Ualpilot,
Thanks so much for looking out for me. I know it was intended in the best possible way. [:halo:]
But I don't consider the stock options to be my retirement. I consider them a reward for taking a risk with a startup, not an essential part of my financial well-being. I have IRA's, a 401(k), and my own investments that will do the job, and (importantly) I have 26 more years to work on them. I plan to exercise my options when the time is right and roll the (at the moment) very considerable gains to something else. Buying company stock is great, but I'm not counting on it. Unfortunately, UAL's ESOP has made that lesson far too clear.
I could also make the argument that A funds require that your company fund them adequately, and that is also a risk. A B fund presupposes that you'll have a long time to work on it. My own admittedly more modest retirement will nevertheless survive regardless of what happens to JetBlue. It all really depends on perspective, and what you want out of a career. I never intended to get rich, but I'm not doing bad at the moment. You're doing well also, if you're not furloughed. At the end of our careers, we won't be keeping score by how much money we made but by how fulfilling our lives have been along the way. As I said, it's all in perspective.
Eventually the laborers (you) will get tired of working your butt off to line the pockets of your CEO...
It's this comment that I really don't understand. What do you mean? The guy makes a rather modest salary, plus a bonus if targets are met, and doesn't take stock options. The shares he already owns don't pay dividends. The company's profits are rolled back into operations, and a significant percentage is given back to us (the laborers). How is that lining his pockets?
This company isn't even three years old yet. In time, the pay and working conditions will improve, and they're not bad now. Ask me in ten years if things are utterly stagnant and then I'll happily b-itch, but I have a hard time feeling abused at the moment.