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Abstract
y looked broken today.</p><p id="e10c">He kept staring at his cup of coffee.</p><p id="cd2d">We had like 3 seconds of eye contact after meeting for 10 minutes.</p><p id="11bf"><i>“Jay, come on. Stop stirring the cup. It is cracking.”</i></p><p id="551d">He finally looked up.</p><p id="fd5c"><i>“Oh, did I? Apologies. I got distracted.”</i></p><p id="6d59">I dragged his cup away from him. Slightly.</p><p id="df5a">I wanted to speak to him.</p><p id="70f2"><i>“No worries, man. I know something is wrong. What is? Can share? My ears are yours. <b>For free!</b>”</i></p><p id="0f9f">And finally, he braved a light smile.</p><p id="3d72"><i>“For free? Wow. Knowing you… that must be a huge loss on your P&L!”</i></p><p id="7a86">Jay is finally back.</p><p id="5752"><i>“Precisely. You better talk!”</i></p><p id="9a6a">And talk, he did.</p><h1 id="3f3a">It Started with Financial Economics</h1><p id="4e68"><i>“It was about money.”</i></p><p id="f563">That was his opening statement.</p><p id="e9d1">And then, he followed up very quickly with the second one.</p><p id="8833"><i>“Gosh, I really hate to talk about dollars and cents. I’m so embarrassed of myself.”</i></p><p id="c54b">I assured him that all was fine. We <b>[just</b>] need to get comfortable talking about the dollars and cents.</p><p id="e0a2"><i>“Hey, look, look. <b>[I snapped my fingers at him]</b> Money is a real issue. We cannot avoid it. Learn to get it off your chest. You will overcome this.”</i></p><p id="95df">By now, I got worried.</p><p id="c7c5">Did he gamble away his money? Or did his wife run away with his life savings? I mean, regardless, it sounded serious.</p><p id="4061">I prepared myself for it.</p><p id="6b1e"><i>“My twin sons are attending university next year. And my wife is sick. She needs long-term medical care. I cannot do any of those. I have no money. I am suffering from the inside.”</i></p><p id="f759">He choked a little.</p><p id="1cd4">I went silent.</p><p id="76d8"><i>“The current job I have? I love it. I love everything here. But the salary is not enough for me. I spoke to Jim* and asked him to increase my salary. He declined. He said the budget is tight, and I did not bring business.”</i></p><p id="19d8">Jim = My ex-company CEO</p><p id="8c74">I was shocked. I covered my mouth. I never expected things to come to this stage.</p><p id="f234"><i>“Jim declined? After all these years? Did you try to take on more work to justify a pay bump?”</i></p><p id="8dfe">Jay looked defeated.</p><p id="ea3b"><i>“I did. But Jim said times are bad. The company is in cash-preservation mode. So… I thought about it for very long. I decided to leave.”</i></p><p id="64f2">His eyes got wet.</p><p id="c73c">I choked.</p><p id="1ed9">Slightly.</p><p id="1953">This is how a guy who worked for 26 years got treated. It saddened me.</p><h1 id="56ce">“What’s Next? Why Are You Retiring When You Need the Money?”</h1><p id="a4d3">This is the part where logic fails to follow emotions.</p><p id="6059"><i>“Jay, if you need the money, why are you walking away from it? Earning something today cannot cover all your expenses,
Options
but it helps, right? No?”</i></p><p id="b828">He got emotional.</p><p id="c415"><i>“I thought I had a bond with the company and vice versa. I never knew it boiled down to money. I guess… I felt betrayed. I want to leave. It’s too tiring. And my wife needs me.”</i></p><p id="c848">As far as I can tell… this is the point of no return.</p><p id="1cc7"><i>“I am just too tired. Maybe… I will do my own thing when my wife is out of the woods. Maybe.”</i></p><p id="95c0">I said nothing.</p><p id="f96b">I wanted Jay to know that he had my full attention.</p><p id="9e5d">In truth, I didn’t know what to say.</p><p id="c8a2">I was caught in the moment.</p><h1 id="360c">The Close</h1><p id="fdd5">Not all retirement stories are happy ones.</p><p id="e8d4">I have seen too many.</p><p id="ffbe">Jay’s story is unique.</p><p id="113a">He does not hate his work. The opposite is true. He loved it. He loved every single minute in the office. But reality drove a wedge between him and his work.</p><ul><li>He needed more money to keep his family going.</li><li>He needed more time with his wife.</li></ul><p id="e694">Jay is tongue-tight when it comes to money and compensation.</p><p id="284e">He never fought for his pay increment and performance bonus for years. And when he had to — He got thrown under the bus.</p><p id="8fc1">He felt betrayed.</p><p id="1dec">I hope this is not happening to you.</p><p id="aff1">Retire with happiness in your heart. Not grudges.</p><p id="52d1">We deserve better.</p><p id="0e5e"><i>Like this story? Hit <a href="https://aldric-chen.medium.com/subscribe"><b>Subscribe</b></a>!</i></p><p id="b69b"><i>Oh, oh, you can buy me <a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/aldricchen">a cup of black</a> too! Thank you!</i></p><div id="4efb" class="link-block">
<a href="https://readmedium.com/i-had-unfettered-access-to-my-vcs-executive-assistant-for-3-days-she-impressed-me-b7d370acf2ec">
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<h2>I Had Unfettered Access to My VC’s Executive Assistant for 3 Days — She Impressed Me</h2>
<div><h3>In short, she is [really] amazing.</h3></div>
<div><p>medium.com</p></div>
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<a href="https://readmedium.com/i-saw-my-ceos-salary-everybody-s-faces-what-happened-next-is-unbelievable-e10d7d5b83a6">
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<h2>I Saw My CEO’s Salary [& Everybody’s Faces] — What Happened Next is Unbelievable.</h2>
<div><h3>Transparency leads to open mouths</h3></div>
<div><p>medium.com</p></div>
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