Hello Fellow Monkeys,
I’ve been working a few years out of school in an investments role at an institutional investor. Things have gone well and I have a clear path toward a VP role in the next several years if I stay.
Recently I was approached about a role at a public sector style organization managing their real estate portfolio. The role comes with a meaningful pay cut, but also much better work life balance, far less stress, and mostly WFH.
A few years ago I would have automatically written this off as a step backwards. Now I am not so sure.
My life looks different now. I am married, we want to start a family soon, and I spend a lot of time commuting. My current role is interesting, but the constant pressure and lack of control over my schedule is starting to wear on me. On top of that, I own and operate a growing real estate portfolio on the side that actually needs time and focus to keep scaling.
The question for me is not whether I can keep grinding. It is whether I want to.
I know the institutional path offers prestige, optionality, and a clean trajectory. I also know that stepping off that path makes it harder to come back.
But I also see the cost of staying. Less time with family. Less energy for my own investments. More years spent optimizing someone else’s balance sheet instead of my own.
Curious to hear from people who have actually lived this decision:
- Took the pay cut and were happier
- Stayed on the grind and were glad they did
- Left and later tried to come back
At what point did you realize the trade off was worth it, or not?
Would really appreciate honest perspectives from those further along.
I can give you my perspective on this, but before I make it about me, it sounds like you've already made up your mind and are just frustrated at the money. How bad of a cut is it and do you get any of those public sector benefits to help offset it?
The cut is ~30% to 40%, and I do get the public sector style benefits, which are solid (pension, insurance, etc.).
And yes, I’ve largely made up my mind about leaving.
I’m mostly interested in hearing from people who have taken a similar pay cut for lifestyle and how it played out for them. Also happy to hear perspectives even if you have not personally made this move.
Outside looking in man you can generate additional monetary value with the extra capacity to manage your personal portfolio
Plus considering benefits i bet its net neutral
Some people make work their whole personality and others see it as a tool to be able to achieve other things they desire.
If you are happy or not with this kind of change is really more about what is important to you.
I know a bunch of people that are at life cos or public pensions. They are intelligent and the work can be sort of interesting, but they also have very full lives outside of work (families, hobbies, friends, vacations). That to them makes life worth living.
I also know some workaholics that thrive on the kill or be killed mentality so the grind of Blackstone, Goldman, etc works for them.
I was a life co guy pretty early on in my career (spent just shy of a decade in that world). It was at a time where I didn’t have much else going on outside of work so it felt a tad boring at times (I was in a tier 2 city so not a whole lot to do outside of work). I switched to fund world almost a decade ago, looking for something super engaging, fast paced (and more money). It was really fun and exciting at the beginning and I was able to scratch that itch. However, a couple of years ago I moved into more of a managerial role which came with better WLB. I was fortunate that I had enough clout to shape the job to be the way I wanted it without having to leave.
I haven’t been in your exact situation, but I’ve seen several people around me make a similar move, and one thing stood out: the ones who were clear why they were taking the pay cut almost never regretted it.
A 30–40% cut sounds scary on paper, but when you factor in pension, insurance, WFH, lower stress, and—most importantly—time and mental energy, the gap often feels smaller in real life. Especially if you already have a growing personal real estate portfolio, time is not just “lifestyle” — it’s an input into your own long-term wealth.
The institutional path does offer prestige and optionality, but it also has a habit of always asking for “just a few more years.” Many people realize too late that the opportunity cost wasn’t money, but control over their time and attention.
It sounds like you’re not running away from ambition, just reallocating it—from someone else’s balance sheet to your own. For many, that trade-off becomes worth it once family and independent income streams enter the picture.
Curious to hear how others who made the jump handled the identity shift and any unexpected downsides they ran into.
I did something similar, but not voluntarily lol. I was laid off from my high-paying, high-prestige, clear-pathed company job and found work at a family office for significantly less money. And it was easily the best thing to happen to me. I actually have time to pursue the things I like to do outside of work, my boss is super chill and there is far less stress on hitting every single basis point of IRR.
If you are going to start a family soon you'll want to be around for it, I've seen my nieces and nephews grow up mostly from afar but each stage of childhood is so much fun to witness. Obviously parenting is a different story, but I always go back to that old adage, no one was on their deathbed wishing they spent more time in the office.
I want to fly.
Take the public role and scale your portfolio if that interests you. Than you can scale to where you’re happy and take the foot off the gas if you want and can** (key word can because it’s not always possible) build a lifestyle business.
The real tradeoff is that you will be expected to help more around the house!
What does your wife think? That is the biggest factor
ooo does little buddy need some reassurance?
I don't normally comment, but I saw this and it reminded me of a similar post I made on here about 10 years ago. I was about ready to have my first son, had a small real estate portfolio, and I was contemplating seeking more challenging and financially rewarding full time job.
I decided to focus on me, my family, and my own real estate endeavors at the expense of that higher level corporate career. I'm happy with my choice. You are young now, but as you get older you will start to see the rat race for what it is. Employees are disposable and you are much better creating your own destiny with your own portfolio. It is not easy, but no one can take that away from you with a termination e-mail on a Friday afternoon.
Enjoy your family, your time, and your own investment success. Good luck my friend.
The pay cut is tough but the benefit of being around family is nice. I went from mortgage brokerage to a stable salary so probably lost close to 20% in average take home pay, but I’m around for my 5 month old daughter. Growth is slow so I’m looking to move on, but the pause on your career is worth it to see your family.
Having kids is hard you’ll watch your wife go through hell and raising kids is hard, but nothing is worse than only spending 45 minutes to an hour a day with them at the end of each day when you get home before you have to rinse and repeat for the next day. Speaking from experience.
Listen IPutTheRealInRe,
Now is not the time to give up. I know its hard but its a matter of how much do you want it. I would stick with your current role and wait until you get v.p then leave after a year to the public sector. Currently, you just have to deal with little to no sleep as you need to be there for your kids, wife, and personal real estate portfolio. Life isnt easy, its just a matter of how much you can take.
Once you get the vp title I would wait for my bonus than bounce to the public sector allowing me more time with the family and my personal portfolio. The question is do you want to wait two years to secure a better future.
Interested in others' responses here.
Just got promoted to VP of Acq at a large fund ($50bn+). I want to start family soon, but it feels impossible. Even without kids, I really want a more manageable pace that lets me have a life outside of the office. But walking away from the role without thinking that I'm taking a step backward is hard...
You have to divorce your job from your value as a person. Work is to acquire money, not meaning.
If taking a step back means you can no longer afford to live or provide, then that's a different problem. But if taking a step back would just make you feel bad, you need to learn that you are not your job.
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