A couple weeks ago I talked about
timing being everything. Timing is raising its ugly head again ... this time right
where it hurts most ... in the wallet.
One of the benefits I've enjoyed
from my employer of 28 years is a 401K savings plan. The company matches my deposits
with 75% interest in the form of company stock. That means 43% of my savings portfolio
is tied up in the stock of my employer.
That stock has declined in value
by 36% just since the first of January and continues to plummet. I have lost thousands
of dollars in just two weeks.
January 31st is my last day of
employment with the company. Because I am an active employee until then, I cannot
touch that portion of my savings plan without suffering a 30% government tax penalty.
So it continues to lose value each day.
Beginning after the 1st of February
I can liquidate that stock as a retiree. Will it go back up to pre-January levels?
Not likely. Wall Street believes it will drop even further.
Regardless of what I do with those
funds ... cash in the stock, rollover to an IRA or different 401K, transfer to
another mutual investment ... I stand to lose at least 16% of the value of my
savings plan in a matter of weeks.
Timing is everything. Just a couple
months either way and I'm telling a different story.
Along the path I walk each day there
are several who come out to greet me. Their reactions and behaviors are as unique as
their pedigree. I've come to know them, not by name, but by where they will be. These
doggies make walking fun.
The first I encounter are a noisy
teacup poodle and her laid back shepherd companion. She yaps at the fence line as I
walk past, while he raises his head long enough to tell her to shut up already.
Around two bends and down the road
a bit is one of the sad stories ... a dalmation in a pen that can't be more than 15
square feet in size. Every day I want to open his gate and let him run away.
Next up is a cute, but sad little
border collie. This fella seems to be blind. He walks along the fence and snaps
his teeth together as I go by ... click, click ... but can't tell exactly where I am.
This poor little guy gets left outside in the cold at night.
Down the street just a couple more
blocks are a mother Dobie and her pup. Momma is always very friendly when she's out.
She will jump up on the fence and let me pet her as I stroll by her yard. The little
one isn't so little any more. They sure grow fast.
Next on the canine agenda is a
copper toy poodle. I see so many mannerisms that mimic my own longtime friend Toby.
I had to put Toby to sleep last summer and I'm reminded of him each time I see this
poodle. He is a feisty, but friendly sort, just like mine. He will bark at me as I'm
approaching from a couple blocks away, but as soon as I get to his yard he's ready
to play and get a belly rub.
There aren't as many little buddies
to see on the route back home, but there are a few. The first is the funniest. He's
a basset hound that is just so much fun to watch. With those short, stumpy legs and
floppy ears, he bounds about kinda like a beach ball. Oooof. Owwooof. Coolness in
spades.
As I approach the street I live on,
I can already hear the yap, yap, yap of the two little terriers that are next. Their
mom must give them coffee because WOW ... zip, zip, zip, zoom, zoom, zoom, yap, yap,
yap. They make me tired just watching.
I walk 3.2 miles in about 40-45
minutes. Some of that time is taken to stop and visit with the new friends I've made
along the way. I do believe they've come to know me too.
As I walk up my own drive, I can
hear the welcome party already. There are Baby, my singing Siberian Husky; Buddy,
the goofy cocker spaniel; and little Miss Daisy, the animated chihuahua. They
are soooo happy to see me back. It is nice to be loved.
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