Category: Career Advancement Page 1 of 2
Does achieving financial independence make you a better employee? I’ve seen this debate come up a couple of times and it got me thinking. Some people have said working without fear made them better at work. Removing any financial concerns or stress allows room for more focus in other parts of life, including work. I've also heard people say that reaching financial independence but still working caused their tolerance level for crap to go way down since they no longer…
I've had the opportunity to talk to more and more people about financial independence since declaring my early retirement in March of 2019. Its been fun to be able to talk about these topics openly as more people approach me for advice. This post comes from preparing and talking with two former coworkers in their 20's with rising corporate careers. What advice did I have? Look at Financial Independence in Three Parts: Part 1: The Accumulation Phase (aka The First…
Getting an MBA has been all the rage for years in the business field. The hard press marketing from the high end to online universities is out there: Its always a good time to get your MBA they say. Did you just graduate with an undergraduate in a business field? Get an MBA. Have a non-business degree? The MBA is your ticket. Frustrated with your job after three years, why not get an MBA? Are you a mid-career executive searching…
Corporate Relocation: I've taken five corporate relocation in my career, including three major moves paid for by the company which involved the sale of a home. Corporation relocation helped me increase my pay nine-fold while working for the same company. I worked in a professional level job for a Fortune 500 company and through my research, our relocation benefits were fairly ordinary. Taking on a relocation with your company is a major decision: There is a lot to consider and…
I am approaching the final week before I turn in my letter of resignation and make my plans public. I will publish updates as this evolves, but I wanted to start with reflection of something I realized in my last two years of working: Focus on opening doors for others. There were a few specific moments in my career where others opened doors for me: One co-worker was integral in supporting me to a hiring manager that helped me get…
March 2019 is going to be a busy month! We are two weeks away from the news being out about the change. I'll be posting more often to chronicle the recent adventures leading up to exiting my employment. I wanted to begin this series with a Frequently Asked Questions, inspired by someone who just went through leaving his job forever (thank you Steve). Who is your blog's target audience / who do you most relate to? Everyone's story is unique. …
We are officially one quarter into delaying our early retirement. The original date was June of 2018, but due to financial and non financial reasons this was pushed back for roughly nine months. Financial Thoughts: The compounding effect of each incremental month employed is doing great things to our numbers. The third quarter was good in the market and we received nice appreciation on our stocks and added more towards our investments. This along with the mortgage payments caused our…
One of the biggest hidden (or not-hidden) cost of professional employment is the work wardrobe required. Professions like law, finance, or big firm accounting/consulting gigs often have the most expensive work wardrobe. Its interesting to think about how much I've spent over the course of a fifteen plus year career, especially as I carefully manage my remaining wardrobe down and attempting not to buy anything new for my remaining months on the job. Lifetime Costs of the Work Wardrobe Read…
This time of year means for a number of seniors in college, now is the time you get that first real job offer. Excitement, fear, nervousness, concern. Do I negotiate? Should I just be thankful I received a letter? I remember that day, back when the offer letter showed up via a FedEx knock at the door. [caption id="attachment_439" align="alignnone" width="300"] Really? Me?[/caption] Read More
I recently saw a question come up asking "What are the Pros and Cons of continuing to work after reaching Financial Independence?. Many of us get into the One More Year scenario and then respond in different ways. Some people can reduce their schedule to part time, others can really enjoy that final year, taking in the nostalgia of each event. I am heading into my last year after reaching FI in early 2017 and wanted to share…