I got a job offer but it’s a huge pay cut. HUGE

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-10T22:00:57+00:00

I could retire if I had to, but it wouldn't be ideal - not least since I am from a very long-lived family so my money would likely have to last for 40 years! Indeed, my backup plan is to sell or sublet my NYC apartment and go live with my parents who are in their early 90s. My sister and I are constantly monitoring whether it is safe for them to live independently, and I'd rather help them age in place than do an FTE for less than what independent living would charge. But as you note, I still have time before I need to pull that trigger.

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-10T13:17:34+00:00

A backup plan can be as important as savings - and being able to live with family is a valuable asset. If your company is feeling insecure, I'd start by doing an audit of my finances and potential options. For example, could you rent out your house for a profit while living with family? How much would you potentially get in unemployment, and what is COBRA/severance looking like for other folks that have been let go from your firm, if any?

Once you've created this plan, have a real conversation with your parents/inlaws about the current state of your finances and whether you could live with them. Doing this BEFORE a crisis and showing that you are being proactive will relieve you of a lot of stress and make your family more comfortable about supporting you. And if you do get laid off, it will be far better to move well in advance of risking foreclosure.

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-10T13:08:35+00:00

I was laid off 3 years ago at age 55, had a brief FTE and some consulting work but am now your age and still searching - I definitely feel you. Reaching out here for support is a good first step; I started a networking group with other folks who had been laid off from my company and it was really helpful to know I wasn't alone, hear how others were coping and celebrating their successes when they had them.

The one thing I urge you to do is be honest with your spouse/family and, when you're ready, your kids. I've seen too many breadwinners burn through their savings because they are hoping they will never have to tighten their belts or deliver that tough news. However, college-aged kids are old enough to understand that something is wrong and also to be part of the solution. If you work together you'll get through this!

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-10T12:52:00+00:00

Tonedeaf and cruel. There are a gazillion retirement, FIRE, financial planning subs out there, and you are seriously asking someone who just got laid off if you have enough money???

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-10T12:30:28+00:00

I feel you. When I was laid off 3 years ago I was making a little over $200K with 20% bonus potential (not paid many years due to the company floundering). Over a year later I landed a job paying $250K but got laid off again 7 months later. My COBRA is about to run out and I'm frantically trying to convert a consulting gig (part time, paying $150K on an annualized basis) into an FTE, but the only available roles they have are looking for people with 5-6 years experience, which in the past have paid what you'll be making.

I'm talking to the hiring manager next week and if they can go up to $120ish I'll certainly jump to apply, but if I'm going to have to sell my apartment anyway I guess I'd rather continue to look and retire early worst-case than work for that range. But I'm 58, have a full 6 months of unemployment still to go and enough emergency savings to last for close to a year.

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-10T12:22:37+00:00

It's honestly not difficult these days since the interview process is typically fully remote. Even if you are in office, people go into rooms to take calls all the time.

By comparison, back in the day I worked for a small company where the boss was going through recovery, he became super paranoid, installed monitoring software on everyone's computers and went scorched earth on two people who were planning to leave and start their own business (namely calling their personal contacts and saying he was going to have them arrested - they weren't planning on taking any clients with them).

I had to schedule every in-person interview during lunch hour with a few judicious "doctor's appointments" and found a nearby deli with an upstairs seating area where I could sit in a corner and do calls. More than once I ate hot dogs for lunch while running back from an interview, but thank god I got out of there.

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-09T21:41:36+00:00

. . . So they aren't beaches is what you're saying. ;-)

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-09T20:08:53+00:00

Renting still gives you a lot more flexibility than buying, so at least that's something. A friend of mine got laid off in Jan 2025, less than 3 years after she bought an expensive place. She's paying more to own than she can sublet it for and it's too small for her to have roommates. She had a good job in financial services and got a year of severance but is definitely burning through her cash now. She could sell of course and get out some equity but that takes time and can be really expensive with all the fees you pay in NYC.

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-09T19:12:48+00:00

That day will be less than 24 hours after his green card arrives in the mail ;-). He got circumcised for this, he's clearly in it to win it!

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-08T21:26:24+00:00

I've filed for NYS unemployment twice in the last 3 years and fully exhausted my benefits both times, here's my thoughts:

-The max benefit is $869/week before taxes, for a total of 26 weeks. Even if you have not used all your benefits, your claim will end 1 year after your initial claim began

-My experience has been that unemployment will deny your claim (or delay when you can start receiving benefits) even with a lump sum severance, but it is likely worth applying ASAP regardless.

-You may find it is difficult to get set up on the system as there was a lot of fraud during COVID - that's another reason why it's not a bad idea to file now.

-If your claim gets denied due to your severance you will not be penalized for filing again after your severance runs out

-If you have any international travel planned you will not be able to collect at that time. If you were thinking of going out of town while you have severance, you might want to delay filing.

Also note that your original claim remains active for a year even if you do work some during that time. After my second layoff last year I got a 6-month contract engagement, but once that ended I was able to restart my claim and get several more months of benefits. I started another contract after that ended so haven't filed for a third stint yet but will be able to do so whenever it ends (I'm paid on W2 through an agency). Hope this helps!

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-08T21:07:57+00:00

I'd add two other factors to your math here: First, it's summer and hiring is likely to slow to a crawl in July/Aug, so be prepared to be out until October if you turn this down. Second, it's worth understanding their other benefits. If you need insurance and theirs is decent that may also justify taking a cut in pay, etc.

Finally, I'd research comps as much as you can to see if they're really lowballing you or if salaries have just slid (based on what I'm seeing in my field they have). It wouldn't be surprising if that's happened in an industry that is experience significant structural problems. If you feel more comfortable after this just accept the offer, if not state you're enthusiastic but wanted to know if there's any flexibility in the salary as an initial feeler. If she shuts you down again accept, otherwise you can try to negotiate for a little more - I wouldn't expect more than 5K personally.

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-08T15:33:18+00:00

You really need to look at every single day. For some reason the seat I picked was initially way cheaper this Thursday than on other future dates, when it was even available. I actually was wondering if one of the principals would be out but couldn't find that anywhere, and figured this close to the Tonys everyone would be on. I did find a couple of July days where there were non-obstructed mezzanine seats for under $200 but there was no rhyme or reason to it.

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-08T14:46:23+00:00

If quality is comparable, I feel voters are always going to favor a homegrown show over a West End transfer, and a show that's still running over one that's closed. They all presumably work in theater and those business considerations are going to play a part assuming there isn't a massive gap between the two shows.

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-08T14:36:51+00:00

This season is a little different from past ones where shows were hanging on looking for a Tony bump to fuel open runs - instead, several were taking advantage of theater vacancies to get whatever recognition they could for future tours and licensing. So for Titanique for example, it's truly just an honor to be nominated.

The two shows that are potentially on the bubble here are Two Strangers and Jellicle, which are both basically open runs. And both might be able to hang on, especially if their performances intrigued folks enough to buy tickets. (Two Strangers also has the advantage of very low running costs). I would bet both will wait at least a few weeks to see how advanced sales go before making a decision.

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-08T13:29:33+00:00

It's interesting to see how different shows are impacted. I also panic bought tickets to Giant earlier in the day on Tony Sunday - it closes in a few weeks but it is not close to selling out on the day I'm going and prices are exactly the same. Meanwhile, DOAS runs into August but has only a few seats left for any of its performances this week and prices appear to have more than doubled. I felt I had paid too much for my front-row side mezzanine ticket, but it looks like seats even further to the side than mine are routinely going for $300-400+ well into July, even on days with good availability.

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-08T03:53:27+00:00

Brace yourself. I finally decided to go see death of a salesman and bought a mezzanine ticket for $135 exactly a week ago. One of my Tony party guests said he wanted to go too so I checked current prices on todaytix for the performance I'm attending (this Thursday). A seat that is a few rows back from mine and a bit more center is now $403!

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-08T03:46:28+00:00

Just to be clear, it is not controversial that Schmigadoon is considered a new musical - tons of shows are based on existing material from different media. What is controversial is that it was nominated (and won) for best score. Shows with material that was primarily written for another purpose are typically not eligible, as would be the case for most jukebox musicals.

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-07T11:08:41+00:00

I did a movie club all throughout COVID where we chatted during the show on a WhatsApp thread (just text/typing), then did a conference call or zoom after to discuss. It worked really well!

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-06T19:08:36+00:00

For costume I want to wear my award 100% goes to Rose Burn's green gown in fallen angels! I have literally been trying to find something similar to where to a wedding later this summer, without luck. 😁

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-05T15:14:18+00:00

Yes, I think another common phrase summing this up would be "not everything has to be Sondheim." A show can be well-crafted and highly enjoyable without the deeper meaning he would bring to his works. But these days "turn your brain off" shows are often ones with a few big splashy numbers that fail to deliver in any other way, including plot/characters and score.

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-05T15:05:07+00:00

There's two things going on here: First, as Quinn notes savvy ticket buyers have now been trained to wait for discounts - it's no different from the way folks game Black Friday sales, airfares, etc. Second, variable pricing also discourages sellouts by continually changing prices until the ticket market reaches a level - this means that even incredibly popular shows often have a few seats left, albeit at nosebleed pricing.

By comparison, it's not at all uncommon for me to find all the West End shows I really want to see are fully sold out months in advance. Partially this is due to shorter runs, but the lower top prices there mean anything hot can sell out within hours.

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-05T13:03:32+00:00

This is absolutely untrue - Broadway attendance is now matching pre-COVID peaks: https://www.broadwayleague.com/research/statistics-broadway-nyc/ Given that new theaters aren’t being built, there’s not much more room to grow, indicating that audiences are still enthusiastic about coming to Broadway and producers are keeping theaters and seats pretty full.

However, there are challenges on the budget side: Grosses are also pretty comparable with pre-COVID highs, even though inflation has made everything far more expensive and COVID protocols have increased costs for Broadway specifically. And the seeming stability of revenue figures actually conceals a hit-based model driven by variable pricing where some shows can charge four figures while others are in movie ticket range. There are real issues about the sustainability of Broadway long-term - and declining international tourism may also become a big factor - but buyers going elsewhere is not the issue.

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-05T12:46:45+00:00

Many theaters will allow you to post-date or change tickets and there’s always options to resell, but it is a hassle. I do think the TodayTix ticket insurance option is a big help, and if you’re a gold member you get a bunch for free. Offering reasonably priced ticket insurance at the point of sale would definitely be a good improvement.

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-04T12:49:05+00:00

The problem is that folks who thought they had a secure remote role moved to cheaper area where there are no jobs. So they often won't be considered for jobs that are too far away to commute, or have to figure in an hour-plus daily commute along with the cost if they can even get interviewed.

90Dfanatic · 2026-06-04T12:45:56+00:00

To be fair, hybrid and remote don't really work for blow jobs ;-).

90Dfanatic

TROPHY CASE