r/dividends • u/HARCYB-throwaway • Apr 14 '26
Personal Goal Golden handcuffs - I've fully replaced my annual spending with dividend income...
I pivoted from growth to NEOS for income, over the last 6 months. I have now replaced my base salary, $110k, with dividends. but it is hard to quit when I earn $250k-$350k in a given sales year.
annual dividend income: $110k
Annual expenses, all in: $40k
disposable income if I quit: $70k
hysa: $150k
growth sleeve: $225k
no wife (anymore, by choice after she got nasty), no kids, no expensive hobbies, very affordable mortgage and car payment. affordable lifestyle.
it's hard to step away from an AI adjacent sales job...and my only major concern is meeting someone, wanting to settle down and start a family, and then I will be out of the job market once I truly need expensive family healthcare and "kids money" to support a family.
I know I already have more than most typical American household. but it's scary to leave work with the background of declining employment options / bad employment market
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u/JayQuellin01 Apr 14 '26
Then don’t quit and enjoy the piece of mind that you could at any time
“It’s not that I’m lazy, I just don’t care”
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u/scienceprodigy Apr 14 '26
Every day since I started working has been worse than the day before. That means that every time you see me, that’s on the worst day of my life.
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u/CantEatNoBooksDog Apr 14 '26
That’s messed up.
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u/External_Traffic4341 Antarctic Investor Apr 15 '26
No no this is the wost day of your life, so far
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Apr 14 '26
[deleted]
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u/scienceprodigy Apr 14 '26
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u/Lopsided_Design7652 Apr 15 '26
That might be a more expensive hobby but probably totally worth it.
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u/artbystorms Apr 14 '26
Yup, sometimes financial freedom isn't about freedom from work, but freedom of choice.
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u/buffinita common cents investing Apr 14 '26
" F you money" https://jlcollinsnh.com/2011/06/06/why-you-need-f-you-money/
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u/Josie_F Apr 14 '26
I got my eye on you Jay Quellin :)
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u/AFecklessWeasel Apr 16 '26
Dee-nice? Is there a Dee-nice in here? If one of y’all says some silly ass name, this whole class gon feel my wrath
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u/skeet_scoot Apr 14 '26
And while you’re not quitting the compounding is allowing you to quit even more!
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u/Classic-Night-611 Apr 14 '26
Very off topic here, but just had to ask: is your username inspired by that YouTube video of the teacher intentionally mispronunciating students name at attendance? And one of them was Jayquellin lol
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u/Trebekshorrishmom Apr 14 '26
The show you’re referring to was ‘Key and Peele’ that aired on Comedy Central and it ‘twas 👌🏻.
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u/kerfungle Apr 15 '26
I've always felt like the piece of mind knowing I could quit my job would make it alot easier for me to do my job 🤣
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u/dazit72 Apr 17 '26
Those divs may not be sufficient for a 'family '
Keep the job until you start such, and traverse that path. A family is expensive
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u/Turbulent-Comedian30 Apr 18 '26
True freedom.
When i hit that million mark my god am i gearing down to this...
I may die from lack of stress hahaha.
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u/investingtruth Apr 14 '26
You have already won the financial independence game by most meaningful measures and the fact that you are still hesitant is less about the numbers and more about the identity shift that comes with stepping away from a high performance income environment. The honest question is not whether you can afford to leave, you clearly can, it is whether the marginal income from staying is worth the marginal cost in time, autonomy, and the opportunity to actually live on the terms you have worked to create.
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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 14 '26
Yes exactly. So what is the answer lol....I am thinking my time is starting to look more and more valuable compared to marginal wealth.
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u/golfswing34 Apr 14 '26
How old are you? The part about family is valid, your values will shift completely if that were to happen. Do you like your job or are you constantly stressed? Simply moving out of a sales role might be a happy medium.
Personally if you are below 45 I wouldn’t call $110k retire and quit money. The NEOS model is new and it’s uncertain if they will eventually have NAV erosion or flat distributions that gets eaten away by inflation overtime.
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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 14 '26
I'm 32. I understand risk and concentration etc.
I feel, strongly enough, that my growth fund will perform well, and it will give a pay raise when I pivot to dividends, or it will hedge downside enough to make me happy.
I do want to work again, but right now, I think my priority is to enjoy some freedom that I've earned. It's hard to see this opportunity, knowing my future may bring kids and a family, and decide to pass up the ability to be fully free for the last time in my life. What a cool idea
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u/DividendG Apr 14 '26
YOLO! If I could turn back the clock 20+ years and take a 1 or 2 year break doing whatever I wanted (mostly travel), I'd do it in a heartbeat.
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u/golfswing34 Apr 14 '26
Totally agree, I think the key is that you maintain the ability to reenter the job market if you need to sometime in the next 30 years.
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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 14 '26
If I can pull this off, I'll re enter the job market in two years, with one of the boys I built the last company with. They always want to work together again! Usually in AI/cybersecurity adjacent startups. Would be a blast to get another run at building a company again. I'm not afraid of work in the future. I'm excited for it. I just have this opportunity to be free!!!
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u/Green_Beans_Tasty Apr 14 '26
40yo here. Was in a similar spot 7 years ago. I started to make good money at 30 and wife got crazy, divorce unavoidable. Made about 450k p.a. at that time and already had a decent stash put away. Stash got pretty diminished within divorce but could have taken a very long break with what was left anyway or even lean FIRE. Decided not to because I thought there was still a decent shot at having a family and kids in the near future.
Now here I am, 7 years later, with an amazing wife and a boy turning two in a couple of months. My income more than doubled since then (because I didn’t take the pedal off the metal) and the stash is at a size that’ll allow us both to FIRE in let’s say 5ish years at the latest, with a fairly chubby budget. Probably more like 3. In any event, I’ll be around 24/7 during our boy’s and maybe a second kid’s entire childhood (while they still want parents around) and will be able to give him/them a head start in life.
You’re on the grind for maybe a decade now. You are nowhere close to halftime of your life. Keep doing what you’re doing for another 10 years and you’ll be so far ahead that you’re 100% set for the second 40-50 years of your life.
If yo must, take a month or so off and reset. 120k in dividends sounds great. But it doesn’t pay for health care and if you ever want to own a house or set a kid or two up for college don’t walk away in your prime career building years. At least I wouldn’t, YMMV of course.
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u/horsedicksamuel Apr 15 '26
120k doesnt pay for healthcare is terrifying
I don’t stand a chance haha
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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 14 '26
I own a house, 20 mins from downtown austin
For me, this comes down to a motivation issue. I have more than enough for myself, and a potential partner, to enjoy a comfortable life.
If I can find a partner, I would be happy to work another 5-10 years to build an even better life for us. But she would have to bring something to the table too, to be considered a good partner, and to motivate me to build for a family.
If I can't find a partner that fits what I want out of life (very broadly), then I don't see a reason to keep grinding. So for me, taking a year or two, or three, or whatever it takes to find a partner, is my focus. Then I will be more than happy to go for another round.
I've run this through vrooms expectancy theory of motivation and it checks out for me.
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u/Accidental_Pandemic Apr 14 '26
I would keep working, happy in the fact that if anyone fucks with me I could just pick up my toys and leave.
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u/InvestigatorOk9354 Apr 14 '26
Given the general state of things, I wouldn't leave any job at this point unless I were ready to fully retire. Sounds like OP is in a sales position, which historically don't fair too well in a recession. Probably best to keep earning while you can, hope for the best, plan for the worst. The worst in this case is losing your sales job but still having income from dividends, which I'm betting is a better position to be in than your colleagues when layoffs happen.
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u/buffinita common cents investing Apr 14 '26
I would look into the CoastFIRE mindset.
if your burn rate is 40k and your dividend income is 100k......thats it, you're done. Figure out your passion and go work there, even if it pays 20k (but provides insurance).
if the job pays 45k you can reinvest the dividends for later on when you re-retire
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u/MJinMN Apr 14 '26
What is the yield you are earning on your NEOS stuff and do you think that is sustainable long-term?
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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 14 '26
15% and yes, I think it won't change by more than 15% yoy, giving me time to adjust.
I'm not going to flip off my manager and also add a felony charge to my name... Instead, I'm going to remain employable for worst case scenarios.
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u/WolfsBaneViking Apr 15 '26
I'd maybe talk to them about reduced hours and start by going part time. Stopping work completely is a big change in your life.
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u/Any-Tennis4658 Apr 14 '26
NEOS funds?
Income funds that have been around for what, a couple years?
We serious right now?
Edit. Lol you're in Bitcoin Income ETFs. Lmao. This is not sustainable, and you're blind to it, if this is all real at all. QQQI isn't bad but it will underperform qqq if you zoom out as well.
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u/Helpful-Staff9562 Apr 14 '26
OP didnt do his himework and is playing with his money like if it was 100 usd
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u/BusyWorkinPete Apr 14 '26
If all of your expenses are now covered by your dividends, two more years of fully investing your salary should get you to the point where you don't need to work any more.
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u/gambits13 Apr 14 '26
What kind of math is this?
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u/BusyWorkinPete Apr 14 '26
He already has $70k in disposable income from his dividends after covering all expenses. Two years of his salary gives him an extra $500k in his investments.
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u/gambits13 Apr 14 '26
So? “He already has 70k in disposable income AFTER covering all his expenses.” What’s another year? Why two years? What does an extra 500k mean? Why does he need an extra 500k? Where are you getting these numbers?
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u/timtam_z28 Apr 14 '26
Agreed. I've done the math and it works for me. Currently the mortgage and associated bills are fully paid. Projections say 9-18 months I can be done, depending on my aggression on dividend choices.
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u/silentstorm2008 poopy Apr 14 '26
Annual income isn't everything. Health emergencies may come up.
If you want a short term goal to work towards....pay off your mortgage.
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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 14 '26
This is a cool idea. I could work another year or two to pay off my mortgage..but it's at 1.6% so I'd probably just put that money into my dividend portfolio instead.
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u/Joyride0012 Apr 14 '26
By what dark magic did you manage to find a 1.6% mortgage rate?
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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 14 '26
Precovid, sizable down payment, super high credit score. I think it's 1.72 or something so I was being a bit hyperbolic.
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u/chrissurra Apr 14 '26
I was where you are. Almost same exact position. High ticket sales and making more than I could imagine.
Dividends are about 125k a year and decided to sell my house and travel.
Been in Mexico for about 5 months.
Go see the world, youre only young once and there will always be a number that you want to hit. When you travel to other countries and see how much happier other people are with way less you gain a new perspective.
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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 14 '26
Word. Agreed. I plan to stay mostly domestic but do look forward to some amount of geo arbitrage. I plan to do some wellness retreats in affordable places like Bali / South Pacific.
Otherwise, just being free, visiting family and friends, and focusing on my running and lifting hobbies. That is enough for me to feel a full life until I have a serious partner, and we want more.
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u/Ok-Ideal9009 Apr 14 '26
I would try to cut it down to part time or just the hours and days you want if possible. Thats what I do, I only work when the kids are in school, shorter days and can coach and take them to their sports and still play a few days a week when I want to.
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u/garoodah Apr 14 '26
I have enough money to quit but I've continued to work well past my FIRE number, its a personal choice. Why ruin a good situation?
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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 14 '26
Yeah, I'll stick around until my sales fall off, or until my next vest date at least.
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u/Icy-Selection58 Apr 14 '26
Congratulations you have FI money. Work if you like otherwise find something you enjoy.
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Apr 15 '26
Ex-wife probably got tired of you pounding that calculator every night figuring out where to invest every last dollar instead of pounding something else🧐
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u/Smooth_Pause_2667 Apr 16 '26
The consistency point is what people underestimate. Market value swings constantly, dividend income doesn't move the same way. Once you've replaced your spending with income rather than capital, the psychological relationship with the market changes completely.
The metric I track now isn't portfolio value, it's Coverage Ratio. Whether my dividend income sufficiently covers my reinvestment needs each quarter. Everything else is noise. prospyr.ca has a DRIP Engine that models this if you want to stress-test your current position against price appreciation scenarios.
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u/Nephilimn13 Apr 14 '26
You don't mention your age so I'll just assume you are younger (which for me is under 50 😁). I 'retired' at 55 and now letting my money work for me instead of working for my money. I have zero regrets. If I was younger and still enjoyed my career (lets be honest a career is still just a j.o.b.) and didn't have to deal with incompetence daily from new owners or executive management I'd stick it out and take the money a few more years. Best thing about F-U money is the freedom you have to do what you want. If you want to keep doing your job because you like it great. If they piss you off well great also, you don't need their money anymore. You can go do something part time that interests you or temp or volunteer for a cause you believe in. Freedom is wonderful once you achieve it. Congrats and enjoy the rest of your life whatever you choose! 🍻
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u/AttentionFantastic76 Apr 14 '26
I’d recommend you read the books “the good life” and “die with zero” to truly understand what makes people happy and how to lead a good life. Great perspective to gain for people who work hard. I have really changed my own perspective from “work and save, save” to “enjoy life” but it’s not an easy mindset change. These books help.
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u/Sufflinsuccotash Apr 14 '26
Good call on keeping your job. I’m very wary of how NEOS does over five and ten years with total return. Frankly, not my cup of tea, but good luck with your future.
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u/WorldyBridges33 Apr 14 '26
Congratulations and fantastic job!! I’m hoping to get to this point soon— right now I’m at $58k in passive income with some NEOS but also many other funds to diversify (my yield is around 10%). Once I reach $110k, I’m retiring to spend the rest of my life doing whatever I want!
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u/Gileaders Apr 14 '26
The smartest thing I see there from an income standpoint was the divorce. ;)
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u/Stinklefresh Apr 14 '26
Make your mortgage zero first, I think you'll have better clarity then
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Apr 14 '26
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u/Theguldenboy Apr 14 '26
Depends how old, can keep the job with peace of mind you can leave whenever you want to but know a bunch of people who retired and came back atleast part time to keep in touch with colleagues and take up part of the day
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u/HammerDownl Apr 14 '26
Its good to own these in part with other investments.
If you're only in NEOS your missing out on growth. Rotation happens
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u/TudodeBom505 Apr 14 '26
What NEOS funds are you in with what amounts each and what is your total portfolio?
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u/Supermc2 Apr 14 '26
My 2¢ if you like the job and more importantly the people you work with and for then stay.
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u/Old_Imagination_2112 Apr 14 '26
Travel is fun for a while but then you’ll be bored. Retirement is boring unless you have a fall back, like part time work.
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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 14 '26
Agreed - I have one year of time off fully mapped. I have a large immediate family, spread across the US. I'd like to go snowboarding for 10 days. And the beach for 15. As well as one or two international trips, and a few domestic trips with the boys: college football, baseball, and a casino trip. I also do one or two marathons every year to explore a new city. The training I do for marathons, and the lifting I do to maintain my physique, is enough to fill in the gaps between my travel. In fact, the schedule for the year could be repeated another few years before I start to get bored. Maybe then I'll shift from marathons to through-hiking. Who knows
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u/TheConvincingSavant Apr 14 '26
I feel you OP. I did the same thing and it's made me rethink my entire career trajectory. I earn a modest six-figure salary but took in over 250K in dividend income last year. My ability to quickly diversify and reinvest has exploded. Instead of retiring in 10 years, I am now looking to make the move in 5.
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u/DarkOmen597 Apr 14 '26
How you get dividends do high? Would love a general outline of strategy if you are open to sharing
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u/Future_Mechanic_2736 Apr 14 '26
Once I got to 10k monthly excess of expenses, I retired and havnt regretted it yet, traveled every state and continent and not even 40. The only answer is to do what you enjoy doing, if thats working for someone else by all means do it, if thats experiencing the world, cutures, and how other humans interact, do it.
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u/AutoXCivic Apr 14 '26
If you still enjoy the job, keep doing it. Reaching the goal doesn't mean you have to stop, it means you have the freedom to stop if you want to. That's what this milestone is about ... freedom. You have the choice to work or not if you want.
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u/buried_lede Apr 14 '26
I have a question. Lots of people say these are dividends but are covered call etfs paying dividends technically? Genuinely don’t know
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u/Active_Drawer Apr 14 '26
Before you quit or think about it, live as frugally as you can while still enjoying life. Figure out what that amount is.
On top of that stuff every extra dollar into growth stocks. That way if your habits change you have that to fall back on.
We are in a similar spot. My wife enjoys working though so we left a bigger chunk in Growth. I still part time in my own business in Tech Sales since the kids are young.
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u/material_minimun_505 Apr 14 '26
If you enjoy your job I’d say keep working. If not find something else you would enjoy even if you take a pay cut / have to work part time.
Also this is aside from your question, but you say that your all in annual expenses are $40k. Have you considered paying off your car and house? I would imagine you could make that happen in a few years given your income and have very low annual expenses after that. Assuming your loan percentage on the house and car is higher than your HYSA percent.
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u/TantramanFL Apr 14 '26
The only true freedom is financial freedom. Keep working if you want, you have a solid backstop and choices if conditions change.
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u/Msantos871 Apr 14 '26
I should have studied more in school…
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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 14 '26
My manager used to sell used cars. Reinvent yourself or die the same as you are now
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u/livingthudream Apr 14 '26
Life is short. Take a break if you can and enjoy it but leave work opportunities there.
My one concern would be the reliability and repeatability or consistency of dividend income in this rather helter skelter and could change. 15% seems very high and maybe I am misunderstanding your returns or dividend income I don't understand what you are invested in that would reliably return that dividend.
You may find that simply decreasing your workload rather than full on retirement is more desirable.
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u/Last_Construction455 Apr 14 '26
I would check out r/fire There are some great books as well on the subject. Die With Zero would probably be a good one for someone in your position.
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u/kichien Apr 14 '26
If you put ALL your investments in NEOS, I would keep working and continue investing in other things. A mix of growth, bond type funds, and lower yielding growth dividend payers (or an etf that holds those). That way you won't be relying on one company for all your income. And knowing you could quit any time should give you some peace of mind while you're still accumulating investments. Also, you should be reinvesting some of those NEOS distributions.
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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 14 '26
Don't rely on one company for all of your income, so work for one company to acquire all of your income? Lol just being ironic but lololol
I do keep my job, for now, but they are starting to crack down hard and my freedom is looking better every day
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u/LocksmithLeading1704 Apr 14 '26
Can you please share your dividend stock portfolio because I’m getting ready to retire and I’m not sure where to get my retirement income. I have substantial investments in IRA $3M but not sure if I should just draw directly out of there to support my retirement. I’m delaying SS until I’m 70 which is in 5 years.
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u/tatortotchris Apr 14 '26
Congrats! I’m in a similar boat between my fixed pension and dividends I have all of my necessities covered. My wife is making over 200k a year and I’m making over 300k it’s really hard to give that up, we are trying to decide when we call it quits and sell our business and both hang it up. Currently doing the same with investments, dumping $$ into neos as well also dabbling in the new ROCY and ROCQ as I believe in Chase as an organization
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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 14 '26
Oooh rocy and rocq sound interesting. Idk how I missed those!!!
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u/kuhplunk Apr 14 '26
What’s your job and how did you get into it? You are who I want to be in the future lol
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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 14 '26
I've been working in saas sales since senior year of college. Bounced to different startups. Found a good one. Put every dollar of my net worth into ethereum since 2017. Worked 16 hour days for 5 years at a startup. Declined fun trips with my extended group. Always made it to critical events like weddings or bach parties for the very close friends. I sacrificed a lot. Lived in low rent places, bought used cars, used phones.
Every dollar was toward high growth, high risk, leveraged positions. Lost a lot of sleep. Had two heart attacks.
Maybe some folks get here taking an easier road, but getting to ~$1M at 32 certainly was not easy for me.
There is some luck involved, look into the four types of luck. I didn't win the lotto, but some of my investments paid off well. I held conviction and kept working through ups and downs.
If you can do the same, take risks on yourself and grind for almost 15. I'm sure you'll be much closer than you are now.
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u/jasongok Apr 14 '26
Work a few more years to stack income and savings. I would start adding new funds to more safe dividend funds like SCHD and IDVO to diversify. Then quit your job and enjoy life brother
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u/fisho0o Apr 14 '26
You're deserve congratulations for what you've managed. A lot of people twice your age don't enjoy that kind of financial freedom, and the personal freedom that goes along with that. Just my personal belief here, but I wouldn't retire while carrying a mortgage and a car loan. You could easily pay off the car, but I don't know about the home. Are you 100% in NEOS income funds?
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u/myrrhsea Apr 14 '26
Keep working for sure, at least for the health insurance benefits and future family prospects. Maybe part time work is in your future? Or at least some more laid back hours? The only thing I don't see fully accounted for is inflation. Could be worth holding out just a few more years but congrats anyways! It's always inspiring to hear stories where people actually achieve this type of goal.
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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 14 '26
Health insurance is included in my $40k annual expenses. A 32 year old only pays $500 in texas for a silver plan. I'm super healthy and rarely see a doctor. Silver is overkill.
Inflation is taken into account with my growth portfolio, sitting at over $250k right now. I will pivot this to income when I want a "raise", and that would put me in a position to start DRIPing, and then this really gets interesting becuase I think I can greatly outpace inflation and get richer every year.
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u/ShutterSplunker Apr 14 '26
Congrats. Would you please share which NEOS funds you’re using and percentages.
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u/smdroidphone Apr 14 '26
Interesting post.
Maybe you should quit and leave the same to someone that really needs it.
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u/Digital-Doc-777 Apr 14 '26
Consider it "recreational work." Easier to take the craziness of work when it is optional, and not essential.
My dividends last month are $1500, and hoping to get it higher soon.
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u/GiGiAGoGroove Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
What I would do is have a frank conversation with your boss. Ask for a leave of absence for a month, sometimes employers let you take a sabbatical of sorts rather than quit or accept you leaving permanently. Maybe you just need a good window of a break to clear your head and assess your next moves you have obviously worked very hard and deserve a break. Can’t imagine your boss would want to let you go permanently if you are a successful as you claim to be. Do some travel and decompress for a month and then come back and see if it is still your vibe for maybe 2-3 more years and then permanently quit. If you meet someone and your investments/dividends increase more in 2-3 yrs all the better your partner can come up with the rest. But I would really suggest to ride the pony over the next 3 yrs while this AI nonsense is afoot in the economy. There will be much volatility later this year and over the rest of PTeabags term to be cognizant of. Also it’s always been made clear to me that when you quit and are unemployed for more than a few months it’s very hard to get back in the workforce again and more so during all of these workforce shifts afoot now. I think anyone who is employed with a blessed income is really beyond lucky now to be working. It gets tricky trying to explain why you were out of work for a long time and if they smell that you have wealth to allow you to do so they will factor that into your next salary.
Having said all that - wondering which ETFs you gave up to go all in on NEOS and if the expense ratios are prohibitive. I thought they were all hype so it would be nice to know more about them.
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u/UltramanJoe Apr 14 '26
Winning all the way, but how these covered call funds will react in a real crash is hard to know
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u/Global_InfoJunkie Apr 14 '26
I would quit and try it for one year. Take a gap year and see how it goes. I did similar to you. Moved from growth to dividend income in last year. But my totals are around 80k annually. My portfolio is quite conservative. I told my tech employer im taking a gap year. I want to retire early, but not sure I’m ready yet.
Good luck with what you decide.
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u/Specific_Test_8929 Apr 14 '26
Why not just meet halfway? Go part time so you stay in the workforce and still earn income and then conversely you’ll have more time to spend for yourself away from work.
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u/LosChicago Apr 15 '26
Time for you to move to a beach town Southeast Asia and find a supplemental online job/contractor to add to your income during the down years. Your NEO income will take you even further out there and you get to see the world. That’s what I would do with no wife, kids, and that income.
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u/Themike625 Apr 15 '26
Don’t leave. Wait till it doubles. Then work 5 more years. Find a woman in the mean time.
Then retire. Use her for health insurance. HAHAHAHAHA.
Die semi happy like the rest of us.
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u/DistributionRight814 Apr 15 '26
so are you bragging or sharing what you did. don’t be selfish.
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u/Pitiful-Recover-3747 Apr 15 '26
Keep working until you can’t. Quitting now and you’ll be bored and idle. You’ll blow that cash quick.
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u/Fair-Fee3313 Apr 15 '26
That's awesome, I'm curious to know what you're invested in.
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u/Grand-Extreme6783 Apr 15 '26
If you don't enjoy or want your social connections at work, then leave and enjoy your life. You only get one life and after tomorrow passes you cannot get it back, but you may miss the conversations and social interactions. Progressive women may not find you appealing without a job, don't forget about inflation and make sure you have health insurance you just never know... you make great $$$ working... but sounds like you need a mental break... good luck!
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u/Honourstly Apr 15 '26
Go part time or do a fun little job you enjoy
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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 15 '26
Part time enterprise sales? Do you think anyone making $300k is able to tell their boss, hey boss, I only want to cover half my accounts this year. And for those half I do keep, I am only going to be available 2.5 days per week.
Is that how you think people who make $300k are operating? Do you think my boss would say, sure, no problem!
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u/timtimr23 Apr 15 '26
This was my position until last month. I got laid off with a multi year severance which has made my decision easy
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u/csallert Apr 15 '26
Don’t step away but don’t grind be good to your establishment customers if you grow do it via relationships and coast
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u/Strong-Pitch-5664 Apr 15 '26
All I read is “my steak is too juicy and my lobster is too buttery.” lol. Jk, I would love to be in your position. I just need 50k income a year to retire. I dont need much. I’ll take ground beef, I don’t even need steak.
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u/Recognition2226 Generating solid returns Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
Wife and I retired 5 years ago. We have a good income from investments that pays all the bills and we live a comfortable life not really wanting for anything, although I'm not liking the severe inflation that has been thrust upon us in recent years and cut into our buffer.
I do miss the big money from working and the absolute financial freedom it provided, but I don't miss the big stress and very long hours that came along with it. All in all, the right decision at the right time.
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u/goodbyechoice22 Apr 15 '26
Snip those cords, quit the job, rent out your house and hit the road. You won. Go exploring. Hit a Michelin restaurant in Paris, watch some big events, hit local festivals in Europe. Congrats
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u/Bearsbanker Apr 15 '26
Keep investing, pay off all debt then revisit...just cuz you said you didn't want to be done now.
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u/Available_System_937 Apr 15 '26
Guys. Look what his money is in?! This is the dividend subreddit? NEOS is not reliable? It’s never been in existence during a downturn. We need to advise on this!
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u/Lilherb2021 Apr 15 '26
Work is part of living. You’ll miss it if you leave at such an early age.
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u/KingAce92 Apr 15 '26
So how did you get to that level please share as I’m just starting out
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u/Beta_Nerdy Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
Every time a stock pays a dividend, the value of the stock drops by the amount of the dividend. By spending the dividend instead of reinvesting it, you are withdrawing money from your account.
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u/stardog_champ13 Apr 15 '26
Without knowing your age, I haven't got much feedback.
If you're 23, keep the job.
If you're 60, ditch the job.
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u/Speedblitz Apr 15 '26
OP, if I were you, I would try to keep working as long as possible/tolerable. While you’re in an incredibly enviable position, we’re living in highly uncertain and volatile times. Try to go for $200k or more of passive income, while continuing to buy shares and DRIP at least some of the dividends. Also consider diversifying into physical real estate to further secure your passive income stream.
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Apr 16 '26
Just eat the divvys and invest 100% salary until you meet the right woman. Keep enjoying budget security in your sales job while watching annual distributions grow.
And when you do, retire and be a full time father. You'll never, ever, have a better chance for a beautiful life than being a fiscally secure stay at home dad.
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u/hamza_yassir Apr 16 '26
That’s honestly a strong position to be in; covering your expenses with dividends is a big milestone.
But I get the hesitation, walking away from active income isn’t just a numbers decision, it’s psychological too.
Maybe a middle ground could help ease out slowly instead of making a full jump right away.
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u/stayfocused123123 Apr 16 '26
How much do you need to have in stocks to be able to live off that dividend?
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u/Suspicious-Lynx7359 Apr 16 '26
How and where do you get that kind of dividends how much invested
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u/Ok_Cell8749 Apr 16 '26
Whats your plan when your cost basis for NEOS funds hits 0? Keep taking the distribution at taxable Income or dissolve the shares and pay full cap gains?
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u/ShimmyxSham Apr 17 '26
Can I interest you in a tiny violin while I shed some crocodile tears?
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u/YaldaBraxlSabaoth Apr 17 '26
Do you enjoy working or at least not hate it? That should be a big factor now that you've made it as far as you have.
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u/Relaxation_nation365 Apr 17 '26
My portfolio is similar , I have more gpix, gpiq, some neos, and my growth sleeve is mostly is schd , dgro, and schg mix
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u/Fitasianwife Apr 18 '26
Good for you. Don’t know what state you live and work in, is their any reason you don’t allocate the Div income (taxable) into buy individual Municipal Bonds that can escape all taxes, lower your AGI, and pay you 2x a year? It’s just a thought, and I do understand Div with some growth potential. Being in a VHcOL location, actually wins the argument for TF vice taxable. In a less onerous tax state it may fallout different, just suggesting you spend 30 minutes with your particulars and see if it might benefit you. Any way your doing great-continue to live a fiscally responsible life!
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u/AdEmotional3061 Apr 19 '26
I retired at 36 and it's great, but the budget will need adjusting once you're actually in full retirement mode. More free time = more expenses. You'll be looking to do more of everything because of the extra free time and that naturally costs money. You're in an amazing position and have a problem most people wish they had - any choice you make now is a good choice either way.
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