🔺 r/personalfinanceuKitchen-Muscle-9778·53 days ago
40M, lay off risk looming — does a 6-12mo career break make sense given our numbers?
Some context: Wife (38F) recently lost her role. Due to organizational restructuring where I work, pretty sure I'm next by end of year. Net worth: ~$2M total (liabilities/debts already baked in) -$1.6M invested (brokerage + retirement, ~$900K of that in brokerage) -$70K in HYSA ~$450K equity across our primary residence and one rental property (illiquid) Monthly spend (now): ~$10K — mortgage/HOA is $4,500 (VHCOL) + $1K student loans. We've been living the DINK city life (travel, restaurants, etc.), all of which can be cut. Bare-bones floor is $6-7K/month. Could rent out our condo but would break even at best. Current income (solo for now): $11K/month post-tax + retirement etc (was $17K combined). Wife's unemployment should kick in but won't be meaningful and she didn’t receive great severance. Rental property nets ~$800/month profit — considering selling it, still deciding. No kids, no plans for any, no other debt. Definitely no inheritance coming. The idea: We're burned out. Both first-gen, humble beginnings. If I get laid off with severance, thinking about a 6-12 month career break — time with family in Latin America and/or SE Asia travel. My wife is already using her unemploymen…