Anonymous
Post 06/15/2025 14:56     Subject: Reached goal - What happens next?
Anonymous wrote:Four years later. OP back. Kid is in college. Invested assets (married couple) now a touch north of $8M. Paid off townhome now worth $825k. Earned income $300k give or take. Have taken several vacations with a higher budget (Europe, Hawaii, Northwest US, Miami Beach). Expect $1M inheritance (remaining parent north of 90 with $6M and three heirs.). College account funded with $400k for remaining years plus grad school.

So what’s changed? Well my company got acquired and all of my management has been reassigned or retired. The reassigned job for me is very unsatisfying. I don’t think I’m ready to retire but I need some DCUM posters to knock some sense into my head. Spouse is working PT with no benefits making $23/hr.

How do I make a plan to get unstuck? Would a therapist help?

What is your ideal job, and how easy would it be to find it somewhere else given that money is basically no object now?
Anonymous
Post 06/15/2025 14:42     Subject: Reached goal - What happens next?
Anonymous wrote:5 million is what you need at 67 to retire. At 45 you need at least 10 million


Maybe YOU do. Everyone’s expenses and needs are different.
Anonymous
Post 06/15/2025 13:30     Subject: Reached goal - What happens next?
5 million is what you need at 67 to retire. At 45 you need at least 10 million
Anonymous
Post 06/15/2025 12:28     Subject: Reached goal - What happens next?
Four years later. OP back. Kid is in college. Invested assets (married couple) now a touch north of $8M. Paid off townhome now worth $825k. Earned income $300k give or take. Have taken several vacations with a higher budget (Europe, Hawaii, Northwest US, Miami Beach). Expect $1M inheritance (remaining parent north of 90 with $6M and three heirs.). College account funded with $400k for remaining years plus grad school.

So what’s changed? Well my company got acquired and all of my management has been reassigned or retired. The reassigned job for me is very unsatisfying. I don’t think I’m ready to retire but I need some DCUM posters to knock some sense into my head. Spouse is working PT with no benefits making $23/hr.

How do I make a plan to get unstuck? Would a therapist help?
Anonymous
Post 05/23/2021 09:13     Subject: Reached goal - What happens next?
Set higher goals.
Anonymous
Post 05/23/2021 07:10     Subject: Reached goal - What happens next?
Charity Navigator has some nice tools to help you pick a charity. Since I am interested in education, I used that filter plus a local area filter to find a charity that assists high school graduates who had IEPs in writing their resumes and finding employment. You have to look a bit and check that they are ranked highly, but you can find something with a mission you support if you go looking for it.

Believe me, I got pretty soured on charities after some not-great experiences working at some of them, but there are good ones out there.
Anonymous
Post 05/22/2021 18:55     Subject: Reached goal - What happens next?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Hit $5M invested assets this week, have teenager with fully funded 529 and a paid off home. Two working parents, one making $180k and the other part-time making $20k. Contributing max to 401(k) and Roths and HSA. I can’t figure out if we should be doing anything differently. Would you? If so, what? We are late 40s and not ready to retire.


5 million is suggested amount to have at 65. At 50 you need at least 10 million


Wait what?


Crap, that means I needed $100M at birth. I did this all wrong.
Anonymous
Post 05/22/2021 18:51     Subject: Reached goal - What happens next?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Hit $5M invested assets this week, have teenager with fully funded 529 and a paid off home. Two working parents, one making $180k and the other part-time making $20k. Contributing max to 401(k) and Roths and HSA. I can’t figure out if we should be doing anything differently. Would you? If so, what? We are late 40s and not ready to retire.


5 million is suggested amount to have at 65. At 50 you need at least 10 million


Wait what?
Anonymous
Post 05/22/2021 10:45     Subject: Reached goal - What happens next?
Anonymous wrote:Hit $5M invested assets this week, have teenager with fully funded 529 and a paid off home. Two working parents, one making $180k and the other part-time making $20k. Contributing max to 401(k) and Roths and HSA. I can’t figure out if we should be doing anything differently. Would you? If so, what? We are late 40s and not ready to retire.


5 million is suggested amount to have at 65. At 50 you need at least 10 million
Anonymous
Post 05/22/2021 08:52     Subject: Reached goal - What happens next?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP, what about a Master's or Doctorate (practical doctorate is an E.dD) in education. Check out the Vanderbilt and Harvard Graduate School of Education. Or just go to your locate State U and see what there is. A lot of time you can get a master's in school Development or leadership as a second career.

I appreciate you are boring. I am too. We make more than you do but childcare, mortgage, and student loans means we are bogged down. So go do good with your money! It is a great privilege!


I have a Master’s in Science Education. I taught high school but left because I wanted to try some other things. I always intended to return to a classroom or school position. It’s a passion for me and I’m good at it. I looked into renewing my certification and it would take about 2 college classes plus a letter. Totally easy. I may do that once teen goes to college. Unfortunately, unless it’s a public school, benefits suck and public school has so many problems (classes too large, no way to hold students accountable for awful behavior, jaded students, overbearing parents). I’d love to open my own school and run the program I’ve been thinking about for decades. I know it would be a good school. But without millions or a vast fundraising campaign, you can’t do that, certainly not around here where real estate is so expensive. In the end, I haven’t got the stomach for a risky business. Most schools struggle. If I had $15M, maybe , but not $5M. Anyway, maybe I will be a public school teacher again. There was a lot I loved about it.


PP here. Teacher trained as well and working outside schools. What about working for an education non-profit? There are after school and tutoring prograns, college access counseling programs, STEAM programs, and all sorts of ways to work in education without being a traditional teacher. Yes, you will a place that offers good health insurance but that is something you can ask about.

Now I am going to call you out because you don't have a very nuanced view on schools, especially public schools and their issues. So starting a school may not be something suited to you. I am also going to call you out because I agree there had to be an inheritance somewhere or other types of privilege that is going unacknowledged. You were a teacher at one time? Not buying the regular job I did it myself.
Anonymous
Post 05/22/2021 08:28     Subject: Reached goal - What happens next?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My old boss super rich on purpose gives ZERO to charity while alive. He knows they will just spend it.

He is a great investor. CEO, he retired with 200 million at 50. Goal is to get it to one billion by time he passes away and then 100 percent to charities he has fully vetted and been on board.


I agree. I don't understand people who throw their hard earned money to charities. I believe charities waste most of the money anyway. I would rather invest in my family or people I personally know whom I can help.


This.

I give exactly zero dollars to charity. I'm in the highest tax bracket and the government can support these people.


My charity is at home. I have family members that I help out and have a sibling that lives hand to mouth that I absolutely will be supporting when she can no longer work.

Not interested in giving it to a charity with bloated executive salaries, office space in DC, and ridutload retirement benefits.


As an NGO worker, you have no idea what yoy are talking about and I firmly believe you are using this narrative as an excuse to be cheap and selfish. Most charities are not bloated with executive salaries and are full of hard working people giving up much more lucrative options to do something good for others. Look beyond the name brand charities (although many of those are also good) and find local charities doing work in your community.


Thank you! I'm a former NGO worker because what was expected of me was a crazy amount of work for half of what I would earn for a similar job in the government. Those who chose to work for non-profits are saints. Thank you for dedicating your career to making our world better!
Anonymous
Post 05/22/2021 08:24     Subject: Reached goal - What happens next?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My old boss super rich on purpose gives ZERO to charity while alive. He knows they will just spend it.

He is a great investor. CEO, he retired with 200 million at 50. Goal is to get it to one billion by time he passes away and then 100 percent to charities he has fully vetted and been on board.


I agree. I don't understand people who throw their hard earned money to charities. I believe charities waste most of the money anyway. I would rather invest in my family or people I personally know whom I can help.


This.

I give exactly zero dollars to charity. I'm in the highest tax bracket and the government can support these people.


My charity is at home. I have family members that I help out and have a sibling that lives hand to mouth that I absolutely will be supporting when she can no longer work.

Not interested in giving it to a charity with bloated executive salaries, office space in DC, and ridutload retirement benefits.


As an NGO worker, you have no idea what yoy are talking about and I firmly believe you are using this narrative as an excuse to be cheap and selfish. Most charities are not bloated with executive salaries and are full of hard working people giving up much more lucrative options to do something good for others. Look beyond the name brand charities (although many of those are also good) and find local charities doing work in your community.
Anonymous
Post 05/22/2021 07:48     Subject: Reached goal - What happens next?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My old boss super rich on purpose gives ZERO to charity while alive. He knows they will just spend it.

He is a great investor. CEO, he retired with 200 million at 50. Goal is to get it to one billion by time he passes away and then 100 percent to charities he has fully vetted and been on board.


I agree. I don't understand people who throw their hard earned money to charities. I believe charities waste most of the money anyway. I would rather invest in my family or people I personally know whom I can help.


This.

I give exactly zero dollars to charity. I'm in the highest tax bracket and the government can support these people.


My charity is at home. I have family members that I help out and have a sibling that lives hand to mouth that I absolutely will be supporting when she can no longer work.

Not interested in giving it to a charity with bloated executive salaries, office space in DC, and ridutload retirement benefits.
Anonymous
Post 05/22/2021 07:43     Subject: Reached goal - What happens next?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:$17,091 Gross pay

$4,360 Taxes (Fed, state, FICA)

$3,178 401k's
$600 HSA

$475 Medical/Dental Insurance
$60 Limited Purpose FSA

$1,533 ESPP

----------------
$ 6,885 take home pay


Ok the insurance and ESPP were unexpected. This makes sense.

Nothing wrong with ESPP, but it seems a little silly to say $7000 is your take home pay. Really $8500 is your take home pay but you choose to buy company stock from your paycheck.


It's what they are taking home. This is a fact.
Anonymous
Post 05/22/2021 06:57     Subject: Reached goal - What happens next?
Anonymous wrote:My old boss super rich on purpose gives ZERO to charity while alive. He knows they will just spend it.

He is a great investor. CEO, he retired with 200 million at 50. Goal is to get it to one billion by time he passes away and then 100 percent to charities he has fully vetted and been on board.


I agree. I don't understand people who throw their hard earned money to charities. I believe charities waste most of the money anyway. I would rather invest in my family or people I personally know whom I can help.