Hi all,
Long time reader, first time poster. I love that this blog and this forum exists to prove that I'm not crazy just because I don't spend like my friends/coworkers!
I have a bit of a dilemma that I'm hoping you all can help me out with. Up until about a year ago I thoroughly enjoyed my job, and although financial independence was a goal, it wasn't with the mindset that I'd stop working any time soon. I manage a team of software developers and found the work engaging, challenging, and worthwhile. Unfortunately, things more recently have changed. I am not engaged, don't like some of the newer people I have to work with, and finally understand why a lot of engineers steer clear of management (it never made sense to me before!).
Here's where things get tricky. I'm not quite at a point of financial independence, and the company has me in a bit of a golden handcuff situation. Not only is my salary high at $135K plus a bonus that is generally in the 10-15K range, but I also have been given stock options. While I may be able to replace the salary elsewhere, this company is on track to IPO as soon as this or next year, and it could be really big. While these things are hard to measure, I estimate that the shares I've already vested in or will vest in over the next year could easily net me between 100-500K.
To help paint a full picture, my expenses at the moment run around 35K/year and my invested assets are just over 800K. While I'm getting really close to MMM's 4% recommendation, I don't consider myself FI for a few reasons: 1. The 35K I currently spend doesn't include health care or taxes. 2. I would like to spend some amount of time traveling the world for a while, and ultimately see myself settling in a place like Seattle, which is more expensive than Phoenix (where I am now). 3. I'm only 34 and in good health, which means I have a long window of time to plan for.
Sorry for the mouthful. To sum up, I suppose it's a simple question. If you're unhappy, do you stay for the hopes of a large sum of money that seems to be right around the corner?