Ok, not ME (thank goodness - at least, not yet). A friend and coworker whom I posted about here a few times IM'd me yesterday to say he got his proverbial pink slip. I haven't spoken with him in probably 6-7 months, but I knew he had changed management chains during that time. He didn't give me the details, but just to say after 28 years of loyal, dedicated service to the company, they decided to lay him off 2 years shy of our company's term for retirement.
If that wasn't bad enough, he went through a divorce last year, which left him flat broke. Well, almost, anyway. He doesn't have any more liquid assets, but I think he still has the house.
Anyway, this should be a wake-up call to most people who still rely on their JOBs for a future paycheck and security. This ain't your parent's world anymore. What's sad about this guy's predicament is that he his not young (late 40's), so finding another JOB in his field of work will be hard - let alone finding one with comparable pay. And worse still is the fact that I talked to him numerous times about investing in real estate to help facilitate his income now, and provide income later when he is no longer working. My advice, unfortunately, went on deaf ears.
We plan to meet for lunch next week, which I'm sure will be a one-sided conversation (his) about what he plans to do. I have a feeling if I mention REI again, it will (again) be put on deaf ears. He says the company will give him a "see ya" bonus with the kick out the door, which he says equates to 3 months of salary, but that won't be paying any bills 6 months from now.
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