Well... I may be jumping to a later class. Here are some details of the happenings in my neck of the woods:
I've been working in the employer benefits space for the last 7 years. It's super interesting but the culture at the current employer has drastically changed post COVID -- and not for the reasons one may assume. Essentially, when the Fed cut interest rates to zero, companies that make revenue on yield had margins slashed. At the same time, borrowers now could access debt financing at much lower lending rates. This pushed my industry into consolidation, with the big fish that had enough scale to still make a profit borrowing money to buy competitors (that were now losing money and willing to sell at fire sale prices). So we quickly went from being a 400 person company to a 4000 person company which is barely recognizable as the same place.
All of the above made me very willing to listen when a competitor reached out and presented an opportunity much more suited for what I like to do, at $45k higher salary. One caveat here is that they also offered a very large equity grant that locks me in for 4 years if I decide I want the whole pie. I fully recognize there will always be another carrot and to know when to politely decline, but I am tentatively planning on pursuing at least this one.
A set of recent events has made me more willing to consider said carrot when otherwise numbers suggest I should be downshifting:
For the next 6 years I'm paying for my parents' health insurance. They all also early retirees, but did not plan so well, so they made the decision to go without. However my dad recently logged some sweet sweet hospital time for a pulmonary embolism, and so I have decided to pay for their coverage until they reach Medicare age. Unfortunately they are in a really crappy income bracket because of dad's pension and do not make enough to have a lot of flexibility for their situation but also make too much to qualify for any subsidies nor have any avenues to lower taxable income in order to qualify.
Event number two is that my brother is a moron. On Christmas Eve, he did some not great stuff and is currently in jail. His employer replaced him even if he was to get out. So my other brother and I are financially supporting his kids and his wife for the time being.
Anyway, long story not very short, said events have made me accept this other job with the tentative plan of working until 2026. This could change if external factors get a bit better. Or if I eventually decide it's not my place to take care of my whole extended family and I can sidestep the guilt of not doing so when I can. But for now, I'm likely jumping to 2026 -- I'll be 40.
I'll still stop by to cheer all you fine peeps on of course!
