As the saying goes, just about all of us are just one job layoff, illness or other unfortunate happening away from major financial turmoil.
For me, that day of reckoning came some six years ago when I was laid off from my job of five and a half years. Once the initial shock of getting laid off by an e-mail died down, my first thoughts turned to how I would pay my rent, buy food, meet my car payments etc.
I was fortunate in that I had a pair of very supportive parents, not to mention a can-do attitude, reminding myself I was going to see this layoff as a challenge and not the end of the world.
Fast Forward Six Years Later
As I today celebrate my one-year anniversary with another employer, I am thankful that the layoff six years ago did not entirely derail me. While some may just brush off a layoff, I took it personally, especially given what I would discover were the true reasons behind it. As they say, however, move on and move up.
Todayâs job finds me working with some extremely talented people, many of whom are quite younger. I see some of myself 10-20 years ago in them today, knowing that they have a ton of opportunities ahead of them.
While I am far from retirement, I am also not foolish enough to not be putting money away for that day.
Yes, I often live paycheck to paycheck like many others I know, but I do my best to take a little from that bi-weekly check and dump it into my 401(k). I also set up my own retirement account a number of years back. While it is certainly nothing to brag about, it is comforting to know that Iâm more of a saver than a wild spender.
Lessons Learned Over Time
As I look at the faces of a number of younger co-workers these days, I admire those that pay close attention to how they handle money.
For those putting money away for a rainy day and for decades from now when they retire thumbs up. Although I was by no means careless with my money when I first started working, I would have definitely done some things differently financially if I knew then what I know now.
One of the cool things about my profession of writing is that unlike other jobs that require major physical efforts, something many of us âolderâ folks will see dwindle in the decades to come, writers need only be of sound mine, have a trusty Internet connection, and an audience desiring to read their content. Until the day comes that I am not physically able to write, you can bet I will be banging out article after article on my keyboard.
If I could offer just a word or two of wisdom to those younger folks, think about your futures, especially from a financial point of view. Be smart with your money and think about how you would get by should your world as you now know it be suddenly turned upside down.
I never envisioned 23 years of work having flown by so quickly, although I am very grateful for some of the opportunities that have been presented to me. The difficult times too were good learning experiences, something that allowed me to grow as a person.
Now, however, I would not mind if things would slow down a little, although we all know that time waits for no one.
Photo credit: Facebook
Dave Thomas, who covers among other items workers compensation and small business loans, writes extensively for Business.com.
