New here? The layoff money guide puts all four legs in one place, start to finish.
§ VIII — Notes
The money side of a layoff,
written plainly.
Writing from the people building Glidepath: whether unemployment and severance actually stack, how long savings really last, what COBRA costs once the employer stops paying its share, and what to read in a severance agreement before you sign it.
- How long will my savings last after a layoff?Balance divided by burn is wrong in three directions at once. How to turn savings, severance, unemployment and COBRA into a number of months, with a worked example.2026
- Can you collect unemployment and severance at the same time?It depends on your state and on whether the severance is a lump sum or salary continuation — the difference between two legs that stack and two that run as a relay with a gap in the middle.2026
- COBRA cost, and the cheaper alternativesWhy the premium is a shock, what it actually covers, the four alternatives worth pricing, and the election window that lets you decide later without going uninsured in the meantime.2026
- Severance: what to check before you signLump sum against salary continuation, what is genuinely negotiable, the release you are being asked to give, and the consideration period the law may already owe you.2026