Leaving Finance

I wanted to share my story and vent a little. After two intense years in investment banking, I made the decision at 25 to quit, without any backup plan. 

So, why did I take this leap?

After some serious reflection, I realized that my investment nest egg, which is around $1M, is enough for me to consider an early "retirement" of sorts—assuming I let the power of compounding do its thing and don’t touch it. Based on my calculations, even if I don’t add a single dime to it, in 20 years at an 8% growth rate, it will be $4.6M, or $6.9M in 25 years. I’d be 45 or 50 by then.

This realization made me understand that banking and the finance side aren’t what I want to do for the rest of my life. I aspire to be an owner-operator one day, so I figured the best way to achieve that is by working at one (I’m aware this means taking a massive pay cut, especially at the beginning). I no longer want a lavish lifestyle, a watch-chasing mindset, or to be part of NYC's rat race.

Sure, I’ll still need to work to cover my monthly expenses, but I’m aiming for more manageable hours while I kickstart some small real estate investments over the next year or two. Plus, I am looking to move to Texas or Florida where the cost of living is much lower. This might be a hot take, but I believe this could be a great buying opportunity right now...

Anyway, that’s my story. I just needed to get this off my chest and speak my mind freely. Feel free to say what you wish.

Thanks for listening.