Personal Finance

I'm 32 with $7 million in the bank but my revenue stream has dried up and I'll be lucky if I can find a job making $100k

Christy Bieber

Published: February 12, 2025 11:23 am

A Reddit user with $7 million in the bank has recently shared some financial concerns. While he is obviously in a good place with his savings at just 32-years-old, he’s having a problem with his future job prospects. He indicated that he previously made all of his money in a small industry and has no ability to go back to doing similarly lucrative work because jobs have dried up. He also said that his experience isn’t very relevant for other work so he’d be unlikely to get a job paying even $100K. 

Because of his lack of employment prospects, he was forced into early retirement at age 32. Now, he’s wondering what to do next. He said managing his investments only takes a few hours a week, he doesn’t know if he wants to invest in a physical business that’s probably not going to make him as much as his investments would, and he’s at a loss for how to spend his time. 

What should you do after a very early forced retirement?

As far as his finances, the Reddit user is in pretty good shape. With $7 million invested, his assets should produce around $259,000 to live on at a safe 3.7% withdrawal rate. That’s a really good annual income and more than most people earn, so he shouldn’t have too many money worries unless he really wants to live a very lavish lifestyle.

The only question, then, is how he can spend his time meaningfully. And the answer to that is going to depend on what he enjoys and what his passions are. He is in the enviable position of not having to work for money, so he could choose to get his next job purely based on what brings him joy. He could start a non-profit, do volunteer work, become a dog walker, tutor kids, or do any one of a long list of meaningful jobs that could fill his days and help him find meaning. While this won’t necessarily pay much, it doesn’t matter in this situation. 

Of course, he could try to start a business as he mentioned, but he’d want to be careful about how much of his invested funds he sinks into it. Many new businesses fail and if he won’t easily be able to rebuild his wealth because his previously lucrative opportunities have dried up, then risking a large portion of his assets may not be advisable. 

Early retirement isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be

The OP’s story provides an important warning for those focused on saving enough to retire at a young age. While the idea of discontinuing work in your 30s or 40s may sound fun, the reality is that work provides a purpose for many, as well as a social outlet and a system for organizing your life. Without a job to go to, it’s easy to fall into depression or despair. 

This is why it’s important to be mindful and intentional when preparing for early retirement. It’s just as crucial to figure out how you will spend your days as it is to focus on getting the investments right to enable you to leave work. You may want to cultivate hobbies, focus on building a family, or otherwise work to find something that will give you enough joy to make your life meaningful once your job is done.

By thinking about the personal as well as the financial, then early retirement can actually make you happy, instead of making you feel like you’re stuck despite having millions.