Should we keep working?

[Grump99]

Hello everyone. It feels like my wife and I are at a crossroads. We have been working full time at stressful healthcare jobs for 24 years now. There has also been a lot of stress over the past decade caring for aging and sick family members including my grandmother who had been under our care for about 7 years total. We are both currently healthy, but I do have a chronic condition that is associated significantly reduced lifespan on average. Also my father developed cancer at 55 and was gone at 57.

We are seeking some perspective and advice about the best way to move forward and this is the best place we know to ask. We will provide an abbreviated picture below but are will to provide more details as needed. Thanks!

Wife and I turn 48 this summer. We have a daughter age 12.

No debt. Home is valued at $569k on Zillow.

Her 403b: $1110k

His 403b: $1282k

His TSP: $11k

Taxable savings/investments: $1682k

HSA: $14k

Total liquid assets: approximately $4.1m

Not included in above is daughter's 529 plan which currently has $73k.

Income:
Her: $160k, him: $180k

Between tax sheltered and taxable, we save about $160k yearly. This includes company matching.

Estimated social security if we stop contributing now and start withdrawal at full retirement age would be $76k per year total for both of us.

Our after-tax expenses have run $70-75k the last few years. This includes comfortable living with vacations but not really any lumpy expenses such as new vehicles or home repairs. I would think maybe a yearly budget of roughly $25k might be reasonable for these? Not sure about this.

On our local ACA site, we can get insurance with $0 premium and $18900 max out of pocket. This would be with a claimed gross income of $90k or less.

Wife qualifies for 75% tuition discount at our main state university. This only applies if she stays on full time. We would be 58 when our daughter would make it through undergrad.

Question: Would you keep pushing, coast or stop working?

Although she would be okay with me stopping work, I would feel guilty about putting in less hours than her. The stress of working definitely affects me more than her. She is not really ready to stop working and is willing to work until 58 to get tuition discount, but we are not sure if that is necessary. Hard to say if our daughter would go to state school since she is only 12. Our jobs can be scaled down to part time as well. Obviously lots of moving parts here. Just trying to get some perspective on what others would do in our place.

Appreciate the input.

[livesoft]

I never felt any guilt stopping work before my spouse did. What's up with that?

[invest4]

I think the choice is yours.

If you decide to retire, you just have to keep in mind that you are retiring early and will need to support a longer retirement. Given you current assets and expenses, this should be doable and just adjust along the way.

If you decide to coast, you can relieve some of the work stress while also having more time to do other things. This may be the option to start with and see how it feels.


Best wishes.

[BirdFood]

Sometimes I find my answer to questions that are none of my business by considering how I would react to a theoretically already set answer.

If you said you were going to keep working, my reaction would be, “Oh.”

If you said you were going to retire, my reaction would be, “Good.”

[snowday2022]

Great savings. If you are asking whether you can afford it, the answer is yes. But only you can decide whether it’s the right thing to do from the non financial angles. I’d probably go part time personally, for a while and see how I liked it.

[delamer]

Since you both have the option of scaling back to part-time, that’s seems like the obvious option to explore first.

I worked part-time for a couple years prior to my retirement. My husband retired about 4.5 years after me.

No guilt here!

[Grump99]

Appreciate the advice so far. We have become so accustomed to working full time that the idea of cutting back seems surreal.
Have to figure out the proper balance point. Thanks!

[blimp]

No debt. Home is valued at $569k on Zillow.

Her 403b: $1110k

His 403b: $1282k

His TSP: $11k

Taxable savings/investments: $1682k

HSA: $14k

Total liquid assets: approximately $4.1m

Not included in above is daughter's 529 plan which currently has $73k.

Income:
Her: $160k, him: $180k

4% withdrawal on your investments is around $163,960 which seems greater than your annual spend, so I think you are financially independent, especially when accounting for future social security. Whether or not you want to work more and be wealthier is up to you.

[Oatmeal]

"but I do have a chronic condition that is associated significantly reduced lifespan on average. Also my father developed cancer at 55 and was gone at 57."

With that statement plus the heavy stress from work that you mentioned, and you have plenty of money to cover your expenses with a nice buffer, I would say "go for it, I would have done it yesterday ". You have one life to live and your time cannot be replaced. Leave, spend some time to decompress and make plans to enjoy life. Focus on the quality of your life.

This is from a work addict that recently retired from a 29 year stressful career at 54. Three months in and I honestly don't miss it. Love the calmness in my mental space. I find the hardest now is to slow down. I have to catch it and remind myself that it's okay to slow, nothing is waiting. I now take the long route home on bike rides. Drive on the right lane and on road and camping trips stop often to enjoy the scenery and to relax. Oh and eating slow too! the little things and I don't think I've ever noticed.

[KlangFool]

Income:
Her: $160k, him: $180k

Between tax sheltered and taxable, we save about $160k yearly. This includes company matching.

Our after-tax expenses have run $70-75k the last few years.

Grump99,

1) How much is the company matching every year.

2) Gross income = annual expense + annual savings + taxes

340K = 75K + 160K + taxes

Taxes = 340K - 75K - 160K = 105K? -> Too much.

3) I think your annual expense is much more than 75K per year. It is probably in the 100K to 120K per year range depending on your answer to (1).

KlangFool

[Metsfan91]

It is up to you. If you both want to quit, you both can. If she continues to work and you retire, how do you plan to spend your time?

Whatever you do, I hope both of you are on the same page!

[Grump99]

Income:
Her: $160k, him: $180k

Between tax sheltered and taxable, we save about $160k yearly. This includes company matching.

Our after-tax expenses have run $70-75k the last few years.

Grump99,

1) How much is the company matching every year.

2) Gross income = annual expense + annual savings + taxes

340K = 75K + 160K + taxes

Taxes = 340K - 75K - 160K = 105K? -> Too much.

3) I think your annual expense is much more than 75K per year. It is probably in the 100K to 120K per year range depending on your answer to (1).

KlangFool

My employer matches 8% and and my wife's 5%. We looked at our checking account statements to determine expenses, since all expenses go through there eventually. We are pretty sure that's what we've been spending but can double check.

Maybe we are saving more than we think. We don't keep close track of our saving to be honest. We just dump all extra funds into taxable account. Any discrepancy probably falls on the saving side.

Will investigate this more closely. Thank you.

Update: Revisited savings numbers. It looks like we have been saving roughly $185k before employer match. Roughly $207k after employer matches. Does this make better sense?

[dogagility]

Question: Would you keep pushing, coast or stop working?

On a pure financial aspect, use this tool to determine how much your portfolio will support. https://tpawplanner.com/
Here's the thread on the planner: viewtopic.php?t=331368

I suspect you have more than enough money to support your current spending.

[KlangFool]

Income:
Her: $160k, him: $180k

Between tax sheltered and taxable, we save about $160k yearly. This includes company matching.

Our after-tax expenses have run $70-75k the last few years.

Grump99,

1) How much is the company matching every year.

2) Gross income = annual expense + annual savings + taxes

340K = 75K + 160K + taxes

Taxes = 340K - 75K - 160K = 105K? -> Too much.

3) I think your annual expense is much more than 75K per year. It is probably in the 100K to 120K per year range depending on your answer to (1).

KlangFool

My employer matches 8% and and my wife's 5%. We looked at our checking account statements to determine expenses, since all expenses go through there eventually. We are pretty sure that's what we've been spending but can double check.

Maybe we are saving more than we think. We don't keep close track of our saving to be honest. We just dump all extra funds into taxable account. Any discrepancy probably falls on the saving side.

Will investigate this more closely. Thank you.

Update: Revisited savings numbers. It looks like we have been saving roughly $185k before employer match. Roughly $207k after employer matches. Does this make better sense?

340K - 75K - 185K = 80K

Please check your 2023 tax filing and 2023 pay slip to confirm your taxes. This is more likely but you can verify this easily.

KlangFool

[giddyup969]

Income:
Her: $160k, him: $180k

Between tax sheltered and taxable, we save about $160k yearly. This includes company matching.

Our after-tax expenses have run $70-75k the last few years.

Grump99,

1) How much is the company matching every year.

2) Gross income = annual expense + annual savings + taxes

340K = 75K + 160K + taxes

Taxes = 340K - 75K - 160K = 105K? -> Too much.

3) I think your annual expense is much more than 75K per year. It is probably in the 100K to 120K per year range depending on your answer to (1).

KlangFool

My employer matches 8% and and my wife's 5%. We looked at our checking account statements to determine expenses, since all expenses go through there eventually. We are pretty sure that's what we've been spending but can double check.

Maybe we are saving more than we think. We don't keep close track of our saving to be honest. We just dump all extra funds into taxable account. Any discrepancy probably falls on the saving side.

Will investigate this more closely. Thank you.

Update: Revisited savings numbers. It looks like we have been saving roughly $185k before employer match. Roughly $207k after employer matches. Does this make better sense?

I would say step off the gas a little bit on the taxable savings and enjoy life some more; vacations, mini-trips, get some upgrades around the house etc. Unless you are crystal clear on what you are going to do by retiring early, I wouldn't do it.

[Grump99]

Appreciate all the replies.

[yoga]

In a similar situation, early 40s, two kids middle and high school next year. I have the option for part time and did so two years ago. Stress is still there but it's so much better than full time. If we were both part time, that would be excellent. Since you are able to, both part time is my suggestion for you. The good thing is, you can always quit later if part time doesn't work.

[Wiggums]

We kept detailed records of our expenses which I believe is important. We retired at 56. You definitely have options due to your aggressive savings. With a 12 year old at home, I would be more inclined to work a few more years. Our expenses are about same in retirement. A little higher with special travel.

[Point]

In your position, I’d make sure the house was in shape in terms of any repairs and deferred maintenance, trees, overall yard and structural/drainage issues - all accounted for, and budgeted. If also consider first used car, insurance, and post education launch costs for your now 12 year old.

Then I’d take a serious look at my health plans: weight, blood work, food habits, etc and have ann executable plan to correct what’s needed correcting given the hereditary potential issues.

From there, I’d retire and focus on maximizing every day to enjoy the family and new opportunity.

[HipCoyote]

Hello everyone. It feels like my wife and I are at a crossroads. We have been working full time at stressful healthcare jobs for 24 years now. There has also been a lot of stress over the past decade caring for aging and sick family members including my grandmother who had been under our care for about 7 years total. We are both currently healthy, but I do have a chronic condition that is associated significantly reduced lifespan on average. Also my father developed cancer at 55 and was gone at 57.

We are seeking some perspective and advice about the best way to move forward and this is the best place we know to ask. We will provide an abbreviated picture below but are will to provide more details as needed. Thanks!

Wife and I turn 48 this summer. We have a daughter age 12.

No debt. Home is valued at $569k on Zillow.

Her 403b: $1110k

His 403b: $1282k

His TSP: $11k

Taxable savings/investments: $1682k

HSA: $14k

Total liquid assets: approximately $4.1m

Not included in above is daughter's 529 plan which currently has $73k.

Income:
Her: $160k, him: $180k

Between tax sheltered and taxable, we save about $160k yearly. This includes company matching.

Estimated social security if we stop contributing now and start withdrawal at full retirement age would be $76k per year total for both of us.

Our after-tax expenses have run $70-75k the last few years. This includes comfortable living with vacations but not really any lumpy expenses such as new vehicles or home repairs. I would think maybe a yearly budget of roughly $25k might be reasonable for these? Not sure about this.

On our local ACA site, we can get insurance with $0 premium and $18900 max out of pocket. This would be with a claimed gross income of $90k or less.

Wife qualifies for 75% tuition discount at our main state university. This only applies if she stays on full time. We would be 58 when our daughter would make it through undergrad.

Question: Would you keep pushing, coast or stop working?

Although she would be okay with me stopping work, I would feel guilty about putting in less hours than her. The stress of working definitely affects me more than her. She is not really ready to stop working and is willing to work until 58 to get tuition discount, but we are not sure if that is necessary. Hard to say if our daughter would go to state school since she is only 12. Our jobs can be scaled down to part time as well. Obviously lots of moving parts here. Just trying to get some perspective on what others would do in our place.

Appreciate the input.

I think you answered your own questions. Wife would be ok working and you are stressed.

True story: my friend was in same position. He had a great retirement pension and wife was not in a position to retire. He retired and became Mr Mom. He took his similarly aged daughter to tennis practice, piano lessons, built sets for plays, and many other things. They were tied at hip.

She entered college and started her life. Buddy diagnosed with cancer and died a few years later. Life is fickle.

If wife wants to work, let her work. You want to retire, retire. If you’re a physician then you could possibly do part time?

You have the money to do as you please.

[bikesandbeers]

Cut back your hours for sure. Money shouldn’t be an issue, but use your free time to more closely match your budget to give you the confidence to full retire, also use the free time to figure out what your hobbies are. You wife’s stress level might go down as well if you are doing more of the household stuff

My dad retired 10 years earlier than my mom, but filled the time with bike riding, going to the gym, house projects, and caring for his elderly mother.

A good friend retired at 58, full of youthful with big plans to travel. Got two trips in before being diagnosed with cancer, and passed just short of her 61st birthday. Enjoy your retirement

[Outer Marker]

Seems like the ideal would be for you to stop working and your wife to continue, potentially through the college years. I wouldn't feel guilty about it at all. If you need any justification to help you feel better, you've got a shorter lifespan as a male from birth, and you've got a health condition that may shorten your lifespan further. In addition, you've been the higher earner. Enjoy more time with your daughter while she's still at home, and do more around the house to help out in terms of cooking, cleaning, gardening etc. You're in a pretty good position and have options.

[StubbornAndFearful]

There has also been a lot of stress over the past decade caring for aging and sick family members including my grandmother who had been under our care for about 7 years total.

I notice this is the grandmother. Perhaps I missed it (if so, sorry), but do you anticipate costs regarding care for your parents or your wife's parents? Could your costs due to caring for you grandmother go up?

Anyway, I appreciate your post, since I'm on a similar trajectory (a few years younger). I hope otherwise, but the family genetics hint at an unpleasant future. I wish you well, and I hope that you come back in the future to report on how things are going.

[bonesly]

I do have a chronic condition that is associated significantly reduced lifespan on average.
...
Although she would be okay with me stopping work, I would feel guilty about putting in less hours than her. The stress of working definitely affects me more than her.
...
Our jobs can be scaled down to part time as well.

Others have provided thoughtful responses. I typically like to crunch numbers and see the likelihood of success for a a particular plan, but in this case I don't think that's the most useful opinion I can provide (I'm pretty confident you won't have a financial issue if you out-right quit and don't take another job).

I think if you continue to work a high-stress job, that the likelihood of realizing that potentially reduced lifespan is increased. Think of it from that perspective: would you rather feel guilty because you're putting less hours in than she is? Which do you think she cares about more: a) you working less hours; b) you working the same hours and literally killing yourself? I know 100% my wife would be more concerned about b) and would beg me to cut-back or stop altogether.

Life's too short for most and with a chronic condition that could be triggered/accelerated by constant high-stress, I'll suggest you at least cut-back, and I'd lean towards outright early retirement perhaps with consulting/volunteering 1-2 days a week if you can't switch from 110% effort to 0% in a single step (sometimes retirement is hard if you don't have enjoyable activities that you're already doing that you would step up if you had more time). As @HipCoyote said "life is fickle," but I see no reason to increase the likelihood of making your wife a widow sooner rather than later.

To overcome, your guilt think about the outcomes you're choosing among and pick the one that's best for your family. You need to be convinced that she'd rather have you work less and live longer, so talk to her.

[BeaverBeliever]

Overthinking it a tad. You are rich. Go to 50% time tmrw. Enjoy your best life!

[Grump99]

There has also been a lot of stress over the past decade caring for aging and sick family members including my grandmother who had been under our care for about 7 years total.

I notice this is the grandmother. Perhaps I missed it (if so, sorry), but do you anticipate costs regarding care for your parents or your wife's parents? Could your costs due to caring for you grandmother go up?

Anyway, I appreciate your post, since I'm on a similar trajectory (a few years younger). I hope otherwise, but the family genetics hint at an unpleasant future. I wish you well, and I hope that you come back in the future to report on how things are going.

To go into a little more detail, my dad was looking after his parents. When he passed from cancer, my wife and I took over watching out for them. My grandfather passed from suicide at which point my grandmother moved in with us. She passed last year at 92. Wife's parents are out of state near near brother and are in good health so far. We will help as much as possible when needed.

[Grump99]

I want to thank all of you. This has been super helpful and gives us a lot to consider!

[kgw]

Grump99,

- Shove much more money into that HSA.
- Be sure the 529 plan balance is enough. I slightly overfunded for a future Roth conversion for my kids.

If you elect to go part-time or retire while your wife continues to work … the little things matter and will keep the wife from becoming resentful. Make the bed each morning, brew the coffee, empty the dishwasher, pickup the dry cleaning … take everything off her plate.

As for you, get a comprehensive health exam. Develop an exercise regime with a trainer. Research the supplements and eat foods that lower the risk of your hereditary health problems.

[slow n steady]

What do you want to do when you grow up?

Imagine you live in a utopia where money doesn't exist. What would you do? Dream with your spouse about this. As long as that dream doesn't double your current spending, go pursue the dream.

[a.s.r]

I want to thank all of you. This has been super helpful and gives us a lot to consider!

This thread is so positive. Thank you for jumping in so many times to say thank you! Reading it has been great.

What kind of colleges did you go to and how comfortable would you be telling your daughter “we’re not paying for [NYU]”? That’s the only major unplanned expense I see that hasn’t been covered so far. If the answer is that due to wife’s work at local school you are eminently comfortable putting your foot down on that, then your finances seem quite comfortable.

What would you do with your extra time? Probably not travel the world with a kid in school, but are there expensive hobbies you are interested in taking up? And would you travel summers or after daughter is off to college? You may be comfortable on $75k/year now, but if you would want to spend a bit more you ought to run the numbers, it’s either doable now or with only a few additional years of work.

I am personally loathe to “retire” while my kids are at home, but if I were you I’d go part time nearly immediately and possibly start looking for “capstone” career options (can YOU teach at local college?) if that didn’t sound appealing. And plan to retire as soon as daughter is in college, unless you love your new setup so much you don’t want to stop working.

+1 on the idea that if poor health is in the cards, you don’t want to be counting on having healthy active years after 65.

[Grump99]

Grump99,

- Shove much more money into that HSA.
- Be sure the 529 plan balance is enough. I slightly overfunded for a future Roth conversion for my kids.

If you elect to go part-time or retire while your wife continues to work … the little things matter and will keep the wife from becoming resentful. Make the bed each morning, brew the coffee, empty the dishwasher, pickup the dry cleaning … take everything off her plate.

As for you, get a comprehensive health exam. Develop an exercise regime with a trainer. Research the supplements and eat foods that lower the risk of your hereditary health problems.

Yes. We have been maxing out HSA since we found this site couple years ago.

[retired@50]

Have to figure out the proper balance point.

I think the "balance point" comes when you realize you value the free time of retirement more than you value another paycheck.

Regards,

[Grump99]

What do you want to do when you grow up?

Imagine you live in a utopia where money doesn't exist. What would you do? Dream with your spouse about this. As long as that dream doesn't double your current spending, go pursue the dream.

Yes, we definately need to work on this. This is a good problem to have for sure.

[desiderium]

Not really a financial decision at this point, given your long history of financial stewardship

Working in a broken health care system is stressful and burnout is real, something I wrestled with as I made a decision to cut back and eventually retire. Not sure if you identify with that problem. If you are interested, there is a standardized test (Maslach Burnout Inventory) adapted to health care workers. https://www.mindgarden.com/117-maslach- ... 20Efficacy*). I had a sobering result when I took it, and it offered me a useful perspective.

I would cut back now and see what happens. Use the time to engage in the things you have been missing.

[Pinotage]

To the original question of "Should we keep working?" - financially you appear clear to choose any combination of full time, part time, and retirement.

Since you have the flexibility perhaps consider part time at first. See how you like it, and as you adjust, see what direction you'd like life to go.

You've saved a tremendous amount for the future. And thanks to KF, now realize you're saving even more than you thought!

Guess what? It is almost the future. Enjoy.

Thanks for the thread OP.

[celia]

Have you been just thinking how you should leave work or have you also thought about what you will do in retirement? It is better to be retiring TO some goals rather than what you would be LEAVING behind.

If you don't have some retirement goals that you're looking forward to doing, you may just sit around doing nothing. Is that what you imagine?

I'm in my 70s and half way through the bucket list I made when I retired.

[Grump99]

Wow, such thoughtful responses. We are truly grateful for the advice.

[EnjoyIt]

Grumpy,
If there is a big chance I have only 10 years left to live, I would retire immediately.
If there is a big chance I have only 15 years left to live, I would still retire immediately.
If it was 20 year I would probably start looking at retiring and how I can enjoy my remaining 20 years.

You have over 4 million with Social Security that will cover all of your needs and some of your wants. $4 million should cover $160k/yr. $4 million has a very high probability of growing if you spend only $120k/yr. For all intent and purposes you are financially independent and can do whatever you want. Sooooooo . . . . . What do you want to do?

I practice what I preach. We are financially independent and work part time because we enjoy it. It is what we want to do with some of our time. We are in our late 40s as well.

[snowday2022]

Grumpy,
If there is a big chance I have only 10 years left to live, I would retire immediately.
If there is a big chance I have only 15 years left to live, I would still retire immediately.
If it was 20 year I would probably start looking at retiring and how I can enjoy my remaining 20 years.

You have over 4 million with Social Security that will cover all of your needs and some of your wants. $4 million should cover $160k/yr. $4 million has a very high probability of growing if you spend only $120k/yr. For all intent and purposes you are financially independent and can do whatever you want. Sooooooo . . . . . What do you want to do?

I practice what I preach. We are financially independent and work part time because we enjoy it. It is what we want to do with some of our time. We are in our late 40s as well.

If you enjoy part time work now, why would you enjoy it less with 20, 15, or 10 years remaining in life? Honest question.

[busdriver11]

The answer to this seems so very obvious. I agree with many of the posters who say to go part time. You guys are super savers, you will have enough. You live well below your means. Your work is difficult and stressful, and I'll bet that you pay plenty of your salary back for taxes, social security and Medicare anyways. At 48, that's on the young end to retire. Nothing wrong with that, but what people say about having purpose during retirement is really true. It's one thing to retire because you have plans and projects that you really want to do and work is getting in your way, and another thing to retire because you're stressed and exhausted, with no particular plan except to get out. Working part time for awhile will ease you into retirement. You can always ramp it back up if you really want to, but you may decide that you like your time off better. Maybe you'll decide that you like your time off enough to fully retire. I know there is guilt if the other spouse is still working, but make yourself useful and take on more of the load at home if she continues to work full time. In your financial situation, you should both make your individual choices about how much and if you want to work, you have the financial luxury to do so.

Easing back when you're tired and stressed is something you could do without even thinking about retirement. At this point, you are not working because you need the money, it's likely just habit, because you've always worked like crazy, and it feels strange to do otherwise. But relieving the stress could save or prolong your life, and it certainly will make you happier.

[EnjoyIt]

Grumpy,
If there is a big chance I have only 10 years left to live, I would retire immediately.
If there is a big chance I have only 15 years left to live, I would still retire immediately.
If it was 20 year I would probably start looking at retiring and how I can enjoy my remaining 20 years.

You have over 4 million with Social Security that will cover all of your needs and some of your wants. $4 million should cover $160k/yr. $4 million has a very high probability of growing if you spend only $120k/yr. For all intent and purposes you are financially independent and can do whatever you want. Sooooooo . . . . . What do you want to do?

I practice what I preach. We are financially independent and work part time because we enjoy it. It is what we want to do with some of our time. We are in our late 40s as well.

If you enjoy part time work now, why would you enjoy it less with 20, 15, or 10 years remaining in life? Honest question.

I am sorry I did not make it clear. If I had a known 10 years to live, there is no way in hell I would be working 40 hours a week if I did not have to. To answer your specific question, if I knew in advance that I have 10 years left, would I still continue part time work? That is a good question that I sat here thinking about for some time. I am trying to be honest with myself and I am pretty sure I would resign and do something else with my limited time.

[Arboecars]

Take a six month sabbatical. You will feel better and will be in a superior position to make clearer decisions.

[LeslieSmiley]

Too many "personal subjective "moving parts to determine if you can or can't retire early.

Run "your" numbers with Monte Carlo portfolio visualizer and see the worse and best future projected case scenario, which should give you a better idea on what to do.

[Grump99]

Just wanted to post a short update.

So the crazy night-shift hours and general stress have gotten the better of me. It exacerbated my condition and I have applied for FMLA leave of absence to get this sorted out. Probably looking at 6-8 weeks out at this point.

I wanted to thank you all again for your wisdom. I'm not sure how this will all shake out. I am super grateful for the saving habits our families instilled in us. Maybe part time work or retirement is coming sooner than expected.

I wish I could find a less stressful job in my field, but unfortunately it comes with the territory. I know some former colleagues that switched into completely different jobs. One drives a bus, the other delivers for a local grocery store. Last I heard they are happier. Any recommendations for a burned out healthcare worker?

Thanks!

[retired@50]

... Any recommendations for a burned out healthcare worker?

Thanks!

Take a job that allows you to be closer to a hobby or an interest area that you'd like to learn more about...

If you like carpentry, work in a lumber yard or a hardware store.

If you like bowling, work in a bowling alley.

Something along those lines...

Regards,

[Grump99]

Just wanted to post an update. I'm set to return to work from my leave of absence in a week. I've decided to cut back my time at work to 24 hours a week. Wife still wants to continue at full time for now. Hopefully this will reduce stress and improve our home life. Thanks again!

[Tundrama]

I never felt any guilt stopping work before my spouse did. What's up with that?

+1

Maybe a cure to your mindset if you go early, is to simply make your home, chores and exterior work duties a priority for you to complete.

I’m five plus years retired and wifee still has two years to finish as a RN. That said, she gets great home cooked meals, I do all the home fix it’s and outdoor chores, and nearly all the errands such as groceries and bill pays, etc.

….some advice, treat her like a queen and she’ll love you being retired. No guilt. You are a team…as stale as that wording sounds.

That said, and I’ve seen this happen, if you go ‘home-lazy’ and she is still working, your worry of retirement earlier than hers will be justified.

[Grump99]

I never felt any guilt stopping work before my spouse did. What's up with that?

+1

Maybe a cure to your mindset if you go early, is to simply make your home, chores and exterior work duties a priority for you to complete.

I’m five plus years retired and wifee still has two years to finish as a RN. That said, she gets great home cooked meals, I do all the home fix it’s and outdoor chores, and nearly all the errands such as groceries and bill pays, etc.

….some advice, treat her like a queen and she’ll love you being retired. No guilt. You are a team…as stale as that wording sounds.

That said, and I’ve seen this happen, if you go ‘home-lazy’ and she is still working, your worry of retirement earlier than hers will be justified.

Thanks for the advice. I have definitely been picking up more responsibilities since being on leave. Will continue to do so while part time.