Older guys, do you wish you made more money

That's an insane amount of hours. At about 40 hours a week, that's little enough free time that if I am running and taking the dogs out about 2 hrs a night (about my average work out time since high school 26 year ago) I usually end up eating dinner at 9 or 10 pm, and its usually not a well made dinner at that, except on weekends. When I work in the field, it can be much longer hours up to 60 hours a week, but then almost everything not work goes out the window (besides often being in a remote location off the road system with nothing else to do). At 60 to 100 hrs a week, that's basically working all the time, and no time to take care of yourself and your relationships. I would have cut back the hours much sooner than you, but you are different.

An example of someone with good work life balance is my girlfriend's father. He made a commitment to his wife before raising his family (4 kids) that he would always make time for family the first priority. He worked no more than 40 hours a week except travelling for conferences or similar (plus takes his wife on work trips at his expense), came home at 5 pm, helped make dinner, made breakfast for his kids every single morning, and so on. He gave up many opportunities for higher pay at startups, but he was and is still a high achiever - he received a lifetime achievement award in his field, advises graduate students at MIT, gives talks at conferences, etc. That kind of balance is admirable, though not something I can achieve (I spend too much time running).

Surprise! wrote:

You math is off by a lot. You make 160k and these are your only expenses? ...yet you only have a few hundred left at the end of the month? You are thousand of dollars off unless I read this wrong...

Ooops...missed the student loan part....carry on

In my 20s, i realized i did not want to have to have my life revolve around my job. I knew that my time was more important to me than money. I lived below my means then and knew i would have to continue to do so if i wanted to not jump into a job that required long hours.

I took a job that would not pay me for more than 4 days a week because they didn't have the funding for it. I was happy to get it. It was what i wanted to do and though i wouldn't make as much as a 5-day a week job, it fit with my goal of valuing my time more than money.

Fast forward 20 years later. I work at the same job but highly upgraded on the pay scale and responsibility level. I still work 4 days a week and am financially comfortable and really like what i do.

there is a saying that goes "do what you like and the income will follow". this is exactly what i did.

If I were you I'd quit my slave job and spend my days enjoying life and doing minimal work. Just do like I do and vote democrat. They steal from the hard-working and give to the likes of us! Pass the joint, my friend.

Dude, making a ton of money is no where near the most important thing in life. I created a flexible job for myself, and the good thing about it is I have seen almost every single CC meet, indoor and outdoor track meet, dive meets, etc. that my kids have ever been involved in...the ONLY time I miss something is when they both have something in different places at the same time.

Working 60-100 hours a week is CRAZY!!! Dude, you are only on this planet for 100 years if you're lucky. People who work like that are chumps. Don't do it.

The reason MOST couples who fight about money do so is NOT because they don't make enough money...it's because they have chosen to live a lifestyle that is not supported by their income. If you make $40,000 a year, then you need to rent an apartment or buy an $80,000 condo. Just because a bank might give you a loan for some bigger amount doesn't mean you need to take a loan for that amount. Save up and pay for things...NO DEBT. I didn't have cable television (except for one year) until I was 41 years old! Not everyone gets a smart phone or cable or the fastest internet connection at home. Live WELL within your means, budget for things you REALLY want to do (vacations are important to me, so we ALWAYS take at least one each year, but we budget for them).

It's easy to not fight about money...husbands and wives need to be on the same page financially, and you make a budget based on your income, and you stick to it. Simple as that. Each gets some "blow" money each week to spend on whatever they want, but it all has to fall within the budget.

Go get a 40-hour-a-week job, leave some time for a girlfriend so that she can see you will have time for her and some kids later one, and be happy.

Working a lot? What the hell for?

Be Lazy wrote:

If I were you I'd quit my slave job and spend my days enjoying life and doing minimal work. Just do like I do and vote democrat. They steal from the hard-working and give to the likes of us! Pass the joint, my friend.

Considering that executives in the US make 300 times more than the workers of their companies on average, who's stealing from whose hard work?

I'm a 32 year old guy and I'll tell you my experience. Throughout my mid to late 20s I had a stable job doing what I loved, making about 75k per year. Had a girlfriend, nice car, lots of time to train, vacation, and generally do the things that I enjoyed. Things weren't perfect, but pretty damn good. At some point I decided to attain a terminal degree in the field I was working in. Currently I am in grad-school and I work between 60-80 hours per week in an environment where the word stressful doesn't even begin to describe it. Having your head in a pressure cooker would be like taking a scenic hike through the alps. It's bad. No girlfriend (or any prospects for one), no free time, no vacation, and training takes so much effort because the mental and physical energy is just not there at the end of the day (or beginning for that matter). Anyway, this experience has definitely taught me that a modest income and a simpler life with lots of free time is ideal for me. Just my thoughts.

What I will say about the hours: They are definitely better than when I first started (I basically get weekends off). Monday through Friday are 8AM to 9PM most days, and a weekend about once a month. When you get to the weekend work that is how you get pretty close to the 100 hour week (and the occasional insane night). But literally most people I know with a big time job does this (bankers, lawyers, anyone in finance, accountants, anyone working for a startup). To respond to NahSon, I definitely would not want to upgrade like it sounds like you are trying to do. Once you are through your degree are you going to get a big bump in pay at least?

I have some of the same feelings as you. I'm 34 and married (we won't be having children). I grew up watching my father in a constant fit of rage because he truly hated his job. He always told us kids to never take a job that you don't like.

I work FT (40 hours/week), make okay money ($61k), and have a pretty low-stress job. I don't have an interest in owning too much stuff (no cable TV, no smartphone, never buy new clothes, etc.). That stuff simply doesn't make me happy. I love traveling, though. If we want to travel, we just schedule it and go. For example, I had some vacation time to burn and I booked a solo trip to Vegas the weekend before xmas (wife can't come because of work). We don't have to worry about saving the "extra" money for the trip, missing bills, etc. Living in this way really makes for a happy life for us.

I'm putting about 40% of my gross income (including employer match) into retirement account, yet I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything in life. I hope to retire early, perhaps.

Try to get away from doing stuff with co-workers ... you need to get hammered with someone else, otherwise you can get too burned out, being with the same people ~24x7.

I have always kept work and fun separate. Work is the thing that you do to support your "fun". Hang in there, it will eventually get better.

Looking back, from when my wife and I started out together - new city, new jobs, small and crappy apartment in a "low rent" part of town. Now we are both "mid-career" types, doing well, just bought a new house - the type of place that we have always wanted - quiet,away from the city, a couple of acres, nice neighbors, etc. We have had ups and downs along the way, but it has been worth it to get to the place where we are in life now. Have a mental vision of that place in life where you want to be - stay focused on it and keep plugging away. With all of the hours that you are putting in, focus on the "islands" ... holidays, vacation days, etc. where you get a chance to take a short break from the chaos.

I like this perspective, and it doesn't bother me so much that I hangout with people from work. To be honest we have a lot in common, they are well educated and driven and I like to think people of the same ilk want to be around each other. I am still curious what people think about my roommate. I guess for the time being I want to try and stack as much until I am thirty so I am comfortable at the age when I can hopefully settle down. I am almost out of student debt but I still feel dirt poor. I will say I think at this rate my roommate will be making just above the poverty line for our city. Would like to hear from someone who grinded through the junior ranks of a big law firm or something and someone who quit in between.

A lot of jobs seem like a tradeoff of time vs. money.

I seek time freedom more than anything. My mind needs plenty of space and time to wander, and jobs rarely do that because most likely you are carrying out some predetermined task determined by another person. If you have any inkling of creative or original thought, you will be unhappy in this taking orders position that is mostly out of your control.

Money does not buy security.

Money is poor compensation for spending your time at a job you do not like.

Work should be a positive part of your life.

People who work towards having enough money to retire often end up at the later part of their lives trapped into protecting their hard earned assets.

1 HEALTH

2 COMPASSION

3 WISDOM

How much debt did you take on, and how much is left? Are we talking 6 figures for your MBA? You have to keep in mind that you'll start piling up money quickly once the loans are gone.

Anyway, you also need to consider what this kind of work does to your health. It's not unusual for high powered 60+ hr/week guys to have a widowmaker heart attack in their 50s, particularly if they're "fit" and don't bother going in for checkups. In that case, you traded 30+ years of life for a better lifestyle. Worth it?

Yes, there would be a bump if I stay in the field, but that's up in the air due to my experience in grad school.

OP

You are doing the right thing.

I'm in my 40's, make a decent living, but it never seems to be enough. I work with wealthy people often, and they never seem to be able to sit back and enjoy most of the things they have.

So, it's a fine line

You just have to find the middle area. Most don't.

Save your money. Get the nice house, but one you can afford.

My brother married a woman who had to have the very nice, big house, even though it would mean they would be tight on money to make the payments. Well, it didn't go well, and they fought all the time about money and ended up divorced.

You are doing the right thing preparing.

I would also suggest you think about maybe multi family homes around colleges or city limits. These will give steady income and be great to sell off when you need cash or retirement.