Mini Retirement Logistics: Money & Insurance
When folks find out I took an eight month sabbatical and landed my dream job, they are usually curious to learn how I did it. So I'm writing a series of short articles to give folks some insight into how I made it all happen.
Money.
Since graduating college, I have worked to be financially savvy and it has paid off ten fold. While we could have an entire book about getting your financial house in order, here are my main tips:
Some people try to make a really lean budget and then fail to adhere to that budget. I like to emphasize coming up with a budget that is sustainable. What things in your life are you willing to give on and which things are must haves? For me, I love eating great food and living in a walkable neighborhood. But I care less about having an upscale apartment. So I live in a condo that is in an amazing location, includes all utilities, but doesn't have all the bells and whistles other places in my area may have. This decision alone has saved me $25,000 in the past 5 years.
Having liquid cash in your savings account as a safety net is a good thing, but in my opinion, after a certain amount (this amount will vary depending on you and your lifestyle), you're losing out on making money by having that money at rest. Most savings accounts give you less than one percent yearly return. The average stock market return is 10%. Obviously, the stock market doesn't come with guarantees, but after I have my savings account safety net, I'd prefer to put the rest of my money into a well balanced ETF.
Additional books about finance I'd recommend: I'll Teach You To Be Rich and The Psychology of Money
My main financial goals have always boiled down to "save money and do your best to wisely invest it". Through my stock market investments, I was able to financially support myself for eight months while I found my next perfect role and enjoyed some time off. Each month I'd comb through my portfolio and decide which stocks I'd like to sell to cover that month's expenses -- always being sure to only select stocks I had held for at least a year (to avoid short term capital gains taxes).
Pro tip: depending on how much time you plan to take off, if you keep your income under a certain amount (check current state and federal laws to learn the exact amount), you can avoid long term capital gains taxes that year. This could lead to you saving thousands of dollars.
To decide how much money I would need, I looked at my monthly spending trends in Mint and then added an extra 30% to that monthly figure. I chose to add additional padding because the *last* thing I wanted was for me to feel the need to penny pinch during my time off. Job hunting is stressful enough so I wanted to treat myself — often.
Don't forget to account for expenses that only come once or twice a year -- like your car and house taxes or car maintenance!
I know this won't be for everyone, but I genuinely enjoyed cleaning out closets and selling things I no longer wanted. I made hundreds of dollars by doing this and it allowed me to do random things to treat myself during my mini retirement.
Insurance.
I know this was a bit of a gamble, but I chose to forego insurance during my time off. When I looked at the price of COBRA, I decided I'd rather gamble a bit and pay for any emergency health care out of pocket instead of pay over $800 every month. To put myself at ease a tiny bit, before quitting my job, I did all my routine appointments and then paid for any monthly prescriptions out of pocket.
Disclaimer: Check to make sure your state doesn’t make you pay a penalty if you go without insurance. Here’s the current list.
If you have a partner and getting on their insurance is an option for you, I would recommend considering it!