“It’s not that I’m lazy, it’s that I just don’t care. It’s a problem of motivation alright.  Now if I work my ass off and Innotech ships a few extra units I don’t see another dime, so where’s the motivation?”  That line is from Peter Gibbons in the classic anti-day job movie Office Space.  I always knew that I really liked that movie and I think now I know why.  Here’s part of the interview:

I’ll be the first to admit that a big part of my motivation to work hard is money.  It’s not that I love spending it or love having money, but I know that the harder I work now, the more likely I’ll be able to relax later.  Early on in your career, your contributions to savings and retirement accounts make up a much larger percentage than when you’re older because you have less money saved up when you’re young.  If my 401(k) is only worth 35k at age 25, I can increase the value by 50% by maxing it out with $17,500.  That same contribution will mean a lot less when I have a 350k portfolio at age 40. [Read more…]