Hi there! 32 and tired of the rat race

[MooreBonds]

The thing I've come to realize is that saving and having a bunch of money in a retirement account doesn't mean a thing. You can't even access it until you're 65 years old, and who knows if you'll even be alive then. I still have to deal with difficult clients, run to meetings, put out fires, etc. in order to make money and pay the bills. I'm not financially free. I cannot delegate the work I do to other people, because I am being paid for my artwork and design services, so I'm the one that has to do it.

When people suggested sharing the workload, they didn't necessarily mean hiring someone that will be your clone - an 'assistant' can be doing something in the office or running an errand while you're stuck with a client for 3 hours....or can drop you off someplace while they run another errand to cut your running around in half.

 

[CyclingInvestor]

The thing I've come to realize is that saving and having a bunch of money in a retirement account doesn't mean a thing. You can't even access it until you're 65 years old, and who knows if you'll even be alive then. I still have to deal with difficult clients, run to meetings, put out fires, etc. in order to make money and pay the bills.

"72t" withdrawals allow (as REWahoo said) penalty-free access to IRAs at any age, according to one of three formulas. I use the simplest one, and will withdraw a bit over 3% (of my Dec 31 2010 balance) this year as someone in my early 50s.

 

[oldtrig]

nbw888, I think you are headed in the right direction. You sound like a man with a plan unlike me or many others in this world. I wish you well even though I know you will succeed. Good luck. oldtrig