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After 2 rounds of interview (1 hour each) , Deloitte usi hr is telling me that due to organisational restructuring the offers are on hold. Got a salary discussion call last Thrusday (no pre hire survey) . Last working day in a week. Any suggestions? Cloud Data engineer CBO unit Deloitte Deloitte USI
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What are the best cities to live in for FIRE?
Decided to payoff my mortgage.
Enthusiast
Sooo AMC.. who’s in?
😂
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Subject Expert
You have a big EF, and she is still earning, so unless the unemployment is very long you should be fine.
I would not go changing anything right away, but start thinking about what you would do to cut spending to $12k or $10k or $8k if you did decide to.
When do you intend to retire? Will you also spend $15k a month in retirement? How much were you saving every year before the layoff?
No romance till i fix it. :-)
Start stacking up cash until you are laid off. Pause retirement if you really feel layoff is imminent. We have a 5 month emergency fund for a high HHI VHCOL family and I feel stressed about it. Would like to have 6-9 months in cash.
You have 62 months of expenses in taxable accounts, 18 of them in cash.
Lol
How old are you both and are you in a HCOL?
What’s the breakdown of the $15k+ expenses a month? That’s quite high.
So we looked at this and we are close to 10k and that incudes 3200 mortgage primary home, $1700 ..529, gas, water, electricity, kid classes (math, tennis, dance), our own classes. All expenses we will not compromise on. The addition was house help and travel which we have already eliminated as soon as we heard that this year end of mine was not great. Also actively applying
…collectivity in 401 k. Our expenses / month lets say approx 15k or higher. Why are we so stressed and feel not prepared. Where can we optimize. Serious suggestions pls. Stressful times
Subject Expert
Pretty much this.
Some stress is good, embrace it.
Will it lead you to lower your expenses to a more sustainable lower stress lifestyle?
Will it lead you find a more secure job?
Will you learn new skills so you’d feel confident you can find a new job?
Or will you carry on and probably be just fine anyway?
Only you can say
I am 48 and wife is 45 and we are in Chicago suburbs - high taxes
Bro you aren’t really $3.8M net worth. Conservatively you are $2.2M liquid net worth, the rest is tied up in primary house and rental housing, which are illiquid as sin.
Subject Expert
It's not "inflated" by that; it includes that.
Why don't you say what you mean instead of saying something wrong then condescendingly explaining you meant something else?
What use do you think this is to the OP?
Similar situation. I the wife am considering step back with young children albeit not as sudden here’s where ai gave me help planning:
You are in a phase where the priority shifts from “optimize for maximum wealth accumulation” to “optimize for resilience, optionality, and nervous-system stability.”
That does not mean shrinking your life dramatically. It means redesigning cash flow so your fixed obligations stop requiring heroic performance.
Given your profile:
* high historical income,
* meaningful assets,
* multiple properties,
* young children,
* likely recurring health volatility,
* and a possible third child,
…the biggest risk is not bankruptcy.
It’s getting trapped in a high-burn lifestyle with low flexibility while your earning capacity becomes inconsistent.
You likely have far more levers than you realize before resorting to high-interest debt.
The main framework
You want to:
1. Reduce mandatory monthly burn
2. Increase liquidity runway
3. Preserve upside assets
4. Avoid panic asset sales
5. Protect family stability
6. Buy time for recovery / reinvention
That is very different from “cut everything.”
⸻
First: classify your expenses correctly
You probably currently have three buckets blended together:
A. True quality-of-life spending
Things that genuinely improve your family’s life:
* childcare support
* cleaners
* healthy food
* therapy/PT/massage
* flexible travel
* time-saving services
* proximity/location advantages
These may actually be worth preserving.
⸻
B. Status/default affluent spending
Usually:
* oversized housing payment relative to flexibility
* luxury subscriptions
* duplicate conveniences
* over-insured warranties/services
* aspirational renovations
* carrying underutilized assets
* lifestyle creep from “we can afford it”
These often create surprisingly little happiness per dollar.
⸻
C. Cash-flow killers
These are dangerous during LTD:
* high fixed mortgages
* HELOCs
* variable-rate debt
* expensive vehicles
* underperforming real estate
* properties with negative carry
* projects mid-construction
* recurring discretionary commitments that feel “locked in”
These matter far more than groceries or restaurants.
⸻
Your biggest lever is probably housing structure
You already know this intuitively.
You likely do not need to slash daily spending if you can reduce:
* mortgage burden,
* vacancy risk,
* repair volatility,
* or dead equity.
That’s where affluent households get crushed during income disruption.
Possible levers:
1. Recast mortgage
Very underused.
If you have liquidity somewhere:
* bonuses,
* taxable brokerage,
* cash reserves,
* family help,
* asset sale proceeds,
…you may be able to:
* put down a lump sum,
* keep your existing low interest rate,
* and reduce monthly payment substantially.
….This is often far superior to refinancing in a high-rate environment.
Especially important because you mentioned a 15-year mortgage.
A recast can dramatically improve cash flow while preserving your low rate.
⸻
2. Refinance longer term even at higher rates
Counterintuitive but sometimes correct.
If:
* cash flow matters more than total interest,
* income is uncertain,
* stress reduction matters,
then a 30-year at a higher rate can still help.
You are buying:
* survivability,
* flexibility,
* reduced monthly obligations.
For someone with chronic health uncertainty, this can be rational.
⸻
3. HELOC before income deteriorates further
Critical point.
Banks lend when you look healthy financially.
A HELOC is best viewed as:
* emergency liquidity,
* bridge capital,
* optionality,
* not spending money.
Getting one established before further LTD complications can be smart even if unused.
⸻
4. Evaluate each property ruthlessly
Not emotionally.
For every property ask:
“If I didn’t already own this, would I buy it today in my current health/income situation?”
That question clarifies a lot.
Particularly examine:
* DC property
* Colorado property
* carrying costs
* vacancy risk
* emotional attachment vs strategic utility
One underperforming property can quietly drain enormous mental and financial energy.
⸻
Your goal should probably be “high-quality lower-burn”
Not austerity.
Examples:
Keep:
* nanny support if it preserves marriage/health
* cleaners
* meal support
* childcare flexibility
* health optimization spending
* relationship-enhancing experiences
These protect the system.
⸻
Reduce:
* housing overhead
* renovation ambitions
* speculative spending
* duplicate subscriptions/services
* luxury consumption with low marginal happiness
* overly large travel expectations
* high-maintenance assets
No reply from anywhere, applied to over 50 jobs. Feelin like i have to start from scratch and never felt so dark
Director and up in transformation, strategy and apps. Seasoned strategy SM with erp background. . Maybe i should target lower?