37, married, $600k assets, left stable firefighter job to run a business — why do I feel financially behind?
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I’m 37, married, and we don’t have children. My wife and I have around $600k in assets and our only debt is our mortgage, which is about $1,500/month.
About 4 years ago, I left my full-time job as a firefighter to run my business full time. The business has been growing slowly. Gross revenue has increased, but I’ve been reinvesting heavily back into the business, so I’ve taken very little personally.
Because of that, my personal finances have felt flat for the last 4 years. I’ve still been contributing to my Roth IRA and personal trading account, roughly around $12k/year, but I can’t help feeling like I’m behind compared to others.
I know comparison is the thief of joy, but I’m trying to figure out if this feeling is rational. Maybe it’s because I’m getting close to 40 (2 more years), because I left a stable career, because business growth has been slower than I expected, or because I’m overthinking it. I do not regret leaving a safe salary considering f.f was not longer something I enjoyed, and business has given me true freedom to express myself, my desires and is pushing me to grow as a person further.
Current asset breakdown as a couple:
- Home equity: $175k
- 457(b): $175k
- Roth IRA: $80k
- Webull/trading account: $16k
- HYSA: $145k
Going into retirement, my wife should receive a public school teacher pension, and I should receive a small pension from my 10 years in fire service.
I also have some anxiety about retirement. I think part of it comes from seeing elders in my family work very late in life because they needed the job, and that has been a fear of mine for a long time.
Are my thoughts rational? Has anyone else felt financially “behind” even when the numbers looked okay on paper? Am I actually behind, or is this more of a mindset/anxiety issue from leaving a stable job and building a business?
As I approach my late 30s, it seems my stress around money has only increased even though I am further than I thought I would be when I was 27. At the same time, I still feel behind with my own vision on many days. Just trying to find that balance.. because life to me is also not about work only. Which is what I am going to really adjust starting now.. to spend a bit of cash and live a bit more.