Career

A week or two ago my company announced that it would be shipping a whole bunch of us, (probably 100+ people), out of DC and into the suburbs of VA. The drive will add about thirty to forty minutes to just about everyone’s commute. Some people up and quit on the spot. Going in search … Read more

I ran a whole bunch of calculations between the standard 401(k) and the Roth 401(k), before ultimately deciding to put the whole kitten caboodle, 15% of my paycheck, into the Roth option. (You can see an earlier posting for more information on my Roth decision.) I called Fidelity a few weeks ago and last Friday … Read more

Ask the Expert, Walter Updegrave, from money.cnn.com has a great answer to a question from a 33 year old reader wondering about early retirement. In essence the reader wants to know if he can retire by age 55. The article contains a link to a great projection calculator that determines just how much income an … Read more

Where oh where have I been. I just realized it’s been over a week since I last posted. Well it seems after sitting at home attempting to recover from surgery and illness that I have finally returned to the working world. I am not really feeling well enough to return to work. But I thought … Read more

Just for kicks I went back through my w2s from the last seven years to figure out just how much money I contributed each year to my 401(k). It’s amazing to see how little I was able to contribute in 1999, (the year I graduated college), compared to today. The dates and corresponding contribution levels … Read more

In 1999 I took a job fresh out of college with a large company with unbelievable employee benefits. I definitely think people undervalue the benefits a company can provide. There are the common benefits like medical insurance, a certain number of vacation days, flexible work schedules, etc. But then there are the big perks like … Read more