[MooreBonds]

Welcome Doby,

I'm a fellow 29 years young member. Oddly enough, our professional and financial backgrounds are somewhat similar: just finished off the largest, insanelyx10 stressful project in St. Louis (rhymes with "Blush Stadlium") for my father's construction company, and actively looking for a new career due to the stresses, etc......current NW of about $590k, expected eoy bonus to be about $350k after-tax.

While it's always easier for someone not in your shoes to ask "can't you simply last just one more year/month/quarter/etc.", I am curious why you initially chose the brokerage industry? For me, it's a loooong story as to why I ended up in my father's construction company, but I started out as a summer intern in college, I excelled at it, and the total compensation package was fair. I was going to leave back in 2003, but we ended up with the project, and to leave my father's company at that point would have been disasterous for my father's company.

I, for one, devour anything financially-related, and your position sounds like it would be one of my preferred jobs (at least, potentially on paper). What specifically don't you like about it? What are some of the sources of your stress/aggrivation/vein-busting frustrations? Perhaps if you vent a little bit more descriptively, a few members of the forum can help isolate the specific cause (as opposed to symptoms) of some of your troubles, and either suggest ways to view/cope with them differently, or help try looking for another career path at GS?

As for pulling the plug, I would echo the comments of others on the forum about planning on making it for 60+ years on your projected nest egg. There are simply waaaaay too many unknowns to factor in for someone in your situation: ranging from items already mentioned like future significant other, children, accidents to things like extended family health history (which can impact your health insurance premiums, not to mention make you more susceptible to certain health conditions), to even helping take care of your parents financially (if they needed it - and don't underestimate what the costs of skilled nursing/home aides will cost in 20-40 years!)

After all - if you're 45 years old and something happens, would you seriously want to have to look for a job then, and be stuck with a minimum wage position (or trying to tell employers why someone out of school for over 20 years with no industry experience in the past 15 years should get a job over someone with 15 years of industry experience), or when you're 45, will you want to be able to look back and say "Yeah, I'm glad I (stuck it out / changed departments at GS) and built up another 500k so I can relax without worry"?

I realize that the job can be stressful and mind-destroying - but first let's see what we can do to try a different take on things.

--Peter