26/03/2026
Most people treat their monthly salary like oxygen as if its invisible, automatic, and infinite.
But your salary is a contractual exchange. You show up, you deliver, they pay.
The moment that exchange no longer makes business sense when it comes restructuring, automation, budget cuts, a new CEO, the contract ends.
We've seen it happen on a scale. In 2023, over 260,000 tech workers were laid off globally and many of them were high earners at companies like Meta, Google, and Amazon.
People who had "dream jobs" and six-figure salaries. People who thought they were untouchable.
They weren't and neither are we.
This isn't pessimism but clarity that would rightly position to make informed decisions
So what do you do with this?
Start with one honest question: If my salary stopped today, how many months could I sustain my current life?
If the answer is less than 3 months you don't yet have a financial buffer but financial illusion.
Now here's where to begin:
→ Build a 3 to 6month emergency fund. Not invested. Not tied up. Liquid and accessible. Start with one month if that's where you are.
→ Know your actual monthly cost of living. Most people guess. Very few actually know. Track it for 30 days and we can assure you the number will surprise you.
→ Separate needs from lifestyle. If income stopped, what would you cut first? That list tells you a lot about where your money is really going.
The goal isn't necessarily to live in fear of losing your job but to reach a point where losing it doesn't destroy you because you have diligently planned your finances.
Your salary is a contract. Not a guarantee.
