Hello community of like-minded individuals. I apologize if this topic has been addressed numerous times in this forum... I am a software test and integration professional working out of Huntsville, AL. I make a salary of $85,000, of which I pay a $130/month for dental, $376/month for medical, and $21/month for vision. This is insane!!! The worst part is that the medical insurance is as low as I am able to make it and should anything actually happen in a year to where I would need it, I first have to pay a $12,000 deductible to utilize the benefit! Something has got to change. I currently offset as much of this racket as I can by taking advantage of the HSA, but still, there has to be options.
I love my job and honestly, I can see me continuing this job long after financial independence.
To drag this story out a little longer, I have been offered a position working for a company with whom I have been very impressed with their motivation and company culture. They are very modern in their work structure and provide their employees with everything they need to be successful. They want me to join their team in which I would make no less than $100,000, would have a lead position, and the benefits are leagues better than my current company. Taking everything into consideration, logically, the decision is a no-brainer, however, add a weird sense of loyalty to the mix and it becomes a much more complex decision. I currently work for a great boss, within a great team. I have a ton of freedom to work on whatever project I want, when I want, so long as it pertains to "meeting the needs of our customer", and my boss has consistently taken care to show his appreciation for my efforts ($2,500 bonus after only a year of working with them, 15,000 raise/promotion to move and build our presence in Huntsville after only two years). I feel that leaving this early, after only being here in Huntsville for four months, would be a devastating blow to the team and my boss. I feel like l owe the team at least a year of my loyalty since they paid for my move here and they have been good to me. As I stated before, I am extremely happy where I am and would be non-the-wiser of the shit benefits had my friend of the company courting me didn't show me just how awful my benefits were.
And thus, here are my questions for the group:
1. Should I stay or should I go?
2. How much is loyalty worth in today's market (15k and better benefits)
3. How much is freedom worth (Work on what I want when I want and only answer to a boss that works on the other side of the country)
4. Should loyalty to a team and boss "trump" shitty company benefits and culture?
5. Are there personal insurance plans which could help offset the crap plans provided by my company which could help justify turning down just the salary increase?
I understand that we are all part of the FIRE movement but I feel that I have found the job/jobs which allow me to get to FIRE and continue working for years to come. Please help me out here!
