How do you view the Christmas Bonus?

• FatHobbit

  

  BR1986FB;1771003 wrote:One former friend of my girlfriend's mom was the office manager for a nursing home. Bitch was stealing money that was coming in from the families to take care of the old people and lining her pockets. She got caught and, somehow, only had to pay an IRS penalty. How this shady woman didn't do any jail time is stunning. Her & her husband were buying stuff at a ridiculous pace because they were the 'gotta keep up with the Joneses' type.
  
  The kicker? She somehow got another job do the same thing at another nursing home. Every time I see this woman I want to punch her for stealing all of those old peoples caretaking money.

  I'm sure 99% of people who work in nursing homes are really great and caring people but I've heard a lot of stories of care workers stealing money from old people
• power i

  

  We share because there is usually some big ticket item we need that it goes towards. My dryer is getting ready to die so there goes some of it. And the rest is new walnut trim for our downstairs.
• sherm03

  

  power i;1771145 wrote:We share because there is usually some big ticket item we need that it goes towards. My dryer is getting ready to die so there goes some of it. And the rest is new walnut trim for our downstairs.

  I never realized how expensive trim and baseboards were until we started re-finishing our basement. Fucking crazy.
• ZWICK 4 PREZ

  

  sherm03;1771168 wrote:I never realized how expensive trim and baseboards were until we started re-finishing our basement. Fucking crazy.

  With painting it white being the current trend, no sense in buying a solid hardwood. Just get some cheap mdf board.
• sherm03

  

  ZWICK 4 PREZ;1771169 wrote:With painting it white being the current trend, no sense in buying a solid hardwood. Just get some cheap mdf board.

  That's what we ended up doing. Still spent a little over $200 for the length we needed. But it was a huge savings over what the wife had originally picked out.
• Zunardo

  4cards;1770801 wrote:...my " Christmas Bonus" is actually performance based and just comes right before the holiday. If I would have hit all the metrics for 2015 it would have been a good chunk of $$$$$ but the company has them designed to never hit all of them but do general make 50 to 60% of them.

  Mine used to be very similar to this (particularly the 'designed to not hit all of them' part), but the "bonus" was just how much a salary increase you'd get on January 1 instead of a lump sum - usually 2%, maybe 3% if all went well.
  
  The last year of that program, I busted my hump and smoked the metrics (a lot of people did, it was a very good year), and my accomplishments sheet said I would get an 8 or 9% increase (max possible was 10%). When my official rating came back, it said "0% increase, failed to meet objectives". I felt like Clark Griswold opening up the bonus envelope to find a Jelly of the Month certificate when I read that notice. Almost had a similar meltdown. And all almost all of my colleagues got the same rating.
  
  Merry Christmas from your board of directors! All done without a peep or trace of shame to this day. And the incentive plan was quietly done away with shortly afterward.
• sleeper

  

  Zunardo;1771211 wrote:Mine used to be very similar to this (particularly the 'designed to not hit all of them' part), but the "bonus" was just how much a salary increase you'd get on January 1 instead of a lump sum - usually 2%, maybe 3% if all went well.
  
  The last year of that program, I busted my hump and smoked the metrics (a lot of people did, it was a very good year), and my accomplishments sheet said I would get an 8 or 9% increase (max possible was 10%). When my official rating came back, it said "0% increase, failed to meet objectives". I felt like Clark Griswold opening up the bonus envelope to find a Jelly of the Month certificate when I read that notice. Almost had a similar meltdown. And all almost all of my colleagues got the same rating.
  
  Merry Christmas from your board of directors! All done without a peep or trace of shame to this day. And the incentive plan was quietly done away with shortly afterward.

  0% increase after promising you a 8-10% increase? Tell me again why you haven't quit yet?
• O-Trap

  

  There's no "right" way. You use it like you've set out to use it. If you haven't separated bonuses from normal income in any sort of plan, you should probably treat them the same way, and perhaps discuss that for future bonuses, so that you don't have to have the same issue going forward.
• Trueblue23

  

  ZWICK 4 PREZ;1770709 wrote:I'm actually surprised this is even a debate? Is it typical to have separate finances when you're married?

  I have married friends that still have separate bank accounts.
  
  For myself and my wife, it was much easier to have combined finances.
• Zunardo

  sleeper;1771409 wrote:0% increase after promising you a 8-10% increase? Tell me again why you haven't quit yet?

  At the time, I was three years away from full retirement eligibility. Had to suck it up and gut it out, but I'm glad I did.
• power i

  

  ZWICK 4 PREZ;1771169 wrote:With painting it white being the current trend, no sense in buying a solid hardwood. Just get some cheap mdf board.

  The previous owners painted ours white. I want walnut. Hubby's best friend owns a sawmill so we get a big discount. I am dreading the mess this is going to create though.
• ZWICK 4 PREZ

  

  power i;1771622 wrote:The previous owners painted ours white. I want walnut. Hubby's best friend owns a sawmill so we get a big discount. I am dreading the mess this is going to create though.

  Walnut wouldn't be bad. I have oak and I hate it.
• Ironman92

  

  Zunardo;1771604 wrote:At the time, I was three years away from full retirement eligibility. Had to suck it up and gut it out, but I'm glad I did.

  Yep....taking your ball and going home isn't always the best decision.
• superman

  ZWICK 4 PREZ;1771624 wrote:Walnut wouldn't be bad. I have oak and I hate it.

  Oak is better than the white paint the previous owners used here. Apparently it's dog food flavored.
• ZWICK 4 PREZ

  

  superman;1771696 wrote:Oak is better than the white paint the previous owners used here. Apparently it's dog food flavored.

  I was always against white painted trim too, that's why we opted for oak when we built our house. But I think it was a mistake. It feels so dated to me. Very 90's. My wife wants to paint it white but I'm against painting any hardwood.
• jmog

  ZWICK 4 PREZ;1770709 wrote:I'm actually surprised this is even a debate? Is it typical to have separate finances when you're married?

  Not where I'm from, but whatever. My wife and I have been married for 16 years (well, in 2 days, yes, we got married on Y2K) and have NEVER had separate accounts.
  
  My parents have never had separate accounts either.
  
  However, my wife's parents are COMPLETELY separate accounts because they are both so anal and money hungry.