nyj46: the job that keeps on giving



Tuesday afternoon I trekked out to the mailbox to collect the day's bills and ad glossies. As I flipped through the slim stack of envelopes, I noticed one sent by The Northern Trust Company, Benefit Payment Services. That's odd, I thought. For some reason I automatically assumed this must be correspondence related to a past-due student loan bill or other such matter.

When I opened the envelope, there was just one slip of paper inside, which had an address-change form at the top and some sort of table. The top-left corner read "Earnings Statement," so it took me a minute to realize I was holding a check for $1,392.39. On my current "income," this is roughly equivalent to a month's wages.

In shock, I stared at the piece of paper, unable to process what it meant. For some reason, fear and suspicion were my immediate responses. Surely this was some kind of mistake. People don't just suddenly get such sums of money in the mail! Yes, the check made reference to McGraw-Hill, but why would they be paying me money now, some three months after I left my job?

A series of unhelpful phone calls ensued, compounded by the poor timing of my call (nearly 5 p.m. EST). Employees of the check-issuing trust company were unable to provide an explanation, other than that McGraw-Hill had initiated the payment. When I called HR Services, the guy said he was sorry to disappointment me, but probably the check was a mistake. Since I worked there less than five years, there was no way I'd be vested in the pension program, and who but retirement could have issued the check? He set up a "ticket" for follow-up with the retirement office and told me I should get a call the following day.

Swallowing my impatience, I went for a long walk around Prospect Park to ponder my job search in view of debt that shows no signs of dwindling (more on that later).

Yesterday morning I rose late and swiftly got pulled into the "busy-ness" of checking email, blogging, and preparing for a 1:30 lunch appointment. Around 12:30 I suddenly remembered the check. No phone call had yet reverberated throughout my apartment, so I called McGraw-Hill HR again. This time a woman fielded my call. When I explained my confusion over the check, she asked what the check said at the top. "SIP," I responded. "Oh, then that's your 401k. It's your money. You should have gotten a letter in the mail about your options."

So it's mine. For real.

Somehow putting it mostly to debt isn't very exciting, but there are many things in life that need to be done because the long-term benefits — and character development — far outweigh or overshadow the short-term entertainment value or "fun" quotient. Besides, I haven't had the money long enough to imagine other, more-exotic things to do with it. It still has the aura of windfall.

posted @ 02:31 PM on Thu - August 19, 2004 remark! Email |  as quoted:
before I said ...  but more recently: 

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