DONE!!!

[gratefuled]

I am done, my friends. Just hung 'em up.

Life is a pie in the face, or perhaps the kiester. Irony is everywhere, and even the sad clown is guffawing.

I was planning to leave my job this year, with a FIRE in my belly, until my CEO called me into his office and informed me that, ahem, he was sorry to have to let me go. I kept the joy off my face, knowing full well that the standard severance package would be worth about a hundred and fifty gravy...er, I mean, grand, in addition to the nut I'd socked away.

I mean, hell, I was going to quit free gratis. And this fellow wanted to pay me to leave. So I hung my head, agreed, and began winding things down.

And today was my last day.

The Cinnamon Girl and I are moving back to Tennessee next month, and meanwhile I'm going to do a few things: write, drink, laze in the sun, and generally make merry. The house is sold, the bags are packed, and the checks are all cashed.

I'm thirty-six, brethren and sistren. My daughter's a year old, the rivers are full of fish, and I haven't seen Europe yet. I don't know when, or if, I'll ever go back to work...but I sure enough have time to think about it.

So I bid you cause no lasting harm, and tip your hat to no man.

Selah.

Ed

 

[uncledrz]

Some things on this board have put a smile on my face. Your post certainly did! Life is meant to be joyful and this seems to be a joyful moment for you.
I'll look forward to hearing about how the fishing is in Tenn. Whitefish and perch have been good up north this year.

Uncledrz

 

[haha]

Congrats Ed. Done with style.

Mikey

 

[moghopper]

I was planning to leave my job this year, with a FIRE in my belly, until my CEO called me into his office and informed me that, ahem, he was sorry to have to let me go. I kept the joy off my face, knowing full well that the standard severance package would be worth about a hundred and fifty gravy...er, I mean, grand, in addition to the nut I'd socked away.

I have always had a dream that someday this would happen to me.

Congratulations!

 

[laurence]

I've never heard of a severance that good, and at 36!!! But being able to spend the time with your young family is priceless. Congratulations!

 

[retire@40]

Its good to see you've figured out the game of life.

 

[Peter]

I'm going to do a few things: write ...

Ed, you should do well! That post was a first class piece of writing!

Thanks for making me smile ...

Peter

 

[Eagle43]

I agree with uncledrz. That's one of the best posts I've seen. In MegaCorp, I saw layoff after layoff, and they were usually a tense and sad situation. It is sweet to know that, just for once, the beneficiary is the employee not the company. Move on, and have a great life!

 

[riskadverse]

Sorry to hear about your getting laid off - remember when you're laid off you are eligible for unemployment insurance payments. You might want to do some reading up on what would disqualify your payments though (severance?)

 

[dex]

I'm jelous - a severance package and unemployment .

 

[gratefuled]

Funny you should say that about severance and unemployment...turns out that in MA if you sign a "release of claims" as part of your severance process, you're eligible for unemployment. The state figures to compensate you for your loss of eligibility to sue.

Which is like, free money. We're going to file for it and sock into my daughter's college fund.

Ed

 

[REWahoo]

Ed, well done.

I also dreamed of being let go in the last few months before I hung it up, but no such luck. However I did have the good fortune of having the company change hands just as I was retiring, and the month before I walked out the door my formerly worthless stock options paid off to the tune of 6 figures.

Oh yeah, you're 36 and I was 58...nevermind.

Congratulations.

REW

 

[FIYes]

Congratulations Gratefuled!!!!

It is wonderful to hear that a layoff worked out so well!! As I get closer to achieving FIRE, a similar fate would certainly be a happy day for me. Not to likely though--but still it would be nice.

 

[JB]

Cold iron shackles, ball and chain,
Listen to the whistle of the evenin' train.
You know you bound to wind up dead,
If you don't head back to Tennessee Ed!


Congratulations.

 

[TromboneAl]

Great story.

Do company's give great severance packages like to prevent disgruntled former employees? If not, why do they do it?

 

[Nords]

Classy lottery-winning exit, Ed. Congrats!

You'll have to let us know "waddya do all day." But don't rush it...

 

[MJ]

Sorry to hear about your troubles .
Same thing happened happened to me several months ago. I had plans to leave in several months when I got the bad news. My going away package wasn't quite as generous but was still a nice parting gift.

Congrats to you and lots o luck!

 

[sgeeeee]

Well done and best wishes. You gotta love it when the good guys win. :

 

[RockMiner]

Very well done! Now, how can I swing such a deal? Most of the severence at my company consists of a boot in the butt

 

[Ginger]

Ed, congratulations. Enjoy all your free time. Our firm never hands out a severance package. I have seen attorneys leave here after 15 years -- the "powers that be" made them so miserable - they just packed up and left.

Great post.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

You have our sincerest condolences on the loss of your job. You must be devastated.

I expect you will want to spend the next few years in counselling to get over the termination. That sort of experience can take a long time to overcome.

Oh yeah, and YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Pretty close to the deal I got, although mine was voluntary and therefore I was able to get by without any further ado. I got a years pay, prepayment of bonuses, a bunch of other accelerated benefits. I even got the 'free PC' the company had promised to all employees and then never delivered on. Ironically, only the people who took that particular buyout package got the computer.

My boss flew in to finish up the paperwork on my 'last day'. I had him meet me at a local bar where I showed up in a hawaiian shirt, shorts and sandals. 99% of the people in the bar were coworkers as it was the nearest to the place. We sat at the bar while he handed over my checks. The bartender, a good friend of mine, says "Whats up TH?" I say "My boss is firing me". He thinks I'm kidding for a minute then says "No way! What did you do?" "Many, many things. Evil man" my boss says. I show him the severance checks...he says "Holy cow...willl you fire me next?".

 

[KB]

Good job Ed. Have fun and enjoy your time with your family.

 

[yakers]

Good luck dude.

Check in some time and let us know how things are going.

 

[johnlw]

Now that's what I call a success story.

Good luck with everything.

John

 

[panhead]

Geez dude, congrats !
Let me know if the package is too overwhelming and you need someone to take some of it off your hands ;-)

pan