Lazy Man and Money

Kosmo’s Midlife Financial Checkup

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Lazy Man often gives us a look into his financial life, so I decided to do the same.  I’ll be a little (a lot) more vague than Lazy Man, but will hopefully give you a slightly different viewpoint.

[Editor’s Note: The idea of a midlife financial checkup is an extremely good one. I need to do my own one of these.]

At 43 years old, I’m roughly halfway through what Sam Miller refers to as “this horrible, rotten slog toward rigor mortis”.  It seems like this might be a good time to see how I’m progressing.  Let’s take a look as some aspects of my financial life.

Employment

Employment is a big piece of the financial puzzle.  A year ago, when I found myself on the brink of being pushed out of a job I had been at for twenty years, I had my first real encounter with imposter syndrome.  What if I wasn’t worth what my current employer was paying me?  What if I was 10% overpaid?  Or 20%?  or 30%?  Or what if my particular role wasn’t in demand in my metro area?

A year later, I’m much more confident about my abilities and my future.  I went from being a somewhat above average employee at my previous job to being a substantially above average performer at my current gig.  Part of this is because the new job allows me to use more of my skills than the old one.  Another factor is that my old team had been in place for years and had many high performing veteran employees, whereas my new team was only established a couple of years ago, and is largely staffed with fairly inexperience employees.  In essence, I went from being a small fish in a big bowl to a big fish in a somewhat smaller bowl.

My boss is fairly young, and I think he could stay in this role for quite a few years.  That bodes well for me, because we have a good relationship, and I like the dynamic he brings to the team.  We’re both sports fans – something that really shouldn’t matter, but does allow for pleasant small talk.

There’s no such thing as a sure thing, but I think I’m as well positioned as I could be.  Additionally, the new position is allowing my to use my accounting knowledge (which I had never used in my old job), making me more marketable if I have to look for another job.

That’s only half the employment equation, though.  My wife is a CPA who works for a large university in the area.  She also has substantial experience in public accounting, so she has a lot of marketable experience.  Quite honestly, she’d have an easier time finding a job with comparable pay than I would, because while nearly every company needs accountants, not every company needs business analysts.

Immediate cash flow

How are we doing day to day?  Are we able to cover our immediate expenses with our income?  A lot of people live paycheck to paycheck.  Happily, that does not describe us.  Despite some heavy expenses (BASP, I’m talking about you), we’re creating positive cash flow – covering our immediate expenses and leaving some left over to invest.

We’ve also had a couple of infusions of cash in the last couple of years – an inheritance from my mom’s estate and then my severance payment from my older employer.  Combined, they were the equivalent of a year’s worth of salary for me.  Not enough to retire on, but enough to give us financial flexibility.  These were one-time blips on the financial radar, but very helpful.

Mortgage

We live on a quiet street in a quickly growing (but still quiet suburb).  Since we live in Iowa, this means that housing is more affordable than the coasts or major metro areas.  Our house is less than 15 years old, has almost 1500 square feet on the main floor, plus almost 1200 finished square feet in the basement.  Additionally, we have an unfinished storage area of about 200 square feet.

We have a 15 year mortgage that we’ll pay off just as the youngest kid graduates from college.  The mortgage, interest, and escrow are barely above 10% of our gross wages.

College

Our oldest kid is in fifth grade, and her brother is in third grade.  My wife and I are both first generation college students.  I worked myself through college, which allowed me to graduate with “only” $25,000 in student loans (in 1997 dollars).  My parents weren’t able to assist me financially.

Our kids will be more fortunate.  We been contributing to 529 plans for them for years, dumping a substantial chunk of change into the accounts each year.

There’s a strong chance the kids will go to the local university.  That will help us in a couple of ways – the tuition will be cheaper than a private school, and they could conceivably commute (15-20 minutes) to campus.  That would save us approximately seven billion dollars.

Additionally, both kids are excellent students, so I have my fingers crossed that they might land some merit-based scholarships.  The need-based financial aid I received as a student is unlikely, due to our presence in the middle class.

You might be wondering if this is the same university my wife works for, and whether there is a tuition waiver for the children of employees.  The first answer is yes (the university that is the in-state rival of my alma mater).  Unfortunately, the second answer is, at the moment, no.  There’s always the chance that things could change, but we’re definitely not counting on it.

Retirement

Which brings us to the elephant in the room – retirement planning.

First, I’ll openly admit that we’re not maxing out our contributions.  Honestly, kids are expensive, and we want to stay somewhat flexible with our current finances.

We each do contribute a pretty hefty amount each month, though.  My wife’s employer also kicks in about 10% of her salary to her retirement account.  My current employer puts some money into both a defined contribution pension and a 401K.  Currently, they contribute a total of 7% of my salary, and this will grow a bit over time.  I also have a defined benefit pension from my old employer than will pay me slightly more than 20% of my current salary when I reach age 62.

So, even though we aren’t maxing out our contributions, the total of our contributions, our employers’ contributions, and the pension from my old employer create a fairly sizeable next egg than will continue to grow in the two decades I have left in the work force.

One other thing to note is that when I’m 57, our expenses should drop dramatically, as our youngest kid will be graduating from college and our mortgage will be paid off.  That will give us the opportunity to dump extra money into our retirement plans in our final years in the workplace.  There’s a catch-up provision for many retirement plans (including 401K) that allow people 50 or older to contribute an extra $6000 beyond the normal limits.  If you’re in this age range and are in the position to make extra contributions, look into the catch-up provision.

Life Insurance

All these plans are great, but an untimely death of myself or my spouse could wreak havoc on the family, both emotionally and financially.  The emotional side would be awful to work through, but we’ve planned for the financial impacts.  We have enough term life insurance to effectively replace our income through the age of retirement.  So if one of us shuffles off this mortal coil earlier than expected, it shouldn’t completely derail the family’s financial train.

Keeping my eye on the ball

Another factor is that I’m keeping a close eye on things.  I track the growth our 529s against the projected costs of college.  I project the balances of our various accounts at the time of retirement, and estimate what our expenses will be.  I have a set of projections that include social security and another set that doesn’t – and rely more heavily on the projection that doesn’t include social security.

Overall, we’re in good shape.  If our salaries continue to move along their current paths and our investments follow historical trends, we should be able to live a comfortable, if not luxurious, retirement.

Have you done your own financial checkup?  How are you doing?

The Art of Hiring an Employee

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I’m away on vacation. I’ll be back with original articles after Christmas.

Loyal readers may be familiar with my Job Search Journey series.  While I saw much of the job search process from the point of view of the searcher, I was also on the interview panel several times, as my company searched for even newer employees.

You’ve all searched for a job at some point, and you know how difficult and stressful it can be.  What you might not realize is that it’s a difficult and stressful process for the employer as well.  Quite often, they are looking to hire someone because someone has left the team.  That means the remaining members are taking on extra work until the position can be filled.  The company wants to fill the position quickly, but doesn’t want to rush into hiring someone, either.  Hiring the wrong person can cause lasting problems.

So, what can you do to increase your chances of hiring the right person?  Here are a few tips.

Don’t search for a unicorn

Let’s say that there are three skills that are critical for the role you’re looking to fill, and seven other skills that would be a nice bonus.  If your job posting has something along the lines of “the ideal candidate will…” and then list all ten skills, you will invariably scare off some candidates.  A candidate might be a rock star at the three critical skills, but have zero experience in two of the bonus skills.  You don’t want to exclude that candidate from your pool.

Instead, list those three critical skills as the required skills and the other seven as additional skills.

Make the candidate comfortable

Interviews are incredibly stressful for the candidate.  In many cases, you end up finding out how well the candidate can navigate an interview process rather than how well they can actually do the job.

Do what you can to make the interview painless for the employee.  If you’re setting up an on-site interview, make sure the candidate knows where the location is, and offer directions if they aren’t sure, so that they aren’t reliant on the whims of their GPS unit.  Make sure they have the phone number of someone they can contact if they get lost or stuck in traffic.  When they arrive, ask if they would like to use the restroom.  (The nervousness always make me need to urinate.  I’d always make sure to stop at a gas station close to my final destination).

During the interview process, don’t try to “catch” the candidate with “gotcha” questions.  If you get an answer that doesn’t seem to be correct, ask it in a different way, to make sure the wording didn’t confuse the candidate.  If there are multiple people on the interview panel, engaging in some light banter may make the candidate more at ease.  Even a smile can help.  The overall goal of the interview process is to be conversational, rather than adversarial.

Communicate timelines clearly and honestly

As a candidate, nothing is worse than being told you’ll be contacted in three days and not hearing anything for weeks.  Be transparent with the candidate about the timing of the process.  If you run into an unforeseen delay, shoot them an email and let them know it might be another few days.

Never “ghost” a candidate.  When I interview with a company and don’t hear a peep out of them, I make note of it.  When I’m talking with friends about job searches, I’ll mention certain companies that aren’t good at communicating.  If your company has a habit of doing this, you can be certain that this is public knowledge among job seekers.  You could have some rock star candidates who don’t bother to apply because of your company’s reputation.  If you’ve decided not to hire a candidate, let them know.  Even a simply email is acceptable.

Don’t go overboard with negotiations

You definitely want to hire the candidate at a salary your company can afford – but don’t go overboard when you’re negotiating.  If the candidate is looking for $100,000 and you only want to give $99,000, don’t draw a line in the sand.  You’re better off paying the ideal candidate $100,000 than paying a meh candidate $95,000.  Good employees create substantial surplus value for your organization.

Support the new employee

When the new employee starts, help them get up to speed.  If your organization doesn’t have a formal orientation program (or even if it does), have them shadow another employee to help them get an understanding for how your organization functions.  They’ll certainly have some questions (and the other employee’s productivity will dip as they take time to assist the new employee), but think of it as a long term investment in the employee.

Lazy Man’s Thoughts

I was on the hiring manager a couple of times in my life. Both times I was 24 years old with just a couple of years or real job experience. These were the kinds of wacky things that happened during the dot-com expansion of 1999.

One thing I learned in recent years is what Kosmo mentioned here. Interviews generally tell you more about their ability to interview and communicate, which might not necessarily be the most important skills.

Similarly, the headmaster at my child’s school said that standardized tests often reflect the student’s experience in preparing for them. Some students pay a lot of money for prep classes and my understanding is that they produce very good results. Families who may not be afford such services appear to be at a disadvantage.

Get back to the actual process, there’s one thing that stood out from when I was a hiring manager. We were strongly encouraged to conduct our interviews in a neutral location rather than behind a desk in your office.

Job Search Journey: Advice

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This is a continuation of Kosmo’s Job Search Journey.

The Whole Job Search Series:
1. You’re Fired
2. Assessing the Situation
3. Networking
4. Learn
5. The Interview
6. Frustration
7. Success
8. Sink or Swim
9. Search for Stability
10. Job Search Journey: The Interview the Lasted for Seven Months

The timing of this update is particularly helpful as I’ve been extremely sick the last couple of days and all my other responsibilities have been piling up.

Now that I have arrived at the successful conclusion of my job search, it’s time for me to turn my experiences into advice for other job seekers.

Get started immediately

Fired Cartoon

If you’re getting a severance payment, it can be tempting to take a few months off and live off the severance.  I know several people from my previous job who did this.  I’d caution against doing this.  Get started with the job search immediately, because you never know how long it will take you to find a job.  If you get an offer, you can always negotiate a start date with the new employer.  Most employers won’t mind delaying the start date a week or two if you want to take some time off.  I found out that I would be losing my job a full six months before the termination date.  Despite having this much notice – and a healthy severance – I started the search immediately.  I applied for a job that night.

What did I do with that severance payment?  Invested it in an index fund, where I’m not tempted to spend it.

Explore all your options

At first, I was only looking for permanent positions.  It hadn’t even occurred to me to consider contract work until a staffing company happened to email my wife, asking if she knew anyone interested in a business analyst position.

I also left no stone unturned when it came to submitting resumes.  I submitted resumes for nearly every opening within a 70 mile radius.  (Note that I live in Iowa, so 70 miles is roughly a 70 minute drive).  I submitted resumes at companies that employed thousands, as well as companies that employed dozens.  I submitted resumes to companies hiring teleworkers.  I did avoid a handful of companies that had incredibly toxic reputations, but only a few.

Look at all the benefits

Salary is the thing that most people focus on.  Let’s compare two hypothetical job offers.

  • Employer A offers a salary of $100,000, 2% 401(k) matching, and two weeks of PTO.
  • Employer B offers a salary of $95,000, 5% 401(k) matching, defined contribution pension (5% of salary), and four weeks of PTO.

Which of these benefit packages is better?  It’s B.  The 401(k) matching, pension, and extra PTO easily offset the $5000 difference in salary.

Often, it’s not as clear cut.  You might need to choose between a higher salary and a more flexible schedule or choose between a nonprofit and a large multinational corporation.  In the end, you need to determine what is important to you.

Focus on your strengths

If you’re like most people, not all of your responsibilities fit nicely into a specific role.  In my case, I had begun my career as a business analyst, but had taken programming classes and had done coding work on large projects that deployed enterprise level tools.  For much of my career, I had functioned in a hybrid role, doing whichever tasks were needed at the moment.  Most companies aren’t looking to hire hybrids, though.  They’re looking to fill a specific role.

I had to decide whether to advertise myself as a programmer or a business analyst.  In my case, it wasn’t particular difficult.  My somewhat limited experience and background as a programmer meant that I was was somewhat weaker on those skills than I was as a business analyst.  So I pitched myself as a business analyst who had some bonus technical skills.

Interview often

If you have the opportunity to partake in mock interviews, do it.  I didn’t do this (despite having ample opportunity), and wish I had.  Interviewing is a nerve-wracking experience, but it gets easier with repetition.  It helps you get prepared for certain types of questions, as well as getting comfortable with the interview process itself.

Remember that the process is just as difficult for the hiring manager as it is for you.  They aren’t trying to trip you up; they’re just trying to get a good feel for your skills.  I’ve been on a few interview panels at my current job, and it’s very difficult to determine if someone is a good fit based on a short interview.  Getting an insight into the person’s thought process is often more important than the specific answer.

Be positive

Always be positive in an interview.  When asked why you’re leaving an employer, put a positive spin on it.  In my case, I said that my company was consolidating its IT workforce into four locations, and that I preferred not to move because of my strong roots to the local area.

Enter the interview with a smile, exit it with a smile, and try to keep a positive demeanor during the interview, even if the interview is stressing you out.  A key thing to remember is that the interviewer wants you to do well.  They want you to be the candidate they hire, so that they can wrap up the expensive and time consuming search process.

The positivity shouldn’t stop when you get the job, especially if it’s a contract position or the job has a probationary challenge.  See obstacles as challenges to solve rather than negative aspects of you job.  How someone fits into a team is very important.  We recently lobbied our boss to have a new team member assigned to a solo project.  The team member wasn’t much of a team player and was killing morale and productivity.  The boss agreed, moved some people around, and productivity skyrocketed.

Help others

So you found a job?  Maybe you leveraged some connections to get a leg up.  Remember that this is a two way street.  If you become aware of former colleagues who are looking for a job, reach out to them.  Offer to be a reference, a sound board, a resume reviewer, anything.  Not only will this produce good karma, but you never know when you might need help from that person.

Final Personal Thoughts

It’s Lazy Man back for this section.

I think Kosmo hit on many things that were important for my job search journey. There was a big tech layoff in 2001 and the whole department was let go. I got a sizable severance, but I still did everything I could to find a new job. Unfortunately at the time, there were so many programmers and no one was hiring. That’s what happens when there is a technology bubble bust. The supply and demand was simply not on my side.

This experience played directly into me creating Lazy Man and Money with the idea of exploring financial independence and alternative income streams. It wasn’t like I could live at the time on just my dog sitting income, but it definitely extends your emergency fund.

Unfortunately for me, perhaps the advice that hit home the hardest was to focus on strengths. Though I have a background as a software engineer, I get bored doing one thing and got bored doing that. I started the blog and that has been good for awhile. However, I’m midway through year 12 and it’s getting more and more difficult to find interesting topics to write about.

Dog sitting isn’t a skill that’s in high demand. One of my other new gigs is being a blog editor. That’s interesting, because it’s a little different than writing personal all the time. Another gig is customer service for a cloud company. I don’t know too many people who love customer service jobs. However, they are necessary and the one I have is some people I like, which is good.

At the end of the day, my strength is almost like not having one. I am kind of good at blogging, very good in personal finance, below average in programming (I’ve forgotten a lot and technology has changed), good at dog sitting and customer service, and very good at reading legal briefs on defamation. Only a small company is looking for that kind of diverse skill set.

In the short term, I’ll probably just keep juggling the same hodge-podge of stuff. Financially, it’s been working for us and it gives us the flexibility we need with two very young kids and my wife’s demanding military job and college career.

Job Search Journey: The Interview the Lasted for Seven Months

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This is a continuation of Kosmo’s Job Search Journey.

The Whole Job Search Series:
1. You’re Fired
2. Assessing the Situation
3. Networking
4. Learn
5. The Interview
6. Frustration
7. Success
8. Sink or Swim
9. Search for Stability

Interviews are of varying lengths.  Some are thirty minutes long, some are an hour or two.  Some interviews last an entire day.

I recently finished an interview that lasted for seven months!

Ok, it wasn’t exactly technically an interview.  It was a contract position, and my goal was to get hired as a permanent employee.  In my opinion, the best way to do this was to perform at a high level for the duration of my time as a contract employee.

Fired Cartoon

It was sink or swim from day one, and I swam.  I’ve been in the industry for two decades, so not very much fazes me at this point.  It was interesting to be thrown into the action with barely any background on my project, but it wasn’t insurmountable.  I read documentation, combed through the existing code, and asked enough questions to learn what I needed, without asking so many that I was annoying.

Before long, I had righted the ship, gotten the train back on the rails, and utilized several other idioms.  Once my primary project was humming right along, I got pulled into another project to back-fill for someone who had left.

I had even less background for the second project than I did the first.  At least the first project dealt with some accounting concepts, which allowed my to utilized my dusty accounting degree.  The new project was all data and reporting.  To make it even worse, there were multiple sub-systems, and it wasn’t very clear how they interacted.

I jumped in and began to work on testing.  This presented a huge challenge.  Most of the requirements had been written months ago, by people who were no longer on the project.  Many of them were very vague, and I had to lean on the veteran technical analyst to even understand what functionality was being added.

Eventually, the other business analyst (also new) and I were able to get things on track.  We tested eight months worth of new functionality and regression tested the entire application.  We had to restart regression testing a couple of times due to new bugs.

At this point, we’ve pushed that block of code to production and are ready to tackle the next big block of testing.

Originally, the idea was to loan me to the project for two months, until a new person could be hired to fill the position.  That was five months ago.  I don’t think the project is going to let me leave any time soon.  I always come to work with a smile on my face, and it’s apparent that I care a lot about the quality of the code that gets implemented.

Finally, HR contacted me about converting to permanent employee status.  I tried to push for 25 days of PTO, but they have a hard limit of 20 for new employees.  That was a a bit of a letdown, since I had worked myself up to 30 days at my previous job.

Money, of course, would be the main point of negotiation.  I knew that the local market for someone with my qualifications and experience was about 7-8% below what I had been making in my previous job.  A friend of had been forced to take a pay cut when he switched job.  I knew a pay cut was a distinct possibility and was bracing for them to make a low offer.

What did they offer?  Well, they really didn’t.  They asked my what I was looking for.  I asked for a number that was 3% above what I was making at my previous position.  This was the midpoint for someone in the lead business analyst role, and was, according to my information, about 10% above the market rate for someone in my position.  It was a significant amount about what a friend of mine in a similar position recently got from his new employer.

I felt like I had a good chance I’d get what I had asked for.  Although I was asking for a premium over what they were likely to offer another candidate, I had something the other candidates didn’t.  I have seven months of experience in the exact role.  I had clearly exceeded their expectations, and they knew what they were getting, both in terms of ability and temperament.  I had essentially been on a seven month interview.

Finally, after being approved by three levels of management, HR was able to make me a formal offer.  The offer was for the exact amount I requested.  A small part of me regretted not asking for more, but all in all, it was a very fair offer.  I’m relieved to finally be an employer rather than a contractor.

Job Search Journey: Search for Stability

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This is a continuation of Kosmo’s Job Search Journey.

The Whole Job Search Series:
1. You’re Fired
2. Assessing the Situation
3. Networking
4. Learn
5. The Interview
6. Frustration
7. Success
8. Sink or Swim

When I last spoke to you, I had begun contract position with one of the leading employers in the area.

Although I had a bird in the hand, I was also pursuing a bird in the bush – a permanent position.

I have been actively pursuing other positions.  In the last few months, I have advanced to the final round of interviews three times, with vastly difference experiences.

One employer contacted me five months after I had initially contacted them.  I had the standard conversation with the recruiter, took a Wonderlic test, and showed up for my on-site interview on a Friday afternoon.  Unfortunately, the hiring manager seemed very ill-prepared.  She asked only a couple of questions – neither of them very probing.  I asked questions about the specifics of the position in an effort to keep the interview alive, but it was obvious she had no interest in being there.  I’m not sure if she just wanted to get out of the office and go home for the weekend, or what.  Not surprisingly, the company ghosted me after the interview.  Note: the Wonderlic questions were much more simple than I would have assumed.  It’s more a test of how quick you can think, as opposed to testing the depth of your intellect.

Fired Cartoon

Another company also contacted me months after I initially applied.  In fact, they had already told me I wasn’t being considered for the position.  It turns out that I was overqualified.  They were looking for a junior level (cheaper) analyst and eventually came to the realization that they needed a more senior person.  Once again, I took an assessment and was called in for an in-person interview.  Unfortunately, the types of questions that were being asked made it clear that I wasn’t a good fit for the position.  They were looking for someone who was primarily a training specialist with experience rolling out off-the-shelf software.  My core strength is helping design new software from the ground up.  Once again, I wasn’t terribly disappointed that I didn’t get the job.  I don’t think I would have enjoyed it.

Another company contacted me less than a day after I applied.  This company is a major player in the education space – a company you’ve almost certain heard of.  Although they pay a bit less than some of the for-profit companies in the areas, they have a nice set of benefits, include 30 days of PTO for new hires.  From the start of my search, this company was among the top two companies I was pursuing.

The HR rep contacted me and arranged a phone interview for the next week.  When he called, I missed the call – because he called on the wrong day.  I was able to touch base with him about ten minutes later, and he was apologetic when he realized his gaffe.  He was willing to called back the next day, but I offered to go ahead and do the interview right then.  What better opportunity to prove I could think on my feet and not be rattled by the unexpected?  A few days later, I was notified that I made the cut for an on-site interview.

My on-site interview was nearly perfect.  I was very comfortable and answered all of the questions well.  There were a couple of questions where I didn’t give the exact answer they were looking for, but I could tell by their reactions that my answers made them think, and that they had a positive response to the answers.  One of the interviewers had Googled my email address and tracked down my blog, and then found the sites where I did freelance work.  She even read a few of my articles on this site!  (Hey, Jen – hope things are going well for you and your team.)

I was very confident that I had landed the position.  Unfortunately, a week later, I found out that someone else got the job.  A friend of mine who works for the company told me that I was strongly considered, but in the end, they hired someone who had previously worked for the company.  That’s understandable, because the group dynamic is very important, and there’s value in having some certainty regarding how someone will mesh with the team.

I’m optimistic that I’ll find a permanent position soon.  If nothing else, these interviews have given me practice for future interviews.  I’m much more confident in interviews than I have been in the past.  Now as see them as an opportunity, instead of a necessary evil.

In the interim, my contract position continues to go very well.  I am establishing myself as someone who is ready, willing, and able to handle any challenge and also willing to mentor others.  It has probably been the most productive half-year stretching of my two decade career.

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