FIRE Crossroads 033: Government-Issued Golden Handcuffs

Today’s dual-physician couple has not yet arrived at their crossroads, but they can see it if they zoom out far enough on Google Maps. Will they turn left? Or right? Financially, they will likely reach their goals when he’s in his early 50s and she’s in her mid-40s.

If they hold out another four to five years, not only will they reap the benefits of working one more year again and again, but they will also qualify for a beefed-up pension and health insurance for life. That’s not an easy proposition to walk away from, and that’s their primary conundrum at the moment. What would you do in their shoes?

Getting to Know You

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Where are you on your financial independence journey? Have you crossed the halfway point in terms of net worth and/or passive income?

My wife and I are 30-40% on our way to FIRE, so we can start to see the outer fringes of a light that might be the end of the tunnel!

Tell us about your household. How many people and at what ages? Are you supporting anyone outside of your home? Where do you live?

I am 45 and my wife is 37.  We have no children and support no other humans (but have two dependents…errr dogs named Charlie and Beau).  We reside in northern Illinois.

I am a hospitalist for a VA hospital and my wife is a general internist with a regional health system.  We both are passionate about having the opportunity to change our patients’ lives for the better.

In what field are you working? How is your career going? What do you like best and least about your chosen profession?

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