A Reddit poster is facing a tough situation, with a question about whether to focus on health or focus on earning more wealth. The Redditor explained that they currently have a net worth of $4 million and that their annual household income is $2 million. The high income is recent and the poster earns about half that amount while their spouse earns the other half. 

The Redditor’s goal is a $10 million nest egg, which they said they could achieve in about five years. However, a number of serious health issues have arisen and the poster is considering taking some time off to get a proper diagnosis, rest, recharge, and figure out the next steps. Of course, this would mean giving up a very high-paying job and it would also affect their plans to retire early with considerable wealth. 

The big question is, should the poster keep working hard for as long as possible to try to hit their five-year target — or should they take a few months off?

Is prioritizing health worth giving up millions? 

The Redditor said they have a number of autoimmune diseases and their high-paying job makes it hard for them to find specialists and get their conditions under control. They also said “walking is painful, I’m chronically sick and fatigued, and recently have been getting an onslaught of strange chronic infections that antibiotics can’t seem to fix.” They’re also dissatisfied with their current position because they are not aligned with leadership — but, of course, it’s difficult to walk away from a job paying seven-figures since there is no guarantee that they will be able to find another position at the same rate. 

Still, there’s ultimately one key point that the poster should come back to: You can’t buy back good health. Allowing your physical and mental health to deteriorate can sometimes lead to irreversible damage that can make it difficult to work any job or that can make it difficult to enjoy the money you’ve made. It does you little good to have $10 million if you’re too sick to do much with the money and it does you no good to retire early if you don’t make it to retirement because you destroy your health and pass away early.

The Reddit poster’s partner is also making $1 million, so it seems clear that the family won’t starve or face dire financial straits even if they can’t get back to their full earning power. With that in mind, stepping back from work at least temporarily seems to be the obvious solution — although, ultimately, it may be a good idea for the poster to talk with a financial advisor before making any choices to understand both the long-term financial impact of a career break and any lifestyle changes that they may want to make when their salary drops dramatically. 

Explore all options before giving up a career for good

While the Reddit poster should almost definitely make changes to prioritize their health, they should also look into their options before giving up their career for good. There may be a number of tactics they could take including:

• Taking unpaid leave through the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA): This entitles employees of covered employers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave if they have a serious health condition impacting their ability to do their job. Their position must be protected during this time. 
• Taking a leave of absence: The Reddit poster’s company may have a policy that allows them to take time off, either paid or unpaid, for a period of time if they are experiencing medical or personal issues. 
• Using vacation time: If the poster has any accrued vacation, they could use it to take time off to explore other opportunities and address their health issues. 
• Switching to consulting or part-time work: Depending on their field and their skills, the poster may be able to do some consulting or part-time work so they remain employed and continue bringing in at least some money while switching to a slower-paced position that gives them time to address their health needs. 

Each of these options could be a good compromise between quitting altogether and continuing to work and jeopardizing their health. The key is to find some solution, though, as the status quo of working for five more years through serious medical issues seems like an unsustainable outcome.

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