I was laid off from my job after a little less than a year. I was strangely ecstatic about this fact. I literally called that it was going to happen and was looking for another job so I could comfortably quit when it happened. I was surprised to learn that I would also receive 1 week of severance pay…with a catch. I would have to sign a gag order and never say anything negative about Company 5, their holding company or anyone that has ever worked there or Company 5 could sue me. I asked if the agreement could be edited and the head of HR ignored me until I was able to confront her in person. I was told she could not edit the agreement. So I told her I would not be signing anything. She looked surprised. Continue reading “Integrity > Money”
Category: Finance
I Refuse
I look around and see no one with the life I want. I refuse to live 45 years of my life like this. Following the instructions of a faceless company and an alarm clock. Having my company tell me when and how often I can see my family. Having a certain number of days when I do not have to be in a cubicle. Feeling stress over creating ads no one wants to see. Attending award shows created by the people who want to win the awards – a circlejerk. Pretending I care if a spam email deployed a day later than we said it would. Feeling stress that this ‘mistake’ will reflect poorly on me – even for a second. Pretending any of this matters: title, social status, perceived wealth.
I refuse for this to be my life. So I’m changing it.
$100,000 in Assets
As of February 26, 2016 at 26 I now have $100,000 in assets. It seems like a special number and I’ve been excited for this milestone for a while. 1.5 years ago I was wandering aimlessly, spending money frivolously (I think), but not enough by American consumerist standards. I had accidentally accumulated $50,000 in assets – mostly in my 401K, which had been compounding behind the scenes.
Now I am here with $100,000 and I can’t even believe it. On to $1,000,000 :).
2015 State of the Union
I fucking did it. I started this year with the goals to:
- Max my 401K
- Max my Traditional IRA
- Max my HSA
- Overall contribute $35,000 to investments
2015 Spending
Let’s look at the explosion that was my 2015 spending. Overall I spent about $30,000 which isn’t too bad since I was living the high life in NYC for half the year, but improvements can still be made. Removing the cost of our luxurious Fiji vacation and the costs of our cross country move would bring my 2015 spending to $21,840.
Frugality and Weight Management Part II
Something strange has happened. I was reading through my previous posts to see to help reminisce about the year and what I’ve accomplished and I read my post about “Frugality and Weight Management” and how it seemed they went hand in hand. I started laughing while reading it because I felt so differently now. Continue reading “Frugality and Weight Management Part II”
Transition Complete: NYC to Seattle
It’s been a while. A little over two months since I’ve last written. It’s been a wild ride. I am now sitting in an office completing my fifth week of work with the best client and team I’ve ever had. We are almost fully moved into our apartment. All that is left is putting paintings on the wall.
Continue reading “Transition Complete: NYC to Seattle”
401K vs. NYC Taxes
As you know, I have now maxed my 401K in six months of living in NYC to decrease my large state and city tax bill before we move. But I’ve been wondering how much money in state and city taxes I have saved by maxing this before I leave and how much of federal taxes have I saved by simply maxing this account. Continue reading “401K vs. NYC Taxes”