point, and one that has me thinking - exactly why do people go to work every day?

Money

Money is probably the number one reason most people get up every Monday morning and head off to work. And for good reason. Unless you are independently wealthy, or have already reached financial independence, you have to go work for someone else to earn money and pay for necessities (and a few wants, too). Sadly, for many people this is the only reason they work. This group works extreme hours to earn as much money as possible, often to the detriment of their personal relationships. In school, many college students elect majors based on the promise of high starting salaries, not because they love what they intend to do, but because they believe it is a path to riches.  To them I say follow your heart and the money will come.

Intrinsic Motivation

It is hard to believe, but there are some people out there who actually enjoy what they do. For them, getting up in the morning and heading off to their job is actually exciting. When you look forward to going to work the next day on Sunday evening you know you have found the work you love. For the rest of us the weekend pattern usually goes something like this, “Thank God it’s Friday! Is it already Saturday night? Oh well, at least we have tomorrow. I can’t believe it is Sunday night - where did the weekend go? I sure dread going in tomorrow.” Sound familiar?

Socializing

Working mothers often tell my wife (a full-time Mom) and I that there is no way they could stay home all day with kids. They need “social interaction” with other adults. They do have a point in that I think it is good for everyone to have a circle of friends to share experiences with, other than diaper changes and potty training. However, I do not believe the only place to find that is in the office. In fact, most offices tend to frown on socializing in the workplace. If these women really wanted to stay home with their kids and socialize they could plug into one of the many moms groups such as Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS).

Societal Norm

Society has yet to embrace the idea of someone making money from non-traditional methods (such as blogging, or freelancing). We are expected to go to school, get a degree, get a job and stay there for as long as the employer will have us. If we so much as even look at a job board we are being disloyal. Well, times are changing. There is no longer such a thing as a totally secure job. Companies have proven that they can hire and fire at will (in most places) and frequently announce layoffs to improve the bottom line. A good way to hedge against this growing trend is to find something you can do on a part time basis that will help diversify your income. You never know, one day you could bring in more at your PT job than your full time job, and then you can claim financial independence from corporate America.

Why Do I Go to Work?

Probably a combination of the four reasons above, but at this point in my life it is mostly for money. Yes, I get up every day and come to the office to earn money for my family - simple as that. I don’t get much internal satisfaction from what I do, but it isn’t unpleasant. I do not socialize much with coworkers because for the most part we don’t have much in common. I would much rather be spending time with my family than working, but work is required to pay bills, feed my family, etc. I do hope to one day exit the rat race as several of my blogging friends have done. Until then, I’ll continue to dread Monday mornings.

With the exception of being let go from a retail position after a store closing when I was in college, I have never been on the receiving end of a layoff. However, I was unfortunate enough to have to deliver the news to team members who worked with me at my last job, and it was one of the most unpleasant experiences I have ever had to deal with at work. Through their painful experiences I have been able to gather a few tips for surviving a layoff.

Sink or Swim

I personally don’t believe in layoffs because I am sort of a “sink or swim” kind of guy. When an employee devotes their time and energy to a company they deserve some loyalty in return. Sink or swim, employees and companies should be in it together. Unfortunately, corporate America is mostly concerned with bottom lines, so they frequently take the opportunity to “weed out” employees who earn too much, produce too little, or are nearing retirement benefits. If “dead wood” exists in an organization it should be dealt with individually, but not by taking otherwise hardworking casualties along with them as part of a massive layoff. OK, enough of my rant, back to surviving a layoff.

Keep Your Ear to the Ground

If your company has announced a round of layoffs it means there are storm clouds on the horizon, regardless of how secure you may feel about your particular job. If you are lucky enough to be notified ahead of time, use this advanced warning to your advantage. Put your financial turnaround on hold and quickly begin stockpiling cash. Here are a few ideas to guide you though this most difficult event:

Pay minimums on ALL debt, nothing extra. It is important not to get behind with storm clouds on the horizon, so continue to stay current on all debt accounts. If you were making additional debt snowball payments, suspend those temporarily until the storm clouds have passed, or until you have found another job.

Pile up cash in an emergency fund. Using the debt snowball amount you were previously paying on that smallest debt as a starting place, throw every single dollar you can find in an emergency fund. Have a yard sale, sell stuff on eBay, and look for some quick-to-hire part time work. This emergency fund will have to sustain your family until you can find new employment, a period that could take weeks, or even months.

Negotiate. When you get your pink slip, negotiate as many benefits as you possibly can before your exit interview is over. Don’t be satisfied to just get a promise of a good reference and any unpaid vacation. Companies, especially large companies, want to make this as smooth a transition as possible to limit any negative publicity. Use that to your advantage and ask for an extension of health coverage, or additional paid weeks per year of service. Work any angle you can to maximize your severance package. Remember, you have a family to feed! Don’t worry about appearing ungrateful, or making anyone mad. What’s the worst they could do - fire you?

Use severance funds first, then the emergency fund. It isn’t easy dealing with a drastic drop in income. Consider depositing severance funds in a separate savings account and set up biweekly withdrawals in roughly the same amount as your previous take home pay. Do not touch this money for any reason other than living expenses and perhaps some small job hunt expenses (travel, new suit, etc.), and in that case be extremely frugal. Remember, this money supply is finite. If you get frivolous now because you feel sorry for yourself you will be broke in no time and find yourself feeling even worse.

Find a new job, and fast. Now is not a time to sit around having a pity party. Get out there and find a new job. Work your network of friends and family. Keep in touch with other colleagues who have been rehired and ask them for any leads. Brush up on your interview skills. Learn what not to do in an interview. Treat this job search as your full time job. Sure, it would be fun to take a couple weeks off to rest and relax, but you can’t afford it. The faster you find a job the less you have to use of your severance money, making what’s left a nice bonus towards your financial turnaround.

When employed again use any remaining severance and emergency fund stockpiles to pay off debt, down to the original amount of your beginner emergency fund. Now is not the time to blow money to celebrate. If anything, this experience should have taught you a valuable lesson - there is no such thing as job security. In an ever-changing global economy filled with uncertainty, any work could dry up in an instant leaving you unemployed. There is no better time to get out of debt, build your emergency savings and work towards financial independence.

Have any of you experienced a layoff in your immediate family? Any tips you can share with other readers on surviving a layoff?

Additional Resources on Surviving a Layoff:

• Surviving a Job Loss @ BeingFrugal.net
• What to do Before You’re Fired @ Debt Reduction Formula

image credit: w00kie

In an old Peanuts cartoon Charlie Brown complains day after day because all he has to eat for lunch is a bologna sandwich. His buddy Linus finally asks him, “Well who’s making your lunch, Charlie Brown?” Charlie Brown solemnly replies, “I am.” This brilliant cartoon illustrates the fact that all of us have choices - about how we spend our time and our money. We may not want to believe it, but we are in full control of the choices we make.

Everything we do in life is a choice. Sometimes it feels like we have very few choices because circumstances seem to have us pinned down in our current job, but the simple act of getting up and going to work is a choice. Unless you live under communist rule you still have a choice whether or not you get up in the morning and head to the office, and you have a choice regarding your place of employment. Accepting that can actually make bad jobs more tolerable.

Thank God it’s Friday! Oh God it’s Monday. I was once stuck in a bad job in a toxic environment. I was stressed out, burned out and basically fed up with my job. And then in a moment of clarity it occurred to me that I was making a choice every day to get up and go to work. Sure, I would be fired if I didn’t go. My family would lose our employer’s health insurance. A steady paycheck would cease to be deposited in my bank account. Our bills wouldn’t get paid and we would probably lose our car, our home and our other belongings. All those things were negative consequences of my decision not to go to work, but I still had a choice. Essentially, I was choosing to exchange my time for pay, benefits and the right to keep our stuff.

These same lessons apply to our finances. I’ve known many couples over the years who have been somewhat envious of my wife’s position as a full-time mom. It does not come without sacrifice. However, my wife and I agreed early in our marriage that she would stay home with our kids until they were school age or beyond. The cost of daycare and employment-related expenses would make breaking even difficult, and getting further ahead nearly impossible. I choose to drive an older vehicle, take my lunch to work and forgo tech toys so my wife can stay home. She has put her educational and career goals on hold for the same.

Life’s too short to spend it being miserable. If you are stuck in a dead end job, or are working to make a car payment, consider setting yourself free by giving up some of life’s luxuries. Imagine a mother of two paying $800 a month in daycare expenses for her three year old and a newborn. At $15 an hour it will take over 50 hours of work each month just to pay for childcare expenses (actually, it will take over 70 hours when you factor her household earnings are in the 28% tax bracket). Then factor in the cost of a work wardrobe, a car, higher maintenance costs on that car, gasoline, eating out, etc. and suddenly you realize that mom is simply working to pay for the pleasure of working. Seems illogical doesn’t it? I certainly don’t begrudge couples who agree to both spouses working. I was raised by a single mother who didn’t have a choice. However, if given the choice, I would always vote for mom or dad staying home with the kids.

I would encourage you to reflect on the goals you have sacrificed because you feel financial pressure to stay in a bad job. Sell that car. Cancel the spa memberships. Stop eating out. Make those tough choices now so you can spend your remaining life energy going after things that are really important to you.

Technorati Tags: bad jobs, full-time mom

I woke up this morning feeling awful - no energy, sore throat, headache, congestion, etc.  This wasn’t just a typical case of the “Mondays,” I really didn’t feel like getting out of bed.  After several games of tag with the snooze button I finally made myself get moving.  After a shower and a light breakfast I was feeling better.  A quick check of my temperature revealed no fever, so whatever I was incubating probably wasn’t contagious.  On the drive to work I reflected on my motivation for not making excuses to call in sick. 

1. Conserve paid sick leave for more serious illnesses.  As a father of two kids I know how easily kids can come down with colds.  My kids also have fall seasonal allergies, inherited from their dad, that make us regulars at the pediatrician’s office from October to March each year.  For this reason I try to conserve my own sick time so I can help with their care.  Sometimes my wife manages to come down with whatever ailment is affecting the kids and needs some reinforcement.  Other times it is my wife who is sick and I get to play Mr. Mom while my wife recuperates. 
2. Set a good example for your kids.  As a parent, there are times when the “do as I say, not as I do” manta just doesn’t fly.  Kids who watch their parents stay home may grow into little Ferris Buellers, taking advantage of every opportunity to play hooky from school.  Modeling a strong work ethic for your children helps them become more productive citizens later on. 
3. Impress the boss.  Let’s face it, today’s culture rewards “presenteeism.”  People who come to work the day after breaking their leg are called “dedicated.”  Someone who drags themselves to the office on their deathbed is “driven.”  I personally draw the line when it comes to contagious illnesses, because spreading germs around the office hurts overall productivity, and doesn’t make many friends amongst coworkers.
4. Going to work may actually make you feel better.  When I am suffering from the common cold, anything to get my mind off my symptoms seems to help.  If I stay at home the chances are high that I’m going to lay around in bed, watch some mindless television show and crave some form of fast food.  None of these activities are going to aid my financial turnaround.  If I have the flu, or some other serious illness requiring rest, I’ll stay home to recover.  If it is a headcold and a scratchy throat I say load up on some OTC cold medicine and tough it out.
5. Missing out on important decisions.  Ever notice when you stay home sick someone quickly throws together a meeting to make an important decision, or a big announcement?  At my last employer I came down with strep throat and was out of the office for three days.  I came back the next Monday to find my badge no longer worked on the outside card reader.  For a sinking moment I thought I had been canned.  Turns out the division I worked for had been bought by another firm and badges had been reissued.  The lesson here is to try and stay in touch with colleagues even if you are home sick via an occasional email, or a phone call in the evening just to catch up on the day’s events.

Where do you draw the line between “presenteeism” and putting your health first?

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When I left my last job I was prepared to receive a counter offer to compete with my new employer’s offer. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive one in the end because my timing was poor - the company was going through layoffs and could ill-afford to boost anyone’s salary, much less an underling such as myself. Of course, the primary reason behind my exit was because of the layoffs so I’m not sure the counter offer would have been successful in continuing my employment. The experience did cause me to stop and reflect on the pros and cons of accepting a counter offer, and as J.D. pointed out in a recent post, one should be prepared for a counteroffer as part of quitting their job gracefully.

If you accept the offer you will be labeled disloyal. Now first of all, I have to admit I don’t buy this idea of undying company loyalty one hundred percent. I do agree that employment is a mutual agreement, and as long as both parties are treating each other with respect the relationship should continue. However, I don’t believe in taking an untenable amount of B.S. in the name of corporate loyalty. Your primary loyalty should be to your family, and your earnings potential and emotional well-being certainly affect your family, and are directly influenced by your employer. If you decide to accept the offer and stay with your current employer, be prepared to defend the reasons you were job hunting in the first place.

Using another offer to leverage your current employer can prove your marketability, but it can backfire. Sometimes employers become complacent and depend on external factors to keep an employee employed. Maybe the employee’s spouse works in the area, or their kids enjoy the local school system, or they recently purchased a new home. The more the employer believes the employee is nailed down the less likely they are to offer a significant raise in the name of retention. That can all change if you present a case that your skills are in demand. An offer from another company is proof positive that you could walk away from your current employer within a two-weeks notice. Assuming you are a valued employee and your current company wants to retain you they could offer to match the offer. Conversely, they could see the approach as a sign of a disloyal employee, hoping to squeeze more pay by presenting another offer. If they call your bluff you have to be prepared to submit the resignation and leave.

If you receive a counter offer and choose to accept it, prepare to eat alone in the company cafeteria. This kind of news never stays completely silent. Invariably, someone will leak the fact that you marched into your boss’ office resignation letter in hand and came out smiling. Other employees may also question your loyalty, and will probably be jealous of your new raise. So now you have managed to increase your salary, but it will be lonely at the top.

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