In 2008, I quit my job. I could’ve quit a year or two earlier but I waited until after getting married for one main reason – health insurance. As a healthy twenty-something, health insurance wasn’t going to be prohibitively expensive but it was a perk I wasn’t willing to give up (yet).
There were other reasons – such as a sizable education reimbursement benefit – but they all fit into the category of employer benefits. They were little brass handcuffs that kept me around a little while longer. It helped that I enjoyed my job and the folks I worked with, so I wasn’t suffering by any means, but I could’ve left earlier.
The handcuffs aren’t always gold and the “thing” offering them isn’t always your employer:
Golden Handcuffs are Sometimes Silver [Becoming Minimalist] – “Here’s the thing about golden handcuffs, and why the negative connotation is the most common use, most people wearing them don’t realize they’re wearing them. That’s why it works.”
Steal These Ideas For a Better 2021 [FrugalCity] – “I read to steal. I’m always looking for an angle – something juicy that I can take from a book and apply to my life. It could be as small as a witticism or as life-changing as a framework for making decisions. Whatever it is, I’ll be there, pen in hand, to capture it.” This list contains some gems.
Facebook shuts popular stock trading group amid GameStop frenzy [Reuters] – “Facebook Inc took down a popular Wall Street discussion group, Robinhood Stock Traders, in a move that its founder on Thursday described as backlash for conversations buoying shares of GameStop Corp and other companies this week.” Hmmmm…
Finally, presented with no explanation but guaranteed to spark joy (or not, in which case I’ve misread you!) – The Cube Rule of Food Identification.