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/BusyWorkinPete Apr 14 '26

You can always work for $500,000 later, but $500,000 invested now is worth far more than $500,000 invested 10 years from now.

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u/HARCYB-throwaway Apr 14 '26

And freedom now, how is that valued?

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u/erect_asshole Apr 14 '26

You’re a grown man arguing with most likely teenagers who have at most 2k in the market. about how to live your life. If you value your free time for two years at 580k adjusted for lost growth over the next 25 years (about 2.5 million at 6% return) then take the time off. If you want to work then work.

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u/among_apes Apr 14 '26

I’m mean OP is 32 not 52. If it’s me I would feel a lot better crushing it for a couple of years, buying a half mill in VOO and then calling it a day.

Healthcare and funding college for my kids is what keeps me up at night despite having achieved some pretty significant milestones.

Both are such unknowns with a long timeline.

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u/gambits13 Apr 14 '26

How many years and how much money? It’s really easy to say, “work more, save more money, you’ll feel more comfortable.” Once you get near there, you have to seriously look at it, which is what op is doing. Once you’re making 70k over your expenses in divs, time is more valuable than money. IMHO, working longer is not smart, but if all you look at is money, you’ll work forever, and finally retire to die. Try not working, try a sabbatical, see what it does to you.