Ideas needed: Turn a 100k investment into a livable income

[catccc]

I work at a non-profit and I get paid pretty well, IMO.  I'm a senior accountant (no subordinates) and my base salary is $90,177.  The organization is solid, benefits are great, work life balance is the best I've ever had.

I know a good number of small business owners.  It can take over your life and be a huge time suck.  It works if you find a way to make it profitable with minimum input (like in the cleaning offices example, it's just logistics) or if you are really passionate about it.  Urban farming or small sustainable farming profits are insanely crappy.  People just do it because they love it.

[DebtFreeBy25]

You haven't found the right non-profits.

Granted, in most cases salaries are going to be lower than in for-profit companies.  But a well-managed non-profit can offer very competitive salaries and good benefits.

Private foundations are typically at the top of the heap. 
Large organizations with good reputations/donor base and/or large government grants are another better-than-average type to look for.

I worked for two organizations in these categories, lived within my means, made some strategic investments, and am semi-retired at age 47. 

I have a friend who just got hired into a development position at Planned Parenthood, and she says the pay and benefits are awesome.

And I also don't totally understand the reluctance to try the 35k community development job.  Your expenses are only 10k a year. That means you could plow 20k plus into retirement accounts and have little to no taxable income.  Since you say you are willing to work to 75 if you find work you enjoy, why is this not an option? 

FWIW I took a major paycut (72k to 55k) when changing organizations a few years ago and never regretted it.  And I'm currently considering taking another paycut if I end up going back to work (was at 76k, will likely be in the 50-60k range if I get the kind of job I'd really like).  No big.  The nature of the work and the working environment, not the salary, is what is most important to me.

Oh, and one other thing to consider -- if there isn't an organization or organizations in your area that addresses the problems you'd like to solve, you could always consider setting one up.

Yes, to foundations paying better than average for non-profits. I have some connections promoting me to a local foundation, but they aren't currently hiring. These opportunities are also few and far between in a rural area.

YMMV with Planned Parenthood, I was on the board with my local PP, and they only pay low 30s for development positions in my state and have cut many of the field (outside the state capital) jobs.

I'm not currently interested in taking any job that pays less than 40k because government agency and non-profit positions are often grant dependent and unstable. They also have very little room for income growth. In the private sector, my coworkers complain about 2% merit increases. When I left the federal government, we had been under a wage freeze for two years compounded with our already low salaries. I literally make approximately twice my federal salary in the private sector. While I don't have many financial needs, only bringing home ~20k after taxes and insurance in an unstable field with few raises doesn't make me feel very secure. I'd like to work indefinitely, but I'd also like that to be by choice, not out of necessity.

Thanks for the thoughtful feedback. You seem like my kind of human. I'm still attempting to forge some sort of career in non-profits, but if not,  I always try to stay involved to the extent that my schedule allows.

[DebtFreeBy25]

Perhaps your ideal job would be in politics or non-profit but with a high pay?

This would be awesome. I've been chasing that unicorn for 9 years now. I'll let you know if I ever catch it. :)

Note: There are some decent paying political jobs (and non-profit jobs, mostly notably in development), but they're almost exclusively located in DC or another HCOL area. The high cost of living and difficulty finding reasonable housing makes those salaries look much less attractive. I've been willing to relocate to DC in the past and was never offered a salary that  would have made it a worthwhile move.

[catccc]

I still don't get it.  If the non-profit you choose to work pays in the low 30s, that's more than the $20K you need, and you get to invest your $100K for your future instead of risking it in a business, plus you get to invest the $10K difference between what you need and what you earn.  You want to matter and benefit society as a whole?  Go work for a non-profit.  Would it really matter or benefit society as a whole if you had an office cleaning business?  If you were a closet organizer?

A lot of people here are anti-consumerist liberal feminists.  Like me.  And I bet they can be themselves and work among those that don't share the same viewpoints.  Sure, some people I work with (again, this is at a non-profit) love their consumerist crap and some lean to the right politically.  It's called life, people are generally different from one another and it's not a problem for the most part. Nobody needs to pretend to be someone they are not, you just need to be respectful towards one another.  It's really not that hard most of the time, and if you find it.

To echo others here, I think you are putting the cart before the horse here.  You are looking for a solution (and have your heart set on one, starting your own business with 100K) and you haven't defined your needs yet.  Maybe this is the wrong solution to meet your needs.

[Rosy]

You haven't found the right non-profits.

Granted, in most cases salaries are going to be lower than in for-profit companies.  But a well-managed non-profit can offer very competitive salaries and good benefits.

And I also don't totally understand the reluctance to try the 35k community development job.  Your expenses are only 10k a year. That means you could plow 20k plus into retirement accounts and have little to no taxable income.  Since you say you are willing to work to 75 if you find work you enjoy, why is this not an option? 

Oh, and one other thing to consider -- if there isn't an organization or organizations in your area that addresses the problems you'd like to solve, you could always consider setting one up.

Brilliant points ^^^
I second the - If you don't like what's out there, create your own and address the problems you'd like to solve. Put your money and your 60hrs into creating something that is worthwhile to you and the world at large.
You already have the skills - get the funding and get rolling.....

[pbkmaine]

Climate controlled storage/parking - especially in farming/oil fields - although this may indirectly be considered something with a "tractor" :P

especially with the downturn in oil prices, lots of companies need storage for their rigs

+1. We had friends who owned several storage facilities and had a nice income, including extra money from stuff owners abandoned, which they fixed up and sold.