Everybody Loves Your Money

Thanks to Nickel for pointing out that Maxed Out has been released on DVD.  This is the next movie I’m watching.

Here is the trailer for the movie:

Here is a 10 minute interview with James Scurlock (Creator of Maxed Out):

Wouldn’t you know it.  I stick my neck out a bit and buy this second home.  Further, I sink every nickel I’m making in to finishing the place.  Then drama starts at work.  I’ve been with my company for 6 years and was able to ride out post 9/11 while thousands and thousands of people got laid off.  I’ve always been a high performer and shouldn’t have a thing to worry about as far as job security goes.  There’s only one problem.  I work in Information Technology (IT).  I think all the leaders of major companies must sit around in exclusive cigar rooms and talk about the next place to focus their cost cutting efforts.  It has certainly been sexy to shrink IT as much as possible over the last 4-5 years.  Certainly I’m whining a bit here.  I completely understand the need to continuously improve productivity and I know that it’s capitalism at it’s finest.  While I understand it and even agree with it to some extent, I still don’t have to like it when the grim reaper starts walking down the hallway.

I don’t know if I’ll ever get laid off or when I might get laid off, but I know that I’m not feeling very secure about my job these days.  It’s kind of sad when you are considered a top performer, get great pay raises each year and progress in responsibilities but you are also scared to death of losing your job.

All of this insecurity gives me a great opportunity to start playing with scenarios again.  While we don’t have nearly the emergency fund that we have had in the past (due to the second home), I do have a few assets that would be quick to liquidate as well as a decent chunk of cash that’s fairly liquid.  By my quick calculations, we could get by pretty well for upwards of a year, without feeling too much pain.  If it got really ugly, we could sell the second home and take our profit.  That would get us by for a couple years.  There is no way I’d be out of work for a couple years.  I would work my network of friends and past co-workers to find something long before that.

Anyway, nothing like a little job insecurity to get the blood pumping.  I’m going to go have a drink.