How do YOU work smarter instead of harder? (job hunting, 401k, average)

[southkakkatlantan]

I value the rewards that come with working hard. But sometimes I feel like I could be working 'smarter'....you know how that saying goes.

I'm realizing this because I'm a little behind in my financial goals for retirement I need to increase my income in order to put away the amount I would like to comfortably retire with.

Of course I could get a part time job, or another job altogether, and those are things I am considering. But my goals are so big that sometimes I think I need a different route (ie perhaps working for someone else isn't going to be enough...?) in order to achieve my goals.

What are some things you have done to work smarter instead of harder to achieve your personal/financial goals? Did you make a major adjustment in your spending habits to increase your savings/investments? Did you attend a seminar or read a book? Start your own business? Go back to school? Switch jobs and got a substantial raise? Start investing your money differently?

And what have you accomplished by doing so?

[PacificFlights]

Originally Posted by southkakkatlantan

Switch jobs and got a substantial raise?

For me it was the opposite. When i got this job, my father and uncle sat down with me and explained that value of staying put. My pension, personal directed investment plan (your version of IRA), and reteirment trust account (your 401ks), had greater power the longer i remained with the company. Since base pay was only half my wages with bonuses being the other half, the longer I stayed with them, the more points my share encompassed.

I have had opprtunities to go work for other companies, but looking back, what i would have moved to is no longer what it was back at that time. Higher wages at one company would have resulted in mergers that eliminated many people. I may have had higher pay for a few years but bam, it went away and back to job hunting. My father told me the moves were only short lived gains but where I was was predictable gains.

I know others who have played the changing job for more pay, but I;'m still so far ahead of them because my share of the gold goes up because of the years I;ve been with them. I also have the benefit of knowing that although my base pay is on the lower end of the industry scale, bonus pay is so far ahead of any other company payout. I can predict my average base pay for the next 4 years, and I can predict the minimum bonus I will receive. So I can calculate the minimum what I will make until retirment and what my pension will be. I can;t do that with other jobs and company because they are constantly changing things.

Because of the longevity and high retention rates (that results in high profits) our company has no plans to ever change this business model. Just like with me, because I know what I;m going to be compensated for, I was able to plan years in advance exactlyy what expense and saving I would have. Removing any fear or concerns about changing job situation has made planing for reteirment ever so easy.

[coors]

[quote=southkakkatlantan;20609139]How do you work smarter instead of harder?

By be able to recognize a great job when I have one. lol

what did you accomplished by doing so?

I ended up surrounding myself with people who complement me and found out who my real friends were among a lot of other things.