Recently came across the story of an Alibaba P7 senior engineer, which really made me feel so emotional that I couldn't sleep😮💨
A technical elite holding a 700,000 total package, who has spent ten years in a big company, suddenly finds himself in a desperate situation after being laid off—after sending out hundreds of resumes with no response, he is criticized by HR during interviews for being 'too old and low cost-effectiveness'. The monthly mortgage of several tens of thousands suffocates him, and in the end, he can only watch helplessly as his house is auctioned off, everything he fought for over ten years goes back to zero, and he even owes money to the bank, directly 'returning to poverty' as he was ten years ago.
As someone who has been in the cryptocurrency industry for 13 years, I have seen many cases of contracts liquidating, projects running away, and assets being wiped out overnight. However, this news hits harder than the black swan events in the crypto world. The risks in cryptocurrency are 'open and clear'; you know that contracts have leverage, and meme coins might go to zero, so you instinctively set stop-losses and control your positions. But the 'traps' in reality are hidden beneath a 'stable' facade, leading you step by step into a desperate situation without realizing it.
The tragedy of this engineer actually hides three fatal pitfalls that all middle-class people should be wary of. Even if you're not in a big company or trading cryptocurrencies, you must read this:
The first pitfall is treating 'career dividends' as 'perpetual income'. Many people think that entering a big company and getting a high salary equals having an 'iron rice bowl', so they boldly leverage to buy houses, cars, and consume. But the reality is that the workplace is like the market in the cryptocurrency circle; there is no forever bull market. Layoffs in big companies and industry winters can come suddenly. You may be able to get a total package of 700,000 today, but tomorrow you might lose your income source due to the word 'optimization', just like you think a certain coin can always rise, but suddenly it plummets, leaving you with no chance to stop loss.
The second pitfall is being kidnapped by 'leverage' in life. This engineer has an annual salary of 700,000, yet dares to buy a 10 million house, which is equivalent to leveraging more than ten times. It should be noted that a 10x leverage in the cryptocurrency circle is already a high-risk operation, and a slight misstep can lead to liquidation, while mortgage leverage is even harsher than contract leverage — contract liquidation may only lose the principal, but failing to pay a mortgage can lead to losing the house, being sued by the bank, and having a bad credit record, carrying debt for a lifetime. Sister Bai has seen too many newcomers in the cryptocurrency circle go bankrupt due to greed and leverage, and too many middle-class people turn themselves into 'money-making machines' due to mortgage leverage; once the machine stops, the whole family collapses.
The third pitfall is neglecting the importance of 'liquidity'. In the cryptocurrency circle, we often say 'liquidity is king'; we must keep enough cash or stable assets on hand to deal with emergencies. However, in reality, many middle-class people have all their assets tied up in their homes, and they don't even have six months' worth of emergency funds. Once they lose their income, mortgage payments, car loans, and living expenses come in succession, and they will suddenly fall into a situation of a broken cash flow. Just like in the cryptocurrency circle, if you put all your money into a niche coin, when you want to sell, no one is there to take over, and in the end, you can only watch your assets depreciate helplessly.
In fact, Sister Bai has been in the cryptocurrency circle for 13 years, and the biggest gain is not how much money was made, but learning to 'respect risk'. We have seen too many myths of getting rich overnight, as well as too many tragedies of falling back into poverty overnight, so we understand that 'surviving is the most important thing'. We do not invest all our money in one project, we set stop-loss orders, diversify investments, and keep enough emergency funds. These survival rules in the cryptocurrency circle also apply to real life.
This story of an Alibaba engineer is not an isolated case, but a microcosm of many middle-class people. In this era full of uncertainty, there are no forever stable jobs, no forever rising assets, only perpetual risk. What we can do is not to avoid risk, but to learn to manage it. Do not be fooled by the appearance of 'stability', do not let 'leverage' kidnap your life. Keep enough liquidity in hand and confidence in your heart to protect your wealth and life in the changing times.
I don't know if you all have any feelings after reading this story? How do you usually manage your own risks? Let's discuss your views in the comments section~ Like and follow Sister Bai, who shares wealth insights and risk tips every day to help you avoid life's 'invisible bombs' 💥 Forward this to friends around you who are leveraging, reminding them not to let 'stability' turn into a 'trap', and let's protect our hard-earned money together!#投资 #财富自由 #返贫 #杠杆操作 #爆仓数据