Category Archives: Money

Is Karma in Charge of Your Future?

Money  I’m sure most of you have heard the rumblings and rage over the comments of Microsoft chief executive, Satya Nadella, when he was asked by an attendee at a women in tech conference, the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, about how to ask for a raise, when he replied;

 “It’s not really about asking for the raise, but knowing and having faith that the system will actually give you the right raises as you go along.” 

He went on to imply that it is not good “karma” to ask for a raise. Ok, now I am going to rage for a moment; seriously a CEO of a major corporation is talking about letting karma and the system determine a woman’s future. I am sure that is exactly how he has handled his rise to the top.

“That’s good karma. It will come back. That’s the kind of person that I want to trust, that I want to give more responsibility to.”

Hell yes he wants to give more responsibility to those that don’t ask for raises, he can pile more work on them and not have to pay for it. Isn’t that just good CEO economics; getting more, for less and adding to the shareholders value. He has since been backtracking fast and furiously from that statement, but you know the truth now about how he really views his team, no matter how much spin his PR people put on it.

In one of my very early blog posts here at Random and Rhyme I wrote about “Money” and some of my ups and downs with it, but in it I also commented about women and negotiations an excerpt below;

“I read the Get Rich Slowly Blog to keep me focused on paying off those debts and building that emergency fund. But there was an article recently on the site that caught my attention; also about women and money, Money Mythbuster: Women Don’t Negotiate by staff writer April Dykman. She writes about her experience with trying to negotiate and the results she ended up with, as well as provides some links to studies about women and men and their salary disparity. Particularly disturbing was the negative effect on a woman who negotiates her starting salary vs a man who does.”

““If a woman negotiates her starting salary, the employer might hold it against her. According to a 2006 study, when a woman negotiates her salary, both men and women are less likely to want to work with or hire her. The negative effect was more than 5.5 times greater for women who negotiated than for men.””

I learned in my early twenties that I needed to negotiate my starting salary, if for no other reason than, because it affects what you make in the long run. I also know I have lost out on at least one position because of my professional request for a better starting salary. But you know what? Not getting that job, where I wasn’t going to be valued led me to finding a better position, in a better organization and at an even better salary. So keep asking ladies because no one is going to pay you what your worth unless you assert and value yourself. And the organizations or companies that do not value a smart, assertive, contributor who professionally asks to be paid commensurate with what value she is bringing to the organization are going to suffer because they are afraid or too intimidated to hire the person that will likely help them the most.

Do you negotiate your salary or anything else like vacation time or just a better price on that couch you’re buying?

 

A Writer’s Pen

A wilting dream and a damning thought,

my soul is broken and black is the pot.

With a crush that occurs one day at a time,

my life isn’t my own because I’m earning a dime.

 

Why do I work at a job I can’t stand,

because my possessions own me and my wallet demands.

A disingenuous smile and a polite hello,

I’m faking this dance to make some dough.

 

Desires for things are too instantly gratified,

while this writer’s pen lays still and petrified.

A stunted potential and an untrodden path.

Why do I shrink from risk? Because I fear the crash.

 

Bird by bird and step by step,

I keep on writing, but feel out of my depth.

I’ve lived with regret and fought for too long,

so I’m keeping my pen and will write a tome.

 

Strive to be ourselves is Hunter’s advice to a friend,

I better figure it out, because it up to me in the end.

Circumstance has made my choice to this point,

now I search for my destiny and it’s making my life disjoint.

 

I Can’t See

The older I get the harder it is for me to see. And when I try to read without my glasses on it gives me a massive headache. So I needed to get my eyes checked again and get new glasses, since I recently lost my last pair of prescription glasses and the Costco classics were no longer making the grade.

I went back to Pearle Vision, I had liked the Opthamaligist that had conducted my last eye exam nearly 4 years ago and she was still there, so I made an appointment. My eyes had gotten worse, but not that much worse according to the Doctor, which kind of surprised me. It felt like I couldn’t see almost anything without glasses and worse my distance vision was getting blurry too. uhg.

So, I had my exam and I decided to check out the glasses at Pearle Vision, since they had their usual buy-one-get-one free event in effect( small print – it is for the frames only not the lenses). But still two pairs of glasses would have cost me over $350 with insurance. That just seems like too much, it would have been even more if I had gotten the needed bifocals.

So, when I got home I decided to do some research on the internet about places and prices for glasses. I discovered Warby Parker.

IMG_20140606_145609

Two super cute, very comfortable pairs of glasses with cases and cleaning cloths from Warby Parker without insurance came to under $250 dollars. They have a great try before you buy program, you go to their site pick out up to 5 frame styles that you would like to try and they mail them to you at no cost. You get to keep the glasses for 5 days so you can show your friends, try them on a couple of times, take a photo if you like and decide which ones are the winners. They give you a pre-paid label to mail them back too.

Once you’ve picked out the style you like, you can upload your prescription or give them your doctors contact information and they will get the prescription information for you. They also have readers or straight sunglasses too. It was all super easy, they even have a funky little three step process to get your pupil measurement, you do it on line; one, two, three with your webcam.

I received my two stylish and affordable pairs of glasses in about a week. I would highly recommend their service. I love my glasses so far and have gotten several complements already.

But the best part about getting my glasses from Warby Parker – for every pair of glasses they sell they give another pair to a person in need. How cool is that – I save money and help someone else see better too.

“Eyewear with a purpose
Almost one billion people worldwide lack access to glasses. This means that 15% of the global population cannot effectively learn or work – a problem that Warby Parker is determined to address. We’ve partnered with non-profits like VisionSpring to ensure that for every pair of glasses sold, a pair is distributed to someone in need.”

Where do you get your glasses?

 

 

$600 Well Spent

Omaha Sunset

 

The repetition begins at an early age,

with competition to make the grades.

It’s early to rise, to knot the ties,

sip your coffee and monetize.

The work is hard, but still we strive,

because a new toy is in our eyes.

Do we love the work we do,

so often only the lucky few.

To pay for the life that we live,

our sweat we must give.

 

I have gotten on a rhyming bent these last couple weeks. It seems to happen to me when I start reminiscing and thinking about life in a more reflective way. I think the return of my grandfather to Washington, a visit with my parents and sister and then my nieces graduation this weekend all had me thinking more slowly and reflecting on how quickly time passes. Life truly does go by in a blink of an eye and I seem to miss so much of it.

I need to quit working to pay for “things” and rather work to pay for the experiences of life. This week was a great example of what I would like to do more of; I spend time with my beautiful, sweet, talented niece Hailey and her family. I was able to hear her sing in a performance, meet her new college roommate, finally meet her step-dad(who has been in her life for nearly 13 years) and hang out and laugh with my little brother. The four day with airfare, rental car, food, etc cost me $600, for me that was money well spent.

What do you work for and how do you spend money well?

Money

$ makes the world go round or so the song goes.

Several blog posts I’ve read in the last couple of weeks have been focused on saving money; either for retirement, for an emergency fund, for my child’s college fund( I didn’t have children so there is savings for me right there), to own my house free and clear, get out of debt, etc.

One of my favorites, Caitlin Kelly’s, The Broadside talked about “saving enough” and where she splurges. She also included a link to an article by Heidi Moore of the Guardian about women making less and living longer and asking the question  “Are elderly women doomed to be poor?” Both made me consider where I splurge; coffee, my dogs and skin care (I figure the good skin care is saving me facelift money later – right) and where I skimp; canned goods, laundry detergent and underwear. There should be a lot more in the skimp category so I can save more, but there you go. They also made me assess my savings and spending habits: verdict = bi-polar.  I do have a pension where I work which I know makes me lucky and provides a bit of security. But I am 20 years from retirement and social security and that provides a great deal of insecurity given the ups and downs of politics. I also have my IRA’s and emergency funds and it still doesn’t seem like enough, especially with the cost of health care and the inevitable increase in its use as I get older.  Some months I am very good and save, spend with intention and feel great and other month I spend recklessly.

Debt is also a problem. I am still paying for some youthful indiscretion with my credit card in my younger days. Ah, but the fun I had and the trips I took.  I read the Get Rich Slowly Blog to keep me focused on paying off those debts and building that emergency fund. But there was an article recently on the site that caught my attention; also about women and money,  Money Mythbuster: Women Don’t Negotiate by staff writer April Dykman. She writes about her experience with trying to negotiate and the results she ended up with, as well as provides some links to studies about women and men and their salary disparity. Particularly disturbing was the negative effect on a woman who negotiates her starting salary vs a man who does.

“If a woman negotiates her starting salary, the employer might hold it against her. According to a 2006 study, when a woman negotiates her salary, both men and women are less likely to want to work with or hire her. The negative effect was more than 5.5 times greater for women who negotiated than for men.”

Some days all of these things can add up and make me want to crawl back in bed and say why bother. But, when I see my retirement statement, check on my latest contribution to my IRA and see my emergency fund grow I know I am working towards a more solid financial future and I am proud of myself, feel hopeful and know that I will be able to take care of myself.

How are you taking charge of your financial future?