• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Financial Panther

A Lawyer Side Hustling Towards Financial Independence

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Side Hustle Reports
  • Best Credit Card Offers
  • Current Money Bonuses
  • 70+ Side Hustle Apps/Gigs
  • Bank Account Bonuses
  • Student Loan Strategy
  • Archives
  • Press
email-iconfacebook-icontwitter-iconinstagram-iconyoutube-icon
IMG_3252
Hi, I'm Kevin and I'm an attorney, writer, gig economy expert, side hustler, and the blogger behind Financial Panther. I paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer. I started this blog to share all I know about personal finance, travel hacking, and making more money by side hustling. Click here to learn more about me.
As Seen On
Popular

The Dream of Barista FIRE

The Ultimate Guide to Bank Account Bonuses

7 Best Cashback Apps That Everyone Should Use

See All
Side Hustle

The Ultimate List Of Gig Economy Apps

Latest Side Hustle Report

Monetize Your Life And Get Paid To Live

See All
Saving/Investing

How To Get a 5% Interest Savings Account

Where To Get 5% Interest Savings Accounts

The Financial Panther Money System

See All
Current Money Bonuses
Chime Bank Bonus ($100)DCU Bonus ($100)Upgrade Bank Bonus ($100)SoFi Money ($275)View All Bonuses

Doordash Dasher

Uber Eats Driver

Grubhub Delivery Driver

See All
Current Bonus Offers
Chime Bank Bonus ($100) Spiral Bank Bonus ($50)Brex Business Bank Bonus ($250) SoFi Money ($15+$25) Lili Bank Bonus ($100) SoFi Invest ($25) Yieldstreet ($100) View All Bonuses
Popular Posts
The Ultimate Guide to Bank Account Bonuses 70+ Side Hustle Gigs/Apps How To Get 5% Interest Savings Account Where To Get 5% Interest Savings Accounts View All Posts
Get Exclusive Content Delivered
Right to your Inbox.
Latest Posts
leaving biglaw

Five Financial Adjustments I Had to Make After Leaving Biglaw

Last Updated on August 24, 2021November 21, 2019 7 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links.Financial Panther has partnered with AwardWallet and CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Financial Panther, AwardWallet, and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

Today, I have a guest post from Marissa Geannette, who writes over on her blog, The Unbillable Life. I discovered Marissa’s blog earlier this year and found her story to be very relatable. Like me, Marissa is also a former Biglaw attorney that made the jump to self-employment, moving off the clear, career path in order to gain back more control of her life. Her blog is definitely one that’s worth reading and I suspect that a lot of people in high-stress, prestigious jobs might relate to exactly what she writes about on her blog (i.e. that sense that you’re stuck in your job, even when you really aren’t).

In this post, Marissa shares five financial adjustments she made after going from a huge, six-figure salary in Biglaw to making basically nothing. It’s a great post that mirrors a lot of the steps I had to take when I also made the move from working full-time as an attorney to striking it out on my own. Take it away Marissa! 


When I left my Biglaw job of 8 years, I knew I was going to have to make some financial adjustments, as my plan was to leave the law (and my Biglaw salary) and possibly never go back. On the one hand, I’d paid off my student loans and had saved enough money to comfortably live off of for a while. On the other hand, I didn’t want to just blow through my savings and be back to square one, searching for another law firm job that I knew I didn’t want, in order to build up my savings again.

So I made some changes. Most of these tips also work if you’re taking less drastic measures and instead of leaving the traditional workforce entirely, are switching from a high-salary position to a lower-paid one.  I hope that reading about the changes I made, the steps I took, and a few mistakes I made along the way, can help you make some adjustments of your own if you’re contemplating a similar change.

The 5 Financial Adjustments I Made (and a few lessons learned) 

Here are five key adjustments I made to my finances (and life) after I left my six-figure salary for a zero-figure (but growing) salary. 

1. I Rolled Over My 401K (with a hiccup along the way)

When I was in Biglaw, my entire retirement planning boiled down to one thing – max out my 401k. After I left the firm, it took me a few months before I thought about the chunk of change that I’d acquired in my firm’s 401k.

I was supposed to do something with that money, wasn’t I? The term “rollover” was vaguely familiar, but I was intimidated by the process of doing one myself, so I ignored my 401k money for a few months. Then I made my first big financial mistake: instead of educating myself on what a rollover is (and how simple it is to do) and doing it myself, I was lured in by an offer to open a managed account at a big bank. I knew in my gut that I didn’t want a managed fund, but I didn’t have the confidence that I could do the rollover correctly by myself.

I don’t even remember why I went to that bank or how I came across the offer, but I walked into a branch, met with a banker and got sucked in by the ease of it. I signed a few things, they promised me the rollover would be completed within a week or two and that was it. My money was now sitting in a managed fund, and I was being charged a fee for this management.

I imagine my thought process might have been similar to that of the Financial Panther’s brother when he decided to put his money into a managed fund. He had a friend who worked at a bank who said he could make his money grow for him. He, too, was lured in by the ease of it and the promise of “beating the market.”

Luckily, I only kept my money in that managed account for about 6 months. I decided one day to take a look at the fees I was paying and how my money in this managed account vs. other money I had in Vanguard index funds was fairing. Turns out the big bank was not beating the market – not even close, actually – and I was paying way too much for their management “expertise.” (Editors Note: It’s always better to mess up with tax-advantaged accounts vs. taxable accounts since you can course-correct tax-advantaged accounts without having to worry about tax consequences. My brother messed up with taxable accounts, which makes his process of deciding what to do a little more complicated.)

I felt like I was being robbed of my money, which finally motivated me to figure out how to move my money out of that managed fund and into a Vanguard IRA. This was now slightly more complicated than if I had just done the original rollover, but I figured it out. I had to liquidate the managed fund, reinvest that cash into a Vanguard target-date fund at the big bank, and then do a direct transfer of the Vanguard fund into a newly opened Vanguard IRA account. Did you catch all of that? It doesn’t matter; just take-away from it that I made a stupid mistake, fixed it, but it ended up costing me time and money to do so.

I plan to leave my money in that Vanguard IRA until I retire and will definitely be wary of any advisor who tells me that his bank’s managed funds can beat the market. I can’t believe I was a sucker for that line! Lesson learned, though, and I’m happy that the mistake only lasted a few months. I now firmly believe in one of the pillars of the Financial Panther’s investment philosophy: you can’t beat the market so quit trying.

2. I Opened Up a Roth IRA to Continue Saving for Retirement

When I was in Biglaw, I maxed out my 401K (other than during my first year – oops), but I didn’t otherwise save any money specifically for retirement.

During this time, I’d heard about a Roth IRA, but it wasn’t something I considered for myself because of the income limits (in 2019, a single individual can contribute up to $6,000 to a Roth IRA, so long as he or she earns $122,000 or less in the year). My Biglaw salary was above the threshold so I didn’t bother with a Roth IRA.

(It turns out there’s a loophole commonly referred to as the “backdoor” Roth IRA whereby those with high incomes can convert a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA (legally!), but I didn’t know about this at the time.)

All of this is to say, the Roth IRA was new to me when I left Biglaw. I was no longer able to contribute to a traditional 401k, but I still wanted to save a little for retirement every year, so I decided to educate myself on my options. That’s when I discovered the Roth IRA.

I had begun to work again (more on that below) and my income was now way under the threshold, so I could take advantage of the Roth IRA.  I decided to max it out and contribute the full $6,000 that I was allowed as a single taxpayer.

A Roth IRA wasn’t something I’d thought about before leaving Biglaw, but it was a financial adjustment that I’m happy to have made. For me, the benefits of the Roth IRA include:

  • Contributions to a Roth IRA are taxed now. This is great for me because my current tax bracket is very low (I’m only working part-time, so my income isn’t where I want it to be yet – not great for the bottom line, but good news for a taxable retirement account).
  • It’s nice to have a diversified tax strategy for retirement. Between the 401k and Roth IRA contributions, I’ll have money in retirement that is taxable during retirement when I withdraw it (401k) and also some that I can withdraw tax-free at that time (the Roth IRA).
  • If I need the money in an emergency, I can take out the amount I contributed to the Roth IRA, tax-free, at any time (I would have to pay taxes on any gains that I withdraw). This makes it easier to stash the money away, since I know I can get it back if I need to without penalty (unlike the high penalties you pay on withdrawing early from a 401k).

There aren’t really any drawbacks of the Roth IRA that I can think of, other than the fact that the bulk of my W-2 wages is going to my contribution, but I’m ok with that as I’ve decided that’s what I want to do with my earnings.

3. I Had to Become More Aware of My Cash Flow Needs and Start Hustling for Money

Once those Biglaw paychecks stopped hitting my bank account every month, I had to figure out how to better manage my cash flow. Instead of counting on a paycheck, I needed to figure out how to manage my savings and investments to sustain my lifestyle.

Luckily, before I left my job, I had paid off my Biglaw loans and saved up enough money that I was able to comfortably leave my job without having another one lined up. However, I was still going to be living in NYC and I didn’t have enough money lying around to live like I had been living indefinitely. I needed a strategy to make my money work best for me until I started earning more.

The first thing I did was I allocate my savings strategically for the first year and a half after leaving my job. I thought of it in this way:

  • Checking Account: here, I kept enough to cover monthly expenses for the upcoming two months.
  • High-Interest Savings Account: here, I kept enough money to cover expenses for months three through twelve post-Biglaw job. I’d move enough money to pay for my current monthly expenses from here into my checking account as needed, but preferred to keep as much as I could in this account, since it earned some interest.
  • CD: here, I kept any cash I had that I thought I might need after the first 12 months of my new life. The money wouldn’t be available to withdraw for a year, but that was fine as anything I needed immediately was in easy to access checking or savings accounts. This money would make me the most interest, without any risk.
  • Vanguard Index Funds: here, I put (or rather, kept) everything else I had saved from my Biglaw job. I can access this if I need to, but my plan is to leave my money in the market for many years to come and let it do its thing.

Almost a year into my time off, I realized I could keep spending my savings and be fine for a while longer, but I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t like the feeling that I was burning through my savings, even if it wasn’t at a rapid pace. But I definitely wasn’t ready to go back to a traditional job.

I was at a crossroads last winter when I realized I could start making money doing things I never would have thought I would or could do. First, I started to freelance write, something I didn’t think I could do and make money doing since I wasn’t “qualified” to write (turns out, I was wrong). Second, I began to work at a gym, part-time, for minimum wage.

I could go on and on about my fears and apprehensions in starting both of these new jobs, which were scary to me, for very different reasons. I won’t get into that here since this post is about finances, but I do plan to write more about that in the future so stay tuned! What I’ll say for now is that I resonate so much with everything the Financial Panther writes about pursuing what you want to do, not what others want you to do, no matter what that is.

4. I Had to Budget for and Pay for Things I Used to Get for Free

When you work in an office, there are so many little things that are provided for free that make your life easier (and cheaper). I’m not even talking about the perks you get when you work in places like Google or Facebook, where rumor has it all of your meals are provided for and errands like dry cleaning are taken care of for you, on-site, for free.

I’m talking about the things every standard office provides. Certainly, things that every Biglaw firm provides. Below are some of the things that my firm provided that I took for granted when I was working there. After I left, I had to make some adjustments and start to spend my own money to buy them when needed.

Things I have to spend my money on now if I need them:

  • Office supplies
  • Mailing envelopes and packing materials for Amazon returns
  • Snacks and coffee; a heavily-subsidized cafeteria for lunches
  • Fully equipped gym with a Peloton bike
  • Sponsored happy hours and nights out with open bars and free food; sometimes even tickets to sports games and concerts

On the flip side, there were also many things that I used to spend money on that, for various reasons, I no longer do, now that I don’t work in an office.

Things I no longer spend money on:

  • Daily Metrocard (I basically walk everywhere now)
  • Business casual clothes (I ceremoniously got rid of them all)
  • Stress spending (this one was huge for me; I used to mindlessly spend way too much money on makeup and clothes at places like Sephora and Asos)

After leaving Biglaw, I basically underwent an entire budget overhaul. I’m grateful for the perks that my office used to provide, especially now that I am more aware of how much they really did have available to make us comfortable at work. But I’m happier now, and my wallet is too, now that I buy my own office supplies and no longer have to spend money on business casual outfits. 

(Editors Note: Interesting points about the free stuff you get at work that you don’t think about. A few things I’ve done are: save boxes for my own Amazon purchases so I can use them as shipping materials, eat for free by taking advantage of secret shopping gigs, and get paid to exercise by doing food deliveries on my bike. I know Marissa has hacked her exercise budget by grabbing a job at a gym.)

5. I Had to Figure Out My Own Health Insurance

Losing out on employer-sponsored health insurance keeps many people in jobs they want to leave for far too long. While it is a huge consideration, don’t let it be the reason that you stick around at a job that you’re miserable at.

Before I left my job, I began to hint that I was thinking about leaving without having another job lined up. Some of the well-intentioned people in my life reinforced a fear I held by nervously asking me, “well, what would you possibly do about health insurance if you left?” The question was posed in such a way that it seemed as though there was no alternative. For a while, I felt like I had to stay at my job just for my insurance.

Finally, I took my head out of the sand and began to research what happens when you do actually have to get your own health insurance. And then I promptly put my head back in the sand.

Health insurance was a doozy of a financial adjustment to figure out and so I took the easy way out. I left my job and essentially gave up the search for health insurance by opting for COBRA. For anyone who is unfamiliar with COBRA, it is a government program that allows you to stay covered under your employer-sponsored health plan for a certain period of time after you leave your job. It’s great in that you get to keep your health insurance, but not so great in that you have to pay for 100% of that insurance. This cost me, a single person with no health conditions, almost $800 a month.

I know this means that I paid way more for coverage than necessary and I could have found a cheaper alternative on the health insurance marketplace. That being said, I also had excellent health insurance while I was on COBRA, so if anything were to happen, I knew that I was paying a lot but would also get a lot for it.

Whatever you end up doing, don’t let the complications or scariness of health insurance coverage prevent you from making a job change. It is definitely figure-out-able, even if you take the easy way out, like I did, and settle for COBRA for a few months, a year or the whole time allowed, until you get another job with health insurance or figure out another, cheaper alternative. 

(Editor’s Note: Health insurance is also something that I’ve struggled with a bit. My wife owns her own business, so going on her plan doesn’t help me since we’re footing the whole bill anyway. I screwed up and didn’t sign up for health insurance during the qualifying event period after I quit my job, so I ended up having to sign up for a healthshare ministry to cover me for 2019 just so I wouldn’t go bankrupt if I got hit by a bus. In 2020, I’m going to go back to health insurance purchased off my state exchange, since I honestly am not very comfortable with having my current pseudo-health insurance. I also agree that you shouldn’t let health insurance keep you in a job that isn’t for you, although at the same time, I admit that I have very low health care costs as a healthy, young male without kids.)

Don’t Let Money Fears Keep You from Making a Career Change 

If you’re contemplating leaving a high-paying job (or any job, for that matter) for a less traditional path, money is probably a big consideration. Don’t let it be the roadblock in your way to living a better life or taking a different path.

There will certainly be changes you have to make to your finances, whether it’s buying your own health insurance, making money in ways you hadn’t imagined before, or any number of other things. Just know that you’ll have to make financial adjustments along the way, but that’s ok – you’ll figure it out. 


The Unbillable Life is a career blog written by Marissa Geannette, a former Biglaw associate who writes about her experiences working in Biglaw in NYC. Along with advice on how junior attorneys can succeed in Biglaw, she also blogs about why she left that career after 8 years to pursue an alternative, less traditional path. Read more career success tips and career change advice on the blog, www.theunbillablelife.com, or reach out to her at theunbillablelife@gmail.com with any questions or comments.

More Recommended Ebike/Scooters

Check out these other ebikes/scooters I've had the chance to do a review for:

  • GEN3 Outcross Bike – The GEN3 Outcross is a solid, affordable fat tire ebike that does a good job of doing what I need it to do. It works great for city riding, giving me a smooth ride in all conditions. It’s works really well as a winter ebike since the fat tires give it good traction over snow and ice. Check out my GEN3 Outcross Review.
  • Himiway Escape Bike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
  • Espin Sport Bike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
  • Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
  • Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.

More Recommended Investing App Bonuses

For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:

  • M1 Finance ($10) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $10 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
  • SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with $100 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
  • Moomoo (5 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 5 free stocks (usually worth around $75-$100) if you open an account using a referral link and deposit $2,000. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
  • Webull (5 free stocks) – Webull also gives you 5 free stock valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free stocks using Webull.
  • Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
  • Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.

More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses

If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.

  • Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
  • Digital Federal Credit Union ($100) – Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $100 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a saving account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000. Check out my in-depth post on how to set this account up.
  • Upgrade ($100) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account and complete three debit card transactions. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Importantly, this bonus says that it’s now scheduled to end on January 31, 2023. As long as you get your account opened before January 31st, you should be eligible. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $100 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
  • SoFi Money ($275) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $250 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
  • Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link.Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
  • Fairwinds Credit Union ($100) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
  • OnJuno ($60) – OnJuno is a fintech/neobank that is currently offering a $10 referral bonus if you open an account using a referral link and make a deposit of $50 or more. You will also get 1000 JCOIN. The 1000 of JCOIN is cryptocurrency. At the time I'm writing this, it'll be worth about $50. Check out my OnJuno referral bonus guide here.
  • Varo ($30) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $30 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
  • Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
  • Albert ($150) – If you can manage to do a real direct deposit, Albert is an easy account you can use to earn a referral bonus. Here’s a review about Albert I wrote. And here’s a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Albert referral bonus.
  • Netspend ($20 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $20 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $20 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
financial panther

Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.

Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.

Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:

  • SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $250 if you complete a direct deposit.
  • DCU. Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $100 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a savings account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000.
  • Novo Bank. Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. It’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog.
  • M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $10 for opening an account.
  • Personal Capital. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.

Feel free to send Kevin a message here.

Related

Read More

Filed Under: Career, guest post, Money System

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kevin Morison says

    November 21, 2019 at 1:45 pm

    Great post. And food for thought for those of us on the tail end of our careers who are contemplating next steps, short of full-bore retirement.

    Reply
    • Financial Panther says

      November 21, 2019 at 4:34 pm

      Get a job on the weekends at a golf course, then play free golf every day during the week!

      Reply
  2. Shoshana Balatow says

    November 21, 2019 at 8:08 pm

    Hi Kevin- love your blog!I’m a 70 year old who was laid off a tech start up in June of this year. I collected unemployment and then had some needed surgery so am on disability for about another month. I have my health insurance covered by Medicare, and my house payment by SSI. But I still have a gap of about $2000 a month which would help me live very comfortably. I want to work 20 hours a week, not full time. My time is entirely my own, and have been in sales, marketing and customer support my whole career. My other desire is to work remotely. Would appreciate your suggestions!

    Reply
    • Financial Panther says

      November 23, 2019 at 11:00 am

      So sounds like you need to make about $25 per hour if working 20 hours per week, right? Seems like you could do almost anything to make that much or get close to it.

      Reply
  3. 2018 Reader says

    November 21, 2019 at 10:11 pm

    Thanks, Kevin, for this post. I have been reading since late 2018 and have found your posts encouraging. Marissa has a great blog as well. Thanks to you I have subscribed to her blog. I look forward to the day when I feel as financially free as you two appear to be. I am working hard toward that goal while trying not to kill myself (by too much work) in the process.

    Reply
    • Financial Panther says

      November 23, 2019 at 11:01 am

      Thanks! I will say I’m not financially free, but what I do try to do is prioritize what makes me happy vs. just doing things for money. It’s interesting, I’m not financially independent and still have to work for a living, but because I seem to have much more of my time and enjoy my life more, it almost seems as if I am financially independent.

      Reply
      • Marissa @ The Unbillable Life says

        November 24, 2019 at 6:08 pm

        Hi there – Marissa here from The Unbillable Life! Thanks for checking out my site! I’ve been a follower (lurker, mainly!) of Kevin’s blog for some time now and love that I got to share a little bit of my story with his readers. Like Kevin, I’m not 100% financially independent, either, but have found some middle ground by working less traditional jobs that don’t feel much like work at all, in order to support myself and enjoy my life. There’s this other option that a lot of people forget exists, I think, where you are still working but not necessarily in the field you went to school for or are “supposed” to be working in. Sounds like you are on the right path, 2018 Reader!

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Close
Side Hustle Income(View Reports)
chart-icon
$147,309
Get exclusive content delivered right to your inbox.
My Reviews
Bank Signup Bonuses (Step-by-Step)
Chime Bank Bonus ($100) DCU Bonus ($100) Upgrade Bank Bonus ($100) SoFi Money ($275) Current Bank Bonus ($50) Fairwinds Credit Union Bonus ($100) Varo Bank Bonus ($30) OnJuno Bank Bonus ($60) Novo Business Bank Bonus ($40) Albert Cash Account ($150) Netspend Account Bonus ($20 + 5% Interest Savings Account)
Other Signup Bonuses
SoFi Invest ($25) Webull (6 stocks) Moomoo (10 stocks) M1 Finance ($10) Arcadia Power ($40)
Finance App Reviews
Albert Savings App Prism Bill Management App Bank Novo
Side Hustle Reviews
Doordash Uber Eats Grubhub Rover Pet Sitting Wag Dog Walker Shipt Grocery Shopper Airbnb Lime Scooter Charger Observa IVueIt
Most Commented
Popular
  • Insight Card: A Step-By-Step Guide to 5% Interest(690)
  • Netspend Account: 5% Interest Savings and $20 Signup Bonus(680)
  • The Ultimate Guide to Bank Account Bonuses(142)
  • Bird Charger and Lime Juicer – Side Hustling As An Electric Scooter Charger(125)
  • My Postmates Review: Getting Paid To Bike Around Town(78)
  • I Quit My Job – Rejecting The Clear Career Path And Going Out On My Own(76)
  • Barista FIRE: Not Quite Financial Independence, But Pretty Close
  • The Reverse Latte Factor – How You Can Side Hustle Your Way To Financial Independence
  • Where To Get 5% Interest Savings Accounts Now That Insight Is Gone
  • Monetize Your Life And Get Paid To Live
  • The Ultimate Guide to Bank Account Bonuses
  • Over 600,000 Miles Earned In One Year – A Recap Of My First Year of Travel Hacking

Footer

My Reviews

Bank Signup Bonuses (Step-by-Step)

Chime Bank Bonus ($100)
DCU Bonus ($100)
Upgrade Bank Bonus ($100)
SoFi Money ($275)


Current Bank Bonus ($50)

OnJuno Bank Bonus ($60)
Fairwinds Credit Union Bonus ($100)
Varo Bank Bonus ($30)
Novo Business Bank Bonus ($40)
Albert Cash Account ($150)




Netspend Account Bonus ($20 + 5% Interest Savings Account)

Other Signup Bonuses

SoFi Invest ($25)
M1 Finance ($10)

Webull ($27-$9,600)
Moomoo ($75-100)
Robinhood ($2.50-$200)
Arcadia Power ($40)

Finance App Reviews

Albert Savings App
Peak Money Savings App
Prism Bill Management App
Bank Novo

Side Hustle Reviews

Doordash
Uber Eats
Grubhub
Rover Pet Sitting
Wag Dog Walker
Shipt Grocery Shopper
Airbnb
Lime Scooter Charger
Observa
IVueIt

Popular Posts

The Ultimate List Of Gig Economy Apps
The Ultimate Guide to Bank Account Bonuses
Best Credit Card Offers For August 2021
The Dream of Barista FIRE
Coast FIRE
How To Get a 5% Interest Savings Account
Where To Get 5% Interest Savings Accounts
7 Best Cashback Apps That Everyone Should Use
Other Reviews

GEN3 Outcross Electric Bike
Varla Eagle One Electric Scooter
Himiway Escape Electric Bike
Espin Sport
Fucare H3 Scooter
Ororo Heated Jacket

Recent Posts

  • I Will Never Recommend Crypto
  • Redshift Arclight Pedals Review – Increase Your Visibility With These Awesome Light Up Pedals
  • November and December 2022 Side Hustle Report – $2,395.86
  • Hiboy S2R Review – A Great Commuter Scooter With A Removable Battery
  • October 2022 Side Hustle Report – $1,131.79
  • About
  • Blog
  • Side Hustle Reports
  • Best Credit Card Offers
  • Current Money Bonuses
  • 70+ Side Hustle Apps/Gigs
  • Bank Account Bonuses
  • Student Loan Strategy
  • Archives
  • Press

Copyright © 2023 · Genesis Sample on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Copyright © 2023 FinancialPanther.com. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy * Disclaimer * Affiliate Policy * Contact Us