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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