Epic FU money stories

[RyanAtTanagra]

Okay, this is the story of my parents. As a background, my father was a factory worker and my mother was a house wife. They were very frugal as they grew up in relative poverty during the crises years and were teenagers during World War II years in the Netherlands. At that time, I am talking mid 1950s, my dad got paid weekly in cash. The factory owner would hand out envelopes with money at the end of the week.

On one Friday afternoon, dad went to the office to get his money. His boss said to him 'Here is your wage for the week, but I don't think you deserve it'. Dad responded by saying 'If you don't think that I worked hard enough to earn my money, I don't want it'. He wished the boss a good weekend and left the office without the cash. The boss' wife then went to see my mother and tried her to give my dad's wages for the week. My mother refused to take the money by saying that if her husband did not want to take his wages home for whatever reason, there was no possible way that she could accept it.

The continuous refusal caused great panic with the boss and his wife. Whatever they said, mum and dad refused to accept the money, until the boss finally admitted that my father had worked hard that week and had deservedly earned his wage.  Boss had miscalculated and thought they were living paycheck to paycheck, whilst my parents always had money in the bank and did not need the cash. They rocked !!

This is now one of my favorite stories.  Refusing money being handed to you is even more epic and FU than taking it and quitting.

[MrMoogle]

Can we please return the subject to Epic FU Stories!!

Maybe this thread should be retitled "Epic FY money stories". F y'all!

Disclaimer: I am not southern and don't expect to know all of the nuances of "y'all". But they do all seem to start with the letter Y.

I don't recall hearing "F**k yall" although I'm sure it's been said.  It's usually just "bless your heart" around here.

[CowboyAndIndian]

I remember it well because it was epic. That was a you plural plea for new material. I'm just doing my tiny part to keep one of my favorite threads alive. Got any new stories? <Snirt>

I'm <snirting> because I believe you've been an exemplary mustachian and stayed retired. Anyone else?

Thanks @Dicey. Appreciate the accolades from MMM royalty (Royal Walrus;-))!

I do have one more. Here it is.

I had taken a job at a Wall St. Firm and the location was 10 minutes from home. After a few years of commuting an hour and a half to work in NYC, I was thrilled with working close by. This was not a great company, but I was willing to accept it due to the number of hours a day I saved. I even took an employee position (all my other stints in Wall St. was as a consultant at much higher pay rates).

The first year there was wonderful. Very low pressure to do anything and I had to create work to keep busy. At the end of the first year, the division was sold to one of the new upstart companies on Wall St. I acquired my division about 15 years from founding and by then had become one of the largest mutual fund companies.

The new company had a reputation for only hiring from college because they were young, hardworking, low paid and did not have a family to interfere with work. They never hired anyone older or with experience. The oldest folks other than those of the founders and the board were in their mid-30's. The majority were young men (very few women) straight out of school and who worked long hours. The type of company where the Vice-Chairman walked the floors at 7 am and 7 pm to see who was at work. The type of company where you got looks when someone walked out at 5 pm. The type of company who would layoff a long-term, high performing employee due to performance issues in the year where he was undergoing chemotherapy.

So, there I was at the age of 48, working for a boss who was around 32 and who had a major chip on his shoulder. He did his best to try and put down the employees who had been acquired. He was hoping to get rid of older employees and when after a year, there were no resignations, he tried to get things moving by giving bad reviews. That was the only bad review  I received in my whole career.

I then decided then that the short commute and low money was not acceptable for harassment and put out a couple of feelers. I had a new job in a week (done with ever being an employee, this was a consultant gig) and quit in the middle of the project.

The boss was quite pissed, but I had FU money and did not give a damn!

[okits]

The boss was quite pissed, but I had FU money and did not give a damn!

YEAAAAAAAH!!  Cheering for you!

It's always amusing when they treat you badly and then are shocked when you don't go out of your way for them. 

Good stories, @CowboyAndIndian !  Thank you for sharing.

[Zamboni]

Good job, @CowboyAndIndian!

Here is one from a friend:

Friend was in his 20's and working as a waiter at a big resort.
Resort owner was a trust fund baby with a giant blow problem.
To subsidize his addiction, he dabbled in moving product (think of him as a sort of regional manager).
Low level restaurant staff were recruited to make runs, and my friend got lured into one of these trips. Long story short, he and another waiter ended up working all night as the owner's errand boy for the side business . . . besides the sleep deprivation, he was scared out of his wits the whole time. By the time they made it home, he had vowed this was his first and last side trip.
The next morning, he finally got to bed after driving all night, but he ended up oversleeping and was late for his regular shift waiting tables at the resort.
The owner called him in, b*tched him out, and told him that, to punish him for being late for his shift, he would have to work as a bus boy (for no tips) on the next big holiday instead of waiting tables.

My friend's response?
Literally "Fuck you!"
And then he stormed into the kitchen, pointed to different people saying "Fuck you, and fuck you, and fuck you! I'm outta here, and I'm taking this with me!"
He picked up a bottle of Dom Perignon with a dramatic flourish, and marched right out the door.
He said the head chef was completely calm during his tirade and just waved at him with an "Okay, man, have a good one."
 
The worst part of the story is that his friend, the other waiter, eventually got busted on one of the transportation runs and ended up serving time in prison. He did not rat out anyone . . . resort owner still owns the resort. My friend learned in one night that he has way too much anxiety for a life of crime, and he's been on the straight and narrow ever since.

[Sibley]

So, I got a new job last December because my old job was giving me issues. There was a whole mental breakdown in fact, that was interesting (it's probably somewhere in this thread actually). Anyway, new job. Great, except for the part where they lied about all the culture problems (previously REALLY toxic, now just messed up), put me on the most dysfunctional team, and that they didn't actually do training. And apparently I hate the whole industry, like really think that it shouldn't exist in current form.

I gave them a chance. I really, really did. But things aren't getting better, they're actually getting worse. I don't want to put up with it. There are more jobs for me than people like me, so I don't need to put up with it.

I got a verbal offer from another company, more money (not really a concern honestly), much better industry, get great vibes from the team. I GRILLED them on culture, morale, training, etc. Really grilled them, to the extent that they seemed surprised. Apparently it worked though, cause they like me.

So, now I get to figure out how to give notice when I've been in the job for 6 months. That should be interesting. Not doing anything until I have the formal, written offer and paperwork is official. So, probably next week.

[Zamboni]

Good for you, Sibley!

[ambimammular]

Yup, good for you! Life is too short to be miserable.

[Dicey]

Yay for you, Sibley! We would be happy to help you find the very best words when the time comes. I have fresh experience in this arena, as you will see...

Here's a mini-FU-story from a former colleague, who's being pursued by another company. Potential boss is promising the sun, moon and stars to get them on board. It sounded too good to be true, so I checked in with a different former colleague who works for the same company, but different region/boss. He systematically reviewed the list of promises the potential boss had made and gave his educated guess on how likely each one was to actually happen, based on the company's corporate culture. Yeah, my friend was getting smoke blown in a major way. It was damn fun to help proof the very polite "thanks, but no thanks" letter. So happy I could help my friend avoid a potential disaster.

[tomsang]

I don't know about Epic, but I have a story about FU money.

We purchased a high end view lot from our builder to build our high end retirement house (Not very Mustachian, but we love it!!).  The house is in a reasonably small town and we are fairly well connected.  Our builder acquired this lot by partnering with a local attorney with the understanding that the builder would build both houses at the same time to save on cost, etc. Our builder is a well known old school reputable builder within the community.  The two of them went into this partnership for the land only with a back of a napkin agreement, maybe slightly more, but not enough. The agreement was pretty fair in theory. Each of them would own a lot.  Builder would sell his lot, attorney would use builder to build his dream retirement house.  Site development, view easements, sharing of community cost, etc.  I am sure our builder did this type of thing with others with no problem.  If both parties are working together you can save a lot of money on the various components.

This attorney put together a standard purchase agreement between the builder and my wife and I.  We agreed to split his attorney fee with the builder(Attorney is not part of the lot sale transaction). Think of a standard form with parcel numbers and a purchase price.  He sent a bill for $10k.  Builder was pissed, I was shocked.  After asking the attorney how many hours did he spend and what was his billing rate (a little late, but they were going to be our neighbors) he informed me that it was based on value not time.  I said this is a standard form.  We have used this form in the past.  Other attorneys charge $300. I told him that I did not think that this was fair, he said send him a check for what I thought was fair.  I sent him a check for $1k for my half. I like to be more than fair in most transactions.  Up until this period, there was no mention that the attorney had this site development agreement with the builder that was supposed to carry over to our lot.

The attorney reached out on a number of things about splitting costs for something and my reply back to him was that as long as it was fair, that I would be happy to partner up to save money.  He never liked that answer. I did not understand why a person would get so frustrated or upset about fairly splitting costs where we can each save money.

About this time I am informed that there is a site development agreement that was not mentioned by the attorney(who drafted the lot purchase or the builder).  The builder, kept saying that the attorney wants to jointly develop the property.  This made sense to me with sewer lines, lot prep, etc.  I did not realize that there was a formal back of the napkin site development agreement.  The attorney never cashed my check, which I understand now why.               

The attorney made the builder's life miserable as everything financial had to go his way.  It started off with demanding the builder to build the house super cheap or he would not give us our view easements.  The view easements were already laid out on the napkin that the builder and attorney put together when they decided to partner on the land.  He was required to give us the easements.  This delayed us, caused us to incur more legal fees than we should have, etc. 

Throughout the build there were a number of items in the early stage, where we were willing to give more than we should with the understanding that we would be living next door to this person for many years.  The asks kept on getting bigger and more unfair as the project would go.  The attorney could look you in the eye and explain to you with a huge smile on his face how this is the way it was meant to be, etc.

When another one of these $3k differences popped up, I said I was not going to pay it.  My builder could see my point, but the attorney was holding up something else, and my builder was going to split the cost with us.  I said I wasn't going to pay it. My builder was going to eat the cost.  I did not like that as well, as the builder and his subcontractors had been abused by this guy during the entire build.

In front of the attorney's wife.  I told our builder that I was not going to pay this and that I would spend up to $100k to take the attorney to court for the previous expenses, get him disbarred, and incur other costs that that we did not need to spend in our construction that they would be obligated to pay half.

The asks stopped occurring. The wife was very concerned about their reputation, which made sense since they screwed over a ton of subcontractors who were already talking about it throughout the town.  We finished the build.  They are a lovely couple, when money is not involved.

The attorney's house was completed over a year ago.  I am not sure if the builder has received final payment.

I am a big believer in fair.  I always would prefer to pay more than my fair share.  Having FU money, allowed me to say that I am willing to spend a ton of money to make you pay a ton of money if you continue to do things that are not fair.   

[Rural]

Can we please return the subject to Epic FU Stories!!

Maybe this thread should be retitled "Epic FY money stories". F y'all!

Disclaimer: I am not southern and don't expect to know all of the nuances of "y'all". But they do all seem to start with the letter Y.

I don't recall hearing "F**k yall" although I'm sure it's been said.  It's usually just "bless your heart" around here.

I've said it. :)


On topic: I guess one would have to be mad at the whole company to go for a true F y'all.

[Million2000]

Can we please return the subject to Epic FU Stories!!

Maybe this thread should be retitled "Epic FY money stories". F y'all!

Disclaimer: I am not southern and don't expect to know all of the nuances of "y'all". But they do all seem to start with the letter Y.

I don't recall hearing "F**k yall" although I'm sure it's been said.  It's usually just "bless your heart" around here.

I've said it. :)


On topic: I guess one would have to be mad at the whole company to go for a true F y'all.

No, that would be a F all y'all. It's subtle, but there is a difference. Also, intonation is key.

[BlueHouse]

I don't recall hearing "F**k yall" although I'm sure it's been said.  It's usually just "bless your heart" around here.

would love to get back on topic, so I'm thinking it right now. 

[Just Joe]

Can we please return the subject to Epic FU Stories!!

Maybe this thread should be retitled "Epic FY money stories". F y'all!

Disclaimer: I am not southern and don't expect to know all of the nuances of "y'all". But they do all seem to start with the letter Y.

I don't recall hearing "F**k yall" although I'm sure it's been said.  It's usually just "bless your heart" around here.

I've said it. :)


On topic: I guess one would have to be mad at the whole company to go for a true F y'all.

No, that would be a F all y'all. It's subtle, but there is a difference. Also, intonation is key.

Volume can be important too utilizing that phrase. And that house building lawyer can just go to hell. Good grief!

[Rural]

Not epic, but:
An "offer" today. Wouldn't I like to serve on the fancy underwater basketweaving committee (example, not actual committee)? I do indeed specialize in fanciness, and the committee would check a box I need to check for next year's annual review. One little thing, though - it would require "a couple" of on-campus meetings this summer, when I am off-contract and not paid. Why, no, thank you, I will not drive hundreds of miles each time to attend an unspecified number of unpaid meetings. Because I am interested in the fanciness of baskets, I may offer to Skype into meetings. Or not.

[Zamboni]

^This sound like a good opportunity for yes yes no yes

"Thank you for reaching out." (yes)
"It is true that I specialize in fanciness." (yes)
"In the case of this particular opportunity, I must decline." (no)
"Good luck, and I'd be happy to hear how it went in the Fall." (yes)

You don't even need to cite why you are declining ". . . .because I will not attend any meeting this summer" and/or " . . . because I do not care about the particular fanciness of baskets." In fact, not giving a reason is crucial for the success of yes yes no yes. 

And with your timely reminder, I am also going to start remembering to decline meetings when I am not being paid as well . . . there has been way too many of these already, it it is only June!

[Happily Irrelevant]

Just read the thread.  You don't fully realize what all you put up with until you have FU/FI money.  We end up accepting a lot because "it's our job" and that is just the way it is.  But there is nothing like reaching that point where you don't have to put up with it anymore.   Suddenly a whole lot of things take on a very different perspective.  You look back and can't believe you put up with some of the things you did.   After FIRE'ing I can't imagine going back to work as my tolerance has dropped to zero for anyone telling me I have to do something dumb.

[Padonak]

^This sound like a good opportunity for yes yes no yes

"Thank you for reaching out." (yes)
"It is true that I specialize in fanciness." (yes)
"In the case of this particular opportunity, I must decline." (no)
"Good luck, and I'd be happy to hear how it went in the Fall." (yes)

You don't even need to cite why you are declining ". . . .because I will not attend any meeting this summer" and/or " . . . because I do not care about the particular fanciness of baskets." In fact, not giving a reason is crucial for the success of yes yes no yes. 

And with your timely reminder, I am also going to start remembering to decline meetings when I am not being paid as well . . . there has been way too many of these already, it it is only June!

That's great, but seems like too much effort. How about not replying to the invite at all and, of course, remembering to never attend unpaid meetings. Not necessarily to decline them, just ignore.

[Freedomin5]

My salary is revenue-based. Company asked me to take on a contract. I agreed and billed client at my regular rate. Company then went behind my back and “adjusted” the bill downwards by 50%, and also “adjusted” my revenue numbers downwards by a proportionate amount.

So I sent an email to the CEO. And then simply stopped working on the contract. And then notified the client as to why I was no longer doing any work on his contract. And then gave him the emails of all the key decision makers in this fiasco. The company is probably just going to ignore my complaint. Luckily, I don’t care if I lose my job, and I have several other projects on my plate to keep me busy while I’m “on strike” on this contract.

[Rural]

^This sound like a good opportunity for yes yes no yes

"Thank you for reaching out." (yes)
"It is true that I specialize in fanciness." (yes)
"In the case of this particular opportunity, I must decline." (no)
"Good luck, and I'd be happy to hear how it went in the Fall." (yes)

You don't even need to cite why you are declining ". . . .because I will not attend any meeting this summer" and/or " . . . because I do not care about the particular fanciness of baskets." In fact, not giving a reason is crucial for the success of yes yes no yes. 

And with your timely reminder, I am also going to start remembering to decline meetings when I am not being paid as well . . . there has been way too many of these already, it it is only June!

I did a modified version of this. I would like to serve on the committee (true). I will not attend summer meetings. I will Skype or web meeting into meetings if Fancy Basket Chair (FBC) sets up the tech and holds meetings at times that work for me. No answer; FBC is probably seeking someone more tech-savvy to help (normally FBC comes to me).

[Step37]

My salary is revenue-based. Company asked me to take on a contract. I agreed and billed client at my regular rate. Company then went behind my back and “adjusted” the bill downwards by 50%, and also “adjusted” my revenue numbers downwards by a proportionate amount.

So I sent an email to the CEO. And then simply stopped working on the contract. And then notified the client as to why I was no longer doing any work on his contract. And then gave him the emails of all the key decision makers in this fiasco. The company is probably just going to ignore my complaint. Luckily, I don’t care if I lose my job, and I have several other projects on my plate to keep me busy while I’m “on strike” on this contract.

Wow, that seems very underhanded of your company to devalue your work like that, particularly without even discussing it with you first. I’m curious to know how this plays out. Way to stand your ground.

[radram]

My salary is revenue-based. Company asked me to take on a contract. I agreed and billed client at my regular rate. Company then went behind my back and “adjusted” the bill downwards by 50%, and also “adjusted” my revenue numbers downwards by a proportionate amount.

So I sent an email to the CEO. And then simply stopped working on the contract. And then notified the client as to why I was no longer doing any work on his contract. And then gave him the emails of all the key decision makers in this fiasco. The company is probably just going to ignore my complaint. Luckily, I don’t care if I lose my job, and I have several other projects on my plate to keep me busy while I’m “on strike” on this contract.

Would you have any legal recourse? This sounds more like theft than FU money problems.

[Freedomin5]

My salary is revenue-based. Company asked me to take on a contract. I agreed and billed client at my regular rate. Company then went behind my back and “adjusted” the bill downwards by 50%, and also “adjusted” my revenue numbers downwards by a proportionate amount.

So I sent an email to the CEO. And then simply stopped working on the contract. And then notified the client as to why I was no longer doing any work on his contract. And then gave him the emails of all the key decision makers in this fiasco. The company is probably just going to ignore my complaint. Luckily, I don’t care if I lose my job, and I have several other projects on my plate to keep me busy while I’m “on strike” on this contract.

Would you have any legal recourse? This sounds more like theft than FU money problems.

What is this legality thing that you speak of? ;P. I live in China, where laws don’t count for much. And the mental anguish and frustration that I will sustain by fighting is not worth it to me. If we calculate the amount of time I will use to fight this multiplied by my hourly rate, it’s really not worth it. Since the company is only billing 50%, I’ll just do 50% of the work.

[SwordGuy]

My salary is revenue-based. Company asked me to take on a contract. I agreed and billed client at my regular rate. Company then went behind my back and “adjusted” the bill downwards by 50%, and also “adjusted” my revenue numbers downwards by a proportionate amount.

So I sent an email to the CEO. And then simply stopped working on the contract. And then notified the client as to why I was no longer doing any work on his contract. And then gave him the emails of all the key decision makers in this fiasco. The company is probably just going to ignore my complaint. Luckily, I don’t care if I lose my job, and I have several other projects on my plate to keep me busy while I’m “on strike” on this contract.

Would you have any legal recourse? This sounds more like theft than FU money problems.

What is this legality thing that you speak of? ;P. I live in China, where laws don’t count for much. And the mental anguish and frustration that I will sustain by fighting is not worth it to me. If we calculate the amount of time I will use to fight this multiplied by my hourly rate, it’s really not worth it. Since the company is only billing 50%, I’ll just do 50% of the work.

And old Soviet saying, "They pretend to pay us and we pretend to work."

[TexasRunner]

Can we please return the subject to Epic FU Stories!!

Maybe this thread should be retitled "Epic FY money stories". F y'all!

Disclaimer: I am not southern and don't expect to know all of the nuances of "y'all". But they do all seem to start with the letter Y.

I don't recall hearing "F**k yall" although I'm sure it's been said.  It's usually just "bless your heart" around here.

Both sayings exist, its a generational thing...  :)

Bless your heart is probably my favorite saying of all time, especially when the recipient of 'blessing' doesn't understand the phrase. lol.

[Trifele]

Can we please return the subject to Epic FU Stories!!

Maybe this thread should be retitled "Epic FY money stories". F y'all!

Disclaimer: I am not southern and don't expect to know all of the nuances of "y'all". But they do all seem to start with the letter Y.

I don't recall hearing "F**k yall" although I'm sure it's been said.  It's usually just "bless your heart" around here.

Both sayings exist, its a generational thing...  :)

Bless your heart is probably my favorite saying of all time, especially when the recipient of 'blessing' doesn't understand the phrase. lol.

Yeah, 'bless your heart' has been a hard one for me to figure out since I moved south.  It's versatile.  It seems like it can mean anything along a spectrum from "You poor thing" (when said after you share bad news), to "You're not the sharpest knife in the drawer, are you?" (when said after someone says something clueless) all the way over to "F#&k you, idiot." 

[MrMoogle]

Yeah, 'bless your heart' has been a hard one for me to figure out since I moved south.  It's versatile.  It seems like it can mean anything along a spectrum from "You poor thing" (when said after you share bad news), to "You're not the sharpest knife in the drawer, are you?" (when said after someone says something clueless) all the way over to "F#&k you, idiot." 

Yeah pretty much.  It's a lot of fun, I need to use it more often.

[tipster350]

Hoping the thread can get back on topic. It's a bummer to be disappointed after seeing new posts and thinking that a new FU story has been posted.

[Dicey]

Hoping the thread can get back on topic. It's a bummer to be disappointed after seeing new posts and thinking that a new FU story has been posted.

Best revenge is to post one of your own. Don't have one? Please avoid wearing complainypants.

[AlanStache]

Hoping the thread can get back on topic. It's a bummer to be disappointed after seeing new posts and thinking that a new FU story has been posted.

Best revenge is to post one of your own. Don't have one? Please avoid wearing complainypants.

tipster350 - bless your heart :-) 

[Threshkin]

Here is a little one.

In mid-2016 I set a hard deadline to FIRE at the end of April 2017.  This was after several years of OMY.

On October 30 2016, I get an email from my boss saying he needs to call me early the next morning.  I turn to my DW and say either he is leaving or I am.

Sure enough, the next morning I learn that I am being released effective Nov 01.  After the call I do a little happy dance.  As part of the release package I received 6 months of salary which meant I was paid through the end of April 2017, my hard FIRE target! 

Essentially the phone call was me getting a six month paid vacation.  Win Win!!!

No major FUs, I don't like burning bridges (most of the time).  But by following mustacian principles we turned a potentially devastating call into a welcome event.  Those extra six months were enormously valuable to me because I was able spend much more time with my mom who was declining rapidly due to Alzheimers.  She passed in August 2017 so I got 10 months with her full time rather than only 4.

[Mother Fussbudget]

That's no "little one"... in my book.  The power FU Money gives one to spend irreplaceable time with loved ones...  That's huge!
Both Congratulations on achieving FI, and condolences on your loss.

It's gratifying to know FI enabled you to spend meaningful time with your mom before her passing.

[Dicey]

That's no "little one"... in my book.  The power FU Money gives one to spend irreplaceable time with loved ones...  That's huge!
Both Congratulations on achieving FI, and condolences on your loss.

It's gratifying to know FI enabled you to spend meaningful time with your mom before her passing.

You said it. H-U-G-E!

And Threshkin, I am sorry for your loss. My MIL has ALZ, lives with us, and has for five years. She's otherwise healthy, so there is no end in  sight.

[Threshkin]

That's no "little one"... in my book.  The power FU Money gives one to spend irreplaceable time with loved ones...  That's huge!
Both Congratulations on achieving FI, and condolences on your loss.

It's gratifying to know FI enabled you to spend meaningful time with your mom before her passing.

You said it. H-U-G-E!

And Threshkin, I am sorry for your loss. My MIL has ALZ, lives with us, and has for five years. She's otherwise healthy, so there is no end in  sight.

Thanks Mother FB and Dicey.

I feel for you Dicey.  ALZ takes an enormous toll on both the patient and the caregivers.  My mom was also healthy otherwise.  After the initial tipping point she declined gradually for four years and then extremely rapidly over the last few weeks.  I never told her I was FIRE, she would have not understood and would have worried. 

[tiger002]

This thread is making me want to use Bless y'all's hearts instead of FU one day. Too bad I'm not from the south. Oh well, that might make it even better.

[By the River]

This thread is making me want to use Bless y'all's hearts instead of FU one day. Too bad I'm not from the south. Oh well, that might make it even better.

That would be great...
Me (in the future)  "I'm retiring 10 years early because I didn't spend everything that I earned and brown bagged lunch everyday"
CW  "I wish I could do that, I just have too many bills and I need a brand new truck and daily sugar-coffee fix and ..."
Me "Well, bless your heart"

[MrMoogle]

This thread is making me want to use Bless y'all's hearts instead of FU one day. Too bad I'm not from the south. Oh well, that might make it even better.

I don't have much of an accent, but you can really tell I'm from the south when I say "Well, bless your heart." 

[Sibley]

So, I got a new job last December because my old job was giving me issues. There was a whole mental breakdown in fact, that was interesting (it's probably somewhere in this thread actually). Anyway, new job. Great, except for the part where they lied about all the culture problems (previously REALLY toxic, now just messed up), put me on the most dysfunctional team, and that they didn't actually do training. And apparently I hate the whole industry, like really think that it shouldn't exist in current form.

I gave them a chance. I really, really did. But things aren't getting better, they're actually getting worse. I don't want to put up with it. There are more jobs for me than people like me, so I don't need to put up with it.

I got a verbal offer from another company, more money (not really a concern honestly), much better industry, get great vibes from the team. I GRILLED them on culture, morale, training, etc. Really grilled them, to the extent that they seemed surprised. Apparently it worked though, cause they like me.

So, now I get to figure out how to give notice when I've been in the job for 6 months. That should be interesting. Not doing anything until I have the formal, written offer and paperwork is official. So, probably next week.

Congrats, @Sibley !!!  Great for you!

Update: today is my last day! I'll be leaving early. Like, very early. Because I have absolutely nothing to do, and I don't feel like sticking around in this dysfunctional place.

[rantk81]

Here is a little one.

That is not a "little" story. That is fantastic that you put yourself in that position.

[Mother Fussbudget]

Update: today is my last day! I'll be leaving early. Like, very early. Because I have absolutely nothing to do, and I don't feel like sticking around in this dysfunctional place.

Congratulations, Sibley!  Welcome to FIRE!

[Sibley]

Update: today is my last day! I'll be leaving early. Like, very early. Because I have absolutely nothing to do, and I don't feel like sticking around in this dysfunctional place.

Congratulations, Sibley!  Welcome to FIRE!

Oh, I wish. Not FIREd yet, just left a dysfunctional job. Started new one this week, so far so good. Still working towards FI.

[Threshkin]

Update: today is my last day! I'll be leaving early. Like, very early. Because I have absolutely nothing to do, and I don't feel like sticking around in this dysfunctional place.

Congratulations, Sibley!  Welcome to FIRE!

Oh, I wish. Not FIREd yet, just left a dysfunctional job. Started new one this week, so far so good. Still working towards FI.

Still worth congratulations Sibley!

[Mother Fussbudget]

When is an Asshair not an asshair?  (Asshair#5) the latest in a 20+ year saga...

Background... I hit my FIRE number back in April 2018.  Since then, I've continued to work (one-more-month syndrome, because... hey, it's good money) to pad out my taxable account, and generate down payments for new rental properties for long-term cash flow. 
I'm a tech-whore - contracting for technical companies who pay me by-the-hour, the contracting firm is my 'PIMP', and the company I'm helping with their 21st century technical needs is the 'John' (and they screw me whenever they can).

One director @ the firm I'm contracting for has a different project management style from most others here - expressing this as a need to have a 'Squeezable Neck' for each project.  Normally, these neck's belong to FTE's, but our current project is entirely staffed by contractors.  Naturally, my two co-contractors and I work under this director.  Asshair#5 - a co-worker who *thinks* he's my boss, but isn't my boss - has self-elected himself 'Squeezable Neck' for our project.

Two weeks ago, asshair#5 met with me for a one-on-one, and let me know he'd essentially thrown me under the bus with our "client/John".  Ironic, really...

Earlier, I'd let this asshair (really more 'ass-stubble') know that 'sometimes at the company we work for, it's politically expedient to have someone formulate an outside-the-box solution to problems, then "throw that person under the bus", give them a "good talking to", "adopt the idea as your own", and "move on".  Inevitably, the outside-the-box idea is adopted as the "client/John's".  I expressed that of all the people in our team *I* should be the one to use as a 'body under the bus' because I'd reached FI.  BUT... somehow I didn't expect to get the under the bus treatment without warning.  Just as a courtesy.

Oh yeah... Thrown.  Under The Bus.  No warning.  At first I was upset by this, then just laughed and laughed. 
My response, I did two (2) things:
1) Met with my account manager (my *actual* boss), and let him know I would be rolling off the current contract by the end of July.  I encouraged account manager to find someone with additional skills that I don't possess (namely Salesforce experience) as my back-fill for this role, and I would be happy to handoff my work to this back-fill person.  The Account Manager agreed, congratulated me on FI, and asked if I would give him advice on building his own rental property 'fleet'... 
2) Met with Asshair#5, expressed that I understood his dilemma, but that he should have at least told me he was going to throw me under the bus BEFORE doing it. I said there are at least three (3x) squeezable necks on the project, and that if it helps him to do his job better, when he feels he's being squeezed, to use his two free hands to simultaneously squeeze the other two necks.  (mine and another co-worker's).  I asked him to delegate more of the work he's taken on himself. AND to better communicate what he wants the two of us to work on.  But he continues to sit separately, worry, and fret over his laptop, and not tell us anything until our twice weekly team stand-up meetings.

Normally, this would be a frustrating situation, but since FI, I have No More F**k's To Give.  (I should get a T-shirt:  NMFTG)
All the best!  MFB

[Papa bear]

When is an Asshair not an asshair?  (Asshair#5) the latest in a 20+ year saga...

Background... I hit my FIRE number back in April 2018.  Since then, I've continued to work (one-more-month syndrome, because... hey, it's good money) to pad out my taxable account, and generate down payments for new rental properties for long-term cash flow. 
I'm a tech-whore - contracting for technical companies who pay me by-the-hour, the contracting firm is my 'PIMP', and the company I'm helping with their 21st century technical needs is the 'John' (and they screw me whenever they can).

One director @ the firm I'm contracting for has a different project management style from most others here - expressing this as a need to have a 'Squeezable Neck' for each project.  Normally, these neck's belong to FTE's, but our current project is entirely staffed by contractors.  Naturally, my two co-contractors and I work under this director.  Asshair#5 - a co-worker who *thinks* he's my boss, but isn't my boss - has self-elected himself 'Squeezable Neck' for our project.

Two weeks ago, asshair#5 met with me for a one-on-one, and let me know he'd essentially thrown me under the bus with our "client/John".  Ironic, really...

Earlier, I'd let this asshair (really more 'ass-stubble') know that 'sometimes at the company we work for, it's politically expedient to have someone formulate an outside-the-box solution to problems, then "throw that person under the bus", give them a "good talking to", "adopt the idea as your own", and "move on".  Inevitably, the outside-the-box idea is adopted as the "client/John's".  I expressed that of all the people in our team *I* should be the one to use as a 'body under the bus' because I'd reached FI.  BUT... somehow I didn't expect to get the under the bus treatment without warning.  Just as a courtesy.

Oh yeah... Thrown.  Under The Bus.  No warning.  At first I was upset by this, then just laughed and laughed. 
My response, I did two (2) things:
1) Met with my account manager (my *actual* boss), and let him know I would be rolling off the current contract by the end of July.  I encouraged account manager to find someone with additional skills that I don't possess (namely Salesforce experience) as my back-fill for this role, and I would be happy to handoff my work to this back-fill person.  The Account Manager agreed, congratulated me on FI, and asked if I would give him advice on building his own rental property 'fleet'... 
2) Met with Asshair#5, expressed that I understood his dilemma, but that he should have at least told me he was going to throw me under the bus BEFORE doing it. I said there are at least three (3x) squeezable necks on the project, and that if it helps him to do his job better, when he feels he's being squeezed, to use his two free hands to simultaneously squeeze the other two necks.  (mine and another co-worker's).  I asked him to delegate more of the work he's taken on himself. AND to better communicate what he wants the two of us to work on.  But he continues to sit separately, worry, and fret over his laptop, and not tell us anything until our twice weekly team stand-up meetings.

Normally, this would be a frustrating situation, but since FI, I have No More F**k's To Give.  (I should get a T-shirt:  NMFTG)
All the best!  MFB

Can you continue to work, please?  These are great stories and I think you need more content to entertain us.

TIA


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Secretly Saving]

Normally, this would be a frustrating situation, but since FI, I have No More F**k's To Give.  (I should get a T-shirt:  NMFTG)

I would buy that t-shirt! 

[Daisy]

Normally, this would be a frustrating situation, but since FI, I have No More F**k's To Give.  (I should get a T-shirt:  NMFTG)

I would buy that t-shirt!

After reading the original post, I was about to reply and say the same thing! A NMFTG t-shirt does fit in my FIRE budget.

[Proud Foot]

Normally, this would be a frustrating situation, but since FI, I have No More F**k's To Give.  (I should get a T-shirt:  NMFTG)

I would buy that t-shirt!

After reading the original post, I was about to reply and say the same thing! A NMFTG t-shirt does fit in my FIRE budget.

Is this close enough?

[Brother Esau]

NMFTG bumper stickers should be issued!

[Dicey]

Normally, this would be a frustrating situation, but since FI, I have No More F**k's To Give.  (I should get a T-shirt:  NMFTG)

I would buy that t-shirt!

After reading the original post, I was about to reply and say the same thing! A NMFTG t-shirt does fit in my FIRE budget.

Is this close enough?

Ooh, Hellboy needs one of these for himself and more for gifts! Paging @UnleashHell... Break out the credit card and order up a supply of these...

[UnleashHell]

Normally, this would be a frustrating situation, but since FI, I have No More F**k's To Give.  (I should get a T-shirt:  NMFTG)

I would buy that t-shirt!

After reading the original post, I was about to reply and say the same thing! A NMFTG t-shirt does fit in my FIRE budget.

Is this close enough?

Ooh, Hellboy needs one of these for himself and more for gifts! Paging @UnleashHell... Break out the credit card and order up a supply of these...

you are gonna have to wait until my last day at work when the FI mission is complete.

I would though!!