Navigating The Tech Layoffs, Election Results, And Open Enrollment: What You Need To Know | Ep. 168

• Tiffany opens the episode noting it's Friday, 11-11, and plans to keep the show short. She begins with the week's major tech layoffs beyond Twitter.

• Meta (Facebook/Instagram parent) laid off 11,000 staff this week—more than Twitter's previous cuts. Tiffany, drawing from her HR background, criticizes the impersonal email-based layoff process.

They're doing these layoffs by email. And I just feel like that is so impersonal... At least have a Zoom call or something like. It's just for me, it's just very impersonal.

• Twitter's layoffs totaled 3,700 employees (50% of staff). Tiffany emphasizes this is traumatic for affected workers and stresses the importance of emergency savings.

Just imagine these people just woke up one day and a total just between Twitter and Meta, that's like almost 15,000 people just woke up one day and all of a sudden their job is gone.

• She notes people who invested everything may now face both job loss and declining markets. She recommends negotiating severance packages and using them strategically.

• Tiffany stresses the importance of voting in down-ballot races that affect daily life more directly than presidential elections. She explains Georgia's Senate runoff.

• Under Georgia law, if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff occurs. Warnock got 49.2% and Walker 48.7%, triggering the December 6 runoff with only those two candidates.

If you're one of the people that were upset about them reversing Roe versus Wade, it was because of an election like this. You get what I'm saying? It wasn't the president that did it. It was like the judges.

• Eight states and D.C. passed measures linking minimum wages to inflation. Nebraska voters approved raising the state minimum wage to $15/hour phased through 2026.

• Current: $9/hour
• 2023: $10.50/hour
• 2024: $12/hour
• 2025: $13.50/hour
• 2026: $15/hour

• Federal minimum wage remains $7.25 since 2009. Some states also raised tipped worker minimum wages, with one reaching $16.10 by 2027.

• Open enrollment is underway for employer plans and ACA marketplace coverage. Once the period ends, changes require qualifying life events.

• Premiums are rising: ACA marketplace plans up ~4% on average; employer family plans up ~1%. Subsidies can dramatically reduce actual costs.

When I first became fully self-employed... I was able to get health insurance for like $15 a month just because of the subsidies and stuff.

• All plans must cover preventive care at 100%. Tiffany distinguishes active vs. passive open enrollment and urges reviewing coverage needs carefully.

• Tiffany encourages listeners to research topics further, especially election outcomes that may signal trends for other states. She reminds listeners she goes live every Friday at 12 PM EST across platforms.

Until next time, spend wise by spending less than you make. A word to the money wise is always sufficient.