IBM Cutting Major Employee 401(k) Benefit

When you've proceeded beyond the series of interviews and salary negotiations, there are few better feelings than signing the offer letter and accepting a new job - particularly if you're moving to a new position away from one that was less than satisfying.

You sign this letter and you have some expectations for how the income and benefits will make your life better. It's great when both sides live up to their expectations for each other. You do your work as you indicated you could during the interviews, putting in extra effort and striving to succeed with the challenges placed before you, and your employer gives you that paycheck every other week, provides you with affordable health insurance, and helps you secure your retirement.

Something somewhere almost always breaks down in this happy employee-employer relationship, and it can come from either side. Maybe you're not living up to your boss's expectations. I would say that if you're a regular reader of Consumerism Commentary, that's probably not the issue. You probably work hard, whether for yourself, your boss, or your clients, recognizing the value of put in the effort when the goal is financial independence. If you've ever dealt with a large corporation, however, you may recognize exactly what's happening with one of the country's biggest companies - certainly one of the most influential in the second half of the twentieth century - IBM.

When we think of technology companies today, we look at Google, Apple, and Microsoft. We think of the next generation of tech start-ups, born in Silicon Valley, Austin, Seattle, or another progressive city. Facebook, Twitter, and small companies that are funded privately are moving technology forward. IBM is more in the background today, even though the company is working on major technological advances that will change the world, not just allow you to share photographs with your friends.

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