Changes in the workplace

I work a long way from home, and have a long commute every day. Just under 7 years ago, I left a job where I could work from home to take a job that was on the other side of the city. Most people thought I was insane. And maybe I was. Why on earth would I do that? Oh sure, the pay was better. It wasn’t a huge difference, but slightly better. But what made it worth the commute and the added expense? Well, it all boiled down to two things: The pension and the benefits. The pension was a defined benefit pension plan which seems to be a rarity these days. And the benefits were so flexible you could tailor them to your individual needs. For this glasses wearing, natural practitioner loving person, it totally worked for me.
Until this week.
Our company is in the process of changing ownership. It is selling off part of the company, and unfortunately, going with the sale is the DB Pension plan and the benefits package. We are getting a different package in its place. And if you look at the package on its own, it’s really not all that bad. The problem is, that it’s not as nearly as lucrative to me as what we are losing.
I’m very disappointed. The very reason I took this job is no longer there. The very reason I stick with the commute every day, is no longer there. The goal of retiring early, has disappeared with all the reasons why I’m keeping this job. There are incentives in the new package to keep me here for another 2 to 3 years. But after that, I’m not sure what I’m going to do.