It's been hard to reflect on unemployment and some specific numbers as I don't have friends with whom I can get into some of the specific thoughts around FIRE and net worth. So I'm attempting to coalesce my thoughts here...
Background:
* -36/single
* -6 months ago Quit my job after 5 years that was paying ~250k
* 290k/970k mortgage paid off
* 150-200k in equity earned on property
* about 100k in cash
* 350k in VTSAX that I just added recently after another home sale
* Another 302k between roth, 401k and IRAs
* HCOL area - but ~$1k a month living expenses because property has multiple rentals offseting cost
So depending on the day, about 1.2M NW at my age should feel reasonably great, right?
I've had the confidence to quit my job because it was making me patently miserable. Given the exercise of "would you stay for another $100k", the answer was still a resounding "I would quickly forget the numbers on the screen and become a curmudgeon again". It felt daunting and irresponsible in this market, but I decided to quit and reset.
Money doesn't feel like a problem or limited resource, and my work position would relatively easily get me back to a well paying job... if I wanted it. But having given myself the last 6 months to take on major projects around the home, build stuff, travel and take plenty of therapy to coax out of me what is important - I've found that I actually miss working. I miss the regular interaction with people (in person), solving big problems, and working from home behind a screen and taking on the negativity of work into home space I came to really resent.
In fact, the last 6 months while enjoyable in that I've had total freedom made me realize that most friends around me are too busy in their lives (work/family/kids) to have the time/resources or even risk capacity like me to make this time off as enjoyable as possible.
It feels contradictory to FIRE - but an early glimpse of "true time off" wasn't as rosy for me as expected, and I'm now looking to go and create a job that has all the characteristics that my previous employment didn't.
I suppose the true luxury of this is that I can do it with the cushion above, but at the same time I've concluded I'd rather take a 50% paycut that gives me engagement with others, some purpose to a mission-based profession and slower growth to FIRE numbers. In a way that's contrary to what I see often here - some jobs are soul sucking and pay well and might accelerate getting to FIRE, but I equally don't want to be at an older age where the world and people around me have passed me by because I was too stuck thinking about how much I'm saving towards.
In a way, I'd love to achieve FIRE in the next 10 years - and probably could at this trajectory, but it's really only a means to be able to take bigger risks professionally that remove the question of needing a "base" of money to maintain one's lifestyle. So rather than challenge myself and start taking risks in 10 years (by the time I may have a family and much higher expenses) - I'm taking it now, returning to meaningful work and letting myself build from here. submitted by /u/FettucciniAlfonso
[link] [comments]
Background:
* -36/single
* -6 months ago Quit my job after 5 years that was paying ~250k
* 290k/970k mortgage paid off
* 150-200k in equity earned on property
* about 100k in cash
* 350k in VTSAX that I just added recently after another home sale
* Another 302k between roth, 401k and IRAs
* HCOL area - but ~$1k a month living expenses because property has multiple rentals offseting cost
So depending on the day, about 1.2M NW at my age should feel reasonably great, right?
I've had the confidence to quit my job because it was making me patently miserable. Given the exercise of "would you stay for another $100k", the answer was still a resounding "I would quickly forget the numbers on the screen and become a curmudgeon again". It felt daunting and irresponsible in this market, but I decided to quit and reset.
Money doesn't feel like a problem or limited resource, and my work position would relatively easily get me back to a well paying job... if I wanted it. But having given myself the last 6 months to take on major projects around the home, build stuff, travel and take plenty of therapy to coax out of me what is important - I've found that I actually miss working. I miss the regular interaction with people (in person), solving big problems, and working from home behind a screen and taking on the negativity of work into home space I came to really resent.
In fact, the last 6 months while enjoyable in that I've had total freedom made me realize that most friends around me are too busy in their lives (work/family/kids) to have the time/resources or even risk capacity like me to make this time off as enjoyable as possible.
It feels contradictory to FIRE - but an early glimpse of "true time off" wasn't as rosy for me as expected, and I'm now looking to go and create a job that has all the characteristics that my previous employment didn't.
I suppose the true luxury of this is that I can do it with the cushion above, but at the same time I've concluded I'd rather take a 50% paycut that gives me engagement with others, some purpose to a mission-based profession and slower growth to FIRE numbers. In a way that's contrary to what I see often here - some jobs are soul sucking and pay well and might accelerate getting to FIRE, but I equally don't want to be at an older age where the world and people around me have passed me by because I was too stuck thinking about how much I'm saving towards.
In a way, I'd love to achieve FIRE in the next 10 years - and probably could at this trajectory, but it's really only a means to be able to take bigger risks professionally that remove the question of needing a "base" of money to maintain one's lifestyle. So rather than challenge myself and start taking risks in 10 years (by the time I may have a family and much higher expenses) - I'm taking it now, returning to meaningful work and letting myself build from here. submitted by /u/FettucciniAlfonso
[link] [comments]