Q&A: $1 Million Invested, $100K a Year to Live On. Do We Ever Need to Save Again?

#760: A couple in their late 30s and early 40s with $1 million invested may never need to save another dollar for retirement, because left alone, that money could grow to about $4 million. The harder question isn't the money. It's which of them keeps working to carry the family's health insurance.

Paula and Joe start with Beth, an accountant married to a burned-out tech worker, who wants to know whether they can cut back on work now. Then they tackle a retiree's Ivy League financial aid questions and a New Yorker asking whether renting forever is a financial death sentence.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How to tell if you've saved enough for retirement to stop contributing
• Why one spouse should stay employed to carry the family's health insurance
• Where to find part-time work in fields that rarely advertise it
• How to turn a high savings rate into more time with young kids now
• Why lowering your income may not unlock more Ivy League financial aid
• Why test prep may matter more than hiring an admissions counselor
• Why renting in an expensive city isn't throwing money away

If you've built a solid nest egg but feel stuck working five days a week, this episode shows how to check whether you can ease off now instead of waiting for full retirement.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

Note: Timestamps may vary slightly depending on dynamic ad placements.

(06:53) $1 million by 40 and burned out: can they downshift?

(10:18) Why one spouse should keep the health insurance

(11:41) Where to find part-time work that still pays well

(14:41) Why work-life balance comes in seasons, not days

(16:49) What it really means to stop saving for retirement

(18:10) How $1 million could grow to $4 million untouched

(20:47) Turn your savings gap into time with your kids

(27:40) Why a lower income may not unlock Ivy aid

(37:12) Why test prep beats an admissions counselor

(50:32) Is renting really throwing money away?

🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED

👉 RETIREMENT ALREADY COVERED? MAP WHERE YOUR NEXT DOLLAR SHOULD GO — ON ONE FREE PAGE: https://affordanything.com/cornerstone

👉 Joe's conversation with Lynda Gratton on taking breaks and changing careers over a longer life (Stacking Benjamins SB1898): https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/rethinking-retirement-100-year-life-1898

👉 Read This Before Planning for College (Stacking Benjamins x The College Investor): https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/collegeguide

👉 The College Investor, Robert Farrington: https://thecollegeinvestor.com

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