Realistic Next Steps for Living Life Now?

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Realistic Next Steps for Living Life Now?

Jill on Money with Jill Schlesinger
Date: May 6, 2026
Host: Jill Schlesinger, CFP®
Featured Listener/Guest: Andy from the Northeast

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Overview of the Episode

Jill Schlesinger takes a deep dive into the intersection of financial planning and quality-of-life choices. This episode revolves around a listener call from Andy, who, following recent health and life events, is re-examining how work, money, and lifestyle can align for a more fulfilling present—rather than focusing solely on future retirement. The discussion centers on actionable strategies for balancing prudent financial decisions with the desire to “live life now,” including major topics like commuting, housing decisions, retirement savings, and the difficult tradeoffs many listeners face.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Listener Introduction and Motivation

• Andy (07:08): Calls in seeking an assessment of her and her husband's financial situation, and insight into making decisions that enhance life quality today, not just in retirement.
• Recent Impacts: Health scares and friends’ life events have prompted Andy to reflect on enjoying life in the present, rather than being solely retirement-focused.
  “I’m a planner… but then you realize that it’s not really up to you.” (C, 09:16)

2. Financial Snapshot

Ages: Andy (55), Husband (58)
Combined Income: ~$350,000/year
Children: One, financially independent
Primary Assets:

• Husband: $1.2M Traditional IRA, $20K Roth IRA, $310K Roth 401(k)
• Andy: $650K 403(b), $145K Roth IRA, future pension ($8,100/mo at full term)
• Home: $850K value, $65K mortgage at 2.5%
• High-yield savings: $90K
• No current brokerage account (used for college funding)
• Shared ownership in a country home (worth $450K; own 50%)

3. Quality of Life vs. Financial Optimization

Commuting Issue:

• Andy’s commute is 1 hour (best-case) to up to 2 hours each way.
• Jill and producer Mark are incredulous at the toll this takes:
  “If you want to know how to enjoy your life more… it’s not spending three to four and a half hours in a car every day. That is not fun.” (A, 21:27)

Possible Actions Discussed:

• Staying put and enduring commute until pension vests (8 years)
• Selling current home, renting closer to work for improved quality of life
• Renting instead of immediately buying, to maintain flexibility and test neighborhoods
  “You can always buy something. Nothing is getting away from you.” (A, 23:17)

Market Outlook:

• Jill reassures Andy that the major run up in property values has likely peaked, lessening the fear of being priced out if she rents and buys later.

4. Retirement Savings Strategy

• Jill affirms Andy and her husband’s strong financial position, noting pension, SS, and ample retirement savings put them in an enviable spot.
• Discussions around whether to:
  • Focus on maxing Roth options (especially 457 Roth)
  • Build a taxable brokerage account for near-term goals (e.g., buying out other property share)
• Advice to avoid putting more into pre-tax accounts, as they already have significant pre-tax assets.
• Roth conversions not needed at present; revisit in 8 years when work status changes.

Quote:
“You have a lot of money that’s already pre-tax… I wouldn’t put new money into traditional. But I think you’re in great shape.” (A, 25:52)

5. Emphasis on Flexibility and Prioritizing Living Now

• Jill reiterates that financial planning shouldn’t be solely about future optimization but should “translate into different opportunities.” (A, 28:24)
• Encourages Andy (and all listeners) to give themselves permission to improve their lives now, given their financial discipline and resources.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Generational Work Shifts:
“I understand the idea that, hey, maybe that isn’t the be-all, end-all—to do it like we did it… I’m way in your camp.” (A, 07:39)

On Commuting Strain:
“If you want to know how… you can be healthier… instead of waking up at 5… you can wake up at like 6 and go to the gym or do something, take a nice walk… that, to me, is how you extend your work life.” (A, 21:22)

On Renting vs. Buying:
“You can always buy something… The market’s already gotten away. You are basically selling the top of the housing market in terms of values. It’s already gone up by 50% in the last five years. It ain’t going up 50% in the next five years.” (A, 23:34)

On Financial Freedom and Choices:
“All of this is to say that if something changed and you wanted to make a different decision, you’ve got plenty of money to make that decision.” (A, 25:35)

On Taking Action:
“The whole reason that your house is worth this much money is because the housing market exploded. Now you’re just going to take advantage of it. Go find yourself a rental, make that commute shorter… you have plenty of money… So take advantage of that and get out of that car.” (A, 27:23)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [07:08] – Andy introduces her concerns: life changes, work-life balance, retirement, Roth conversions.
• [08:59] – Health events and the mindset shift.
• [10:40] – Detailed rundown of retirement assets.
• [11:54] – The draw of pension benefits, but at the cost of an extended commute.
• [15:07] – Expenses and lifestyle snapshot.
• [20:54] – Commute: the true cost, debate on logistics and lifestyle implications.
• [22:40] – Practical rental costs, husband’s support for making a change.
• [24:38] – Roth conversion and retirement account optimization advice.
• [25:52] – Jill’s directive: shift savings to Roth or brokerage, acknowledge strengths.
• [27:23] – Jill’s final push: “get out of that car,” seize the moment, assure financial security.

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Summary Table: Situation & Recommendations

| Topic | Current Situation | Recommendations | |------------------------|----------------------------|--------------------------------------------------| | Housing | $850K home, $65K mortgage, long commute | Sell home, rent closer to work for flexibility; use equity to build savings and brokerage. | | Retirement Savings | Strong, mix of Roth & traditional; future pension | Shift future contributions to Roth options; maximize brokerage for short-term goals. | | Roth Conversions | Some Roths, mostly traditional | No hurry; reconsider in ~8 years post-career. | | Quality of Life | Long commute, money-conscious | Prioritize living now; don’t delay happiness or flexibility due to sunk costs. | | Family & Inheritance | Shared country home, potential future buyout | Use future liquid savings for buyout, no urgency. | | Overall Readiness | Excellent financial health, some anxiety about timing | Take calculated “risks” to improve daily living, reassured by strong financial footing. |

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Takeaways for Listeners

• Financial security creates choice: When you’ve “done everything right,” it’s valid to use your money to improve your life now—not just in the distant future.
• Quality of life isn’t a luxury for later: Don't unduly sacrifice daily well-being (like with a miserable commute) when you have the means to make better choices.
• Flexibility is valuable: Renting can be a strategic move, not a fallback.
• Planning is about opportunity, not just protection: Use your plan to open doors, not close off your present.

Jill’s closing encouragement:
“You guys have done a great job. So take advantage of that and get out of that car… if you have an ability to change the quality of life, to improve it, do it.” (A, 27:50)

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For future listener calls, visit Jill on Money and click “Contact Us”—live calls allow for nuance and tailored help!

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Transcript

[A]

Hey gang, when summertime rolls around, there's probably a lot of exciting plans. Maybe there's a big trip or you're doing something really fun. And if you're like me, sometimes this brings a heightened awareness of what you need to do to protect everyone in your life. Maybe you're wondering if something happened unexpectedly, how would that impact my family? Well, now you can stop putting off life insurance and check it off your list with policygenius. And it's an online marketplace where you can compare quotes from top insurers side by side for free. And their licensed team walks you through everything, coverage, pricing, all of it. So there's no guesswork. So instead of a summertime worry, it's a summertime win. You'll get that peace of mind knowing you've got the solid safety net in place. With Policygenius, you can see if you can find 20 year life insurance policy starting at just $276 a year for a million dollars in coverage. And head to policygenius.com to compare life insurance quotes from top companies and see how much you could save. That's policygenius.com Most leaders have a clear picture of how work is supposed to get done, but almost no visibility into how it's actually happening day to day. Without that visibility, you're making critical decisions like where to automate or where AI will be most impactful based on assumptions and gut feel, not data. That's what today's sponsor, Scribe Optimize was built to solve. Trusted by 80,000 enterprises, including nearly half of the Fortune 500. Scribe captures how your team actually works across every tool in the background. No workshops, no manual discovery. When you log into the Optimize dashboard, you see exactly which workflows are happening right now, where the biggest inefficiencies are and AI powered recommendations to fix them. With estimated time savings built in all on admin approved apps with sensitive info automatically redacted. The kind of visibility that used to take months. Now it's just always on. Stop guessing and start seeing. Visit Scribe How Jill that's S C R I B E How Jill welcome to the Jill on Money Show. It's Wednesday, May 6th 6th and we are here talking through whatever is going on with you in your financial life. Now it is different for each one of us and I know some of you listen to this program every day and you feel like oh, there's only this type of person or this type of person. If you want to reflect what type of person you are then you should get in touch with us, just go to our website, jillonmoney.com in the upper right hand corner there is a contact us button. When you click that button, a form will pop up. That's the email that we receive. When you write that email, Mark responds to it and it's all great. And what he's going to try to do is see if you check the little box that says yes, you want to join us on the air live? Why is that so much better? Because Mark and I are voyeurs. We love to hear your stories in your own voices. Of course, of course we love to get the emails, but we can change your name, we can change your location, we can anonymize you, we like to have you on the program. We can ask follow up questions, we can be nosy and you know, we won't reveal anything that will expose you, I promise. Okay, so with that said, while you are on the website, you should absolutely subscribe to the free weekly newsletter which comes out on Fridays. And that will also entitle you to our blog, which, you know, I write a blog every so often when this, when, you know, something strikes me, usually once a week. Maybe I'll start blogging more. Mark, once the radio day is over. Maybe Monday will be my day. Maybe I'll do it one at the beginning of the week and one at the end of the week. I don't know. I could get into that a little bit more writing. Big changes coming for me at CBS because the radio division shutting down and we are going to be launching a brand new, brand new podcast. It's kind of not brand new.

[B]

Not our third podcast. We're just.

[A]

Brandon, can I just say something? Can we. Do you think, do we think that the overlords at Paramount are listening to this show or not?

[B]

Zero chance.

[A]

Okay, so then let us speak very openly. The overlords at Paramount came to us and said, we love your Money Watch podcast, but we want to put it out in a slightly different format and we really want to focus on 30 to 45 year olds. And I was like, that's good. We've been trying to do that, but you know, sometimes like people who want to come on the show, it's different anyway, so then they say, how do you feel about rebranding Money Watch to a new name? And we'll drop it on Tuesdays and Thursdays and it's, it's going to be really focusing on people 30 to 45 years old. I said, you know what, that's awesome. Mark, are you just out of the demo. Poor you. But you seem younger. You do seem younger.

[B]

Yeah. I am officially out of that demo. That's correct.

[A]

Oh, my God. You're 45 plus. It's a terrible place for you to be. Really awful. Stuck with us. No, I think it's going to be fun for lots of people if you have kids, if, you know younger folks 30 to 45. What we're going to do is we're going to really refresh the podcast and we are going to make it video. Because the kids, they only like video, I guess, right, Mark? That's. That's where the thesis is, by the way, when you think about, like, everything on video, the money is all made with audio. The model is really that the money gets made when you guys download the podcast. And we can sell ads against it. So the more people who download the podcast, the better it is. Fine. They want more people listening. I want more people listening. And they also want video. But, you know, the video. We'll see. Mark has been begging me to do video for a long time, so. So this is a good excuse. Now Mark has to become a video editor. So, Mark, how are you feeling about that potential in the future?

[B]

I'm just taking it in stride, one day at a time. This is. I see this as an experiment. We'll see what happens.

[A]

I know, but if you guys make it successful, then we'll keep doing it.

[B]

Well, then it becomes more than an experiment.

[A]

Exactly. So we got. I think we have six months to really test. So let's see. Of course, the overlords haven't approved our name yet. We're down to four names. We're testing all of them. And. And as soon as we have the name, we'll tell you. And then. Anyway, if you're subscriber to this program, Jill on Money, I also encourage you to subscribe to Money Watch, which will. We're just going to change the name. The feed's going to remain the same, and there'll be new cover art, and it'll be very fun. So we're excited about that. It is starting, I guess, in a month, which is crazy because Mark and I are not really ready for it. But, you know, we're getting new mics, we're getting. What else are we getting? Cameras. Are we getting cameras? Yeah, we're getting cameras, mics, and what drops.

[B]

I'm sort of backdrop.

[A]

Oh, yeah. Backdrop to the name of the show. I know. Anyway, that's what we were talking about right before we came on the air, because Mark's like, they haven't ordered anything yet. Okay, well, they'll get there because our first show is in less than a month. So anyway, this show is still the priority. This is the mothership. The other show is for them, this is for us. So today we are so blessed because we are speaking to Andy from the northeast. Hello, Andy. How are you?

[C]

Hi, Jill. I'm well. Thanks for having me.

[A]

Of course. What's going on? How are you? What's, what's. What can we do for you?

[C]

Well, first I'd like to just get a sense of how we're doing. I have a few questions about Roth conversions, whether it makes sense for us and just, you know, some general quality of life decisions, looking ahead and just, you know, due to just some, I think, life altering things that have happened and just kind of thinking about working to live versus working just to focus on retirement.

[A]

Andy, I had the funniest conversation with an oldster who's like me who was complaining about like, I don't know how old you are, but we'll find out in a second who was saying, like, you know, these kids, they really want an award for working and they don't work hard enough. And I said, I get it. That like we came up a certain way. I'm 60, and there was a certain work ethic that was expected. But I also understand the idea that, hey, maybe that isn't the be all end all to do it like we did it. So I want to hear about these quality of life decisions because I think it so matters. I am way in your camp. First of all, Andy, how old are you?

[C]

I am 55 and my husband is 58.

[A]

Okay, and are you both working full time?

[C]

We are.

[A]

Okay. And you have kids?

[C]

We have one who is launched.

[A]

Oh, how did you do it? How did you do it? Tell the folks out there. What is the secret?

[C]

There really isn't one. Luck truly. We, we, we were just lucky truly.

[A]

Okay. All right. But launched and out of the house and you're both working. How much you guys earning?

[C]

We earn about 350,000 per year.

[A]

Okay, and so you said there was a life altering something. What happened?

[C]

There have just been some health issues over the past year. Just very kind of crazy things that have just come up. And I think too, just at our age, we've just noticed friends that have had some things happen and it just gets you thinking.

[A]

Totally plan.

[C]

And I'm a planner, so I think, you know, life might have a different plan. So I think you can set goals and follow a certain path. But then you realize that it's not. Not really up to you.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. Right. And you can make plans that allow you the opportunity to make different choices. That's the other thing I think people forget about. It's like, well, why did you do all the saving and working in this if you didn't want to? If you don't have to feel like you're a slave to it now you have some choices. So, Andy, when you put money aside into retirement funds, do you have money in a traditional or Roth? What's going on in terms of savings?

[C]

So far it's a combination within our retirement accounts. We didn't always have the option for Roth. In my husband's accounts, we have a traditional IRA that has about 1.2 million in it.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

He has a Roth IRA that has about 20,000. And then within his employ for his employment at this point, he has about 310,000 in a Roth 401K.

[A]

Okay, so that's Roth. Great. Okay, perfect. Will he be entitled to any pension?

[C]

No, he will not.

[A]

Okay. Okay, so 1.2 traditional IRA work plan is the Roth 401K. 310 Roth IRA 20. Now that's, that's just him. Now, how about you?

[C]

On my end, I have a 403B that has about 650 in it. 650,000. And I have a Roth IRA that has 145,000.

[A]

Will you be entitled to a pension?

[C]

I will be.

[A]

Tell us about the pension benefit, like when it kicks in or what your plans are for it.

[C]

If, if I can make it till the end, the, the full benefit would be about 8,100 per month. And with the survivor benefit, it would be about 7,300 per month.

[A]

And when you say the end, what does the end mean?

[C]

That would hope that fully be about eight years.

[A]

Eight more years.

[C]

Eight more years. That's.

[A]

Stop it. You already sound exhausted right now. There's no way of getting there for eight years. What happens if you left today and you let it percolate for eight years? Would that, what would the benefit be? Do you know?

[C]

The benefit at this point would be a very low percentage, maybe 30% of my full time income. But the, the little caveat to that is that there would be health insurance.

[A]

What's your income?

[C]

It would be based on 130,000 for me. I make a little bit more with other work that wouldn't be factored into the pension.

[A]

Okay, but eight years does sound like a long time. The way you just kind of prepped us for where you stand? No. Does it seem long to you? It sounded long, like you sounded tired today.

[C]

It doesn't. It doesn't. It's in the big scheme of things, working doesn't seem. Eight years doesn't seem like a big deal. But we live a good distance from where I work, so.

[A]

You got a bad commute?

[C]

I do, and I can do it. I think. I don't want to leave money on the table, but it's also just that juxtaposition of it keeps us very solidly located in one region. And I think just given different family things, just different events, some of the appeal of maybe having a little bit of location independence wouldn't be a bad thing.

[A]

Yeah. Okay. Well. Okay, so you've given me your retirement assets. Do you guys have a brokerage account as well?

[C]

We do not. We used that to help fund college.

[A]

She drained you. She just drained you. God. Okay, what about bank accounts? Just boring, safe money.

[C]

Yeah. We have 90,000 in a high yield savings account.

[A]

Great. And tell us about the house. That is, you know, a long commute for you. How much is the house worth?

[C]

It's about $850,000.

[A]

And is there a mortgage that remains?

[C]

There is. Which is about $65,000.

[A]

The interest rate is 2.5%. Gosh. Any other real estate besides your primary?

[C]

We have a share in a home in the country that my husband's from, and we would eventually like to buy that out.

[A]

Hmm. What percentage of it does he own?

[C]

The 50%? We own half.

[A]

And what's it worth?

[C]

And the conversion's probably about $450,000.

[A]

So he has to come up with $225,000 to buy out the other person.

[C]

Exactly.

[A]

Okay, what is the game plan with your husband in terms of how long he would like to work?

[C]

I think we would both like to work as long as we could. And even if we phased out of the positions that we are in, we wouldn't. We would really enjoy working part time. I think we're both people that enjoy work and find it very fulfilling. So I think we both would be people that would like to work as long as we can. That aside, I think that if down the road, we were fortunate to become grandparents, we might want to make some changes based on that. But that might be a ways down the road.

[A]

Well, let me ask you this. If you're both working, you're making a lot of money. I'm sure you're probably both. You're maxing out with the catch up contribution to retirement accounts. Is that right?

[C]

We're not doing the catch up contributions, we're maxing out. And I guess that's one of our questions. Should we be putting more in that. Should we be putting more in a brokerage account, putting it in a traditional high yield savings account to be able to pay off this other property? You know, those are some of the questions.

[A]

And right now on your 350, what do you spend per month?

[C]

Probably about 8,000 per month would be.

[A]

Oh, okay, that's pretty. That's great. That's wonderful. So the most likely scenario is that you keep working for eight years and then you start phasing out. So, right, you're at 63. At 63, you know, you kind of dial it back. But can we just pretend eight years and that's it? Just so we don't even have to worry about you working part time? Sure. Okay, good. And then at that time, you have this. Either $8,100 a month, your life, 7,300 with the Survivor benefit. Kind of like amazing in terms of that, that covers a big chunk of your need. And then I guess the next question I have for you is, in terms of making your life, your quality of life better, would it be possible to sell your current home and move closer to work or rent closer to work? Like. Or is that like. No way. We love where we are.

[C]

Well, I think that was one of our questions for you. Because if yes, we could sell where we from, where we are and move closer, which would be more expensive as people who hate debt. And I have refrained on overpaying on the mortgage, although I did it before listening to you.

[A]

Two and a half percent. You're killing me, girl.

[C]

I know. So we could do that, and then we would probably assume more debt to do that.

[A]

Why? Wait a second. Wait a. Wait, wait, wait, wait. I'm not suggesting you buy something. I'm saying that you rent for a while and see how it goes. Why do we have to. Why do I have to buy something immediately?

[C]

Well, I think our fear had been losing, you know, a share in the market. And if prices go up, I think that's probably everybody's fear. But do you think you want to

[A]

stay in your general area for long term or do you think that you will be having some sort of split life between the second home and where you are now?

[C]

More that I think what we would like to do ideally is, is move some place outside of this area and then split our time between the two locations. And that's.

[A]

That would be like post Retirement though, Right, Exactly. I see. So let's just make, let's play it out. Okay, so let, so you, let's just pretend for all intents and purposes, you just want to put yourself last and you want to keep commuting and have a horrible commute and you stay where you are for eight years. Eight years is a long time of commuting. I'm sorry I can't make many, so many more podcasts for you to listen to. Let's just say. So then you say, all right, then we sell, we move outside the area, we sell the house. We have whatever the proceeds are of our house, we use some portion of that to buy a condo or something cheaper and we'll be able to buy out the other half of the house, general. And then you're like, let's just say you spent no more money. There is no other mortgage. That's that. So that's one option, right? Option two. Right. So option two is like sell now, start renting closer to your workplace and see how that goes. You can always buy something. It's an amazing thing. You can always buy something, but you don't really know where you want to be just yet. And I have a, I presume that there's some issue around. Not issue, but there would be some idea around. Like you said, if you're my daughter, God, had a baby or something, I might want to be closer to them. But that you would, you know, sell now, rent for a while, eventually buy. But you could certainly use whatever proceeds you have. And do you have a timeline on when you want to buy out the other person in the share of your second home?

[C]

We don't, but I would assume that it would be probably in the next five years. So we would, we definitely would have time to save up that money. Money for sure.

[A]

Okay. I mean, so there's, there's, so there's a lot of options is what I guess I'm saying to you. So you could do, stay where you are. You could sell now, rent. You could sell now, buy something smaller, closer to work and then sell that eventually. But you know, something that is a different lifestyle. So now we are at this place where you say, you know, you had a lot of different things you mentioned. I always take notes when people come on the air. We've had life altering issues, right? Nothing terrible. We wanna make quality of life decisions. We're thinking what our options are. So what I say is that if you guys find work enjoyable and fulfilling right now and you plan to work for eight more Years, you know, you're gonna have this big pension. You'll both end up having Social Security. Eventually you'll be able to pay for everything. And you have a lot of money and there's not a problem. You will be able to buy half of the house. You'll be debt free in your own house. It'll all be great, it'll all be per. Okay, no problems. I think the biggest question you have to ask yourself is, you know, given these life altering issues, given you want to be thinking about quality of life, what are you willing to really consider to make your life better? And that to me is a decision on your end more than anything else. I hate commuting, Mark. Well, I just want to be clear. Mark, come on the mic for a second. We have. I had to get him to commit to leaving Brooklyn and showing up at the CBS broadcast center tomorrow. And he was like,

[B]

it's a one off.

[A]

He says to me, you know, you better tell them I'm not coming to the broadcast center. Like, I'm not. Just to be clear, like, I get quality of life. Mark, do you think that Andy and her husband should consider selling and getting closer? How long is the commute right now?

[C]

On a good day in the morning it's maybe an hour.

[B]

Oh, forget it.

[A]

Oh my God, listen to him.

[B]

And it's never good.

[A]

Yeah, on a good day, it's got to be a bad day is an hour and a half, right?

[C]

Yeah. And I know you get up early, but I leave it in absurdly early hours. So I think that that, that helps the.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

On the way home it can be anywhere from over an hour to two hours.

[A]

Dude, you have got to do something different.

[B]

Only eight more years. Just eight more years.

[A]

Eight years of this? Are you kidding? No, you can't. I mean, all right, you can choose to do whatever you want. I. Okay, you can afford to take this. You can afford to do this. All right, so I want to explain something. You. If you want to know how to enjoy your life more and have better balance, it's not spending three to four and a half hours in a car every day, that is not fun. And if you want to know how like you can be healthier and be able to. Instead waking up at 5 o' clock in the morning, you can wake up at like 6 and go to the gym or do something, take a nice walk in the morning and then go to work. Like that to me is how you extend your work life. So if that's the idea, I absolutely think that you should Consider getting out of what you have. And what would it cost me for you guys to rent something that you'd want to be in that's closer to work. Doesn't have to be like, in the same place, but closer. That is like, reasonable. And is your husband willing to do this with us?

[C]

Oh, my husband's more than willing to do this.

[A]

Oh. He's like, I'm out of here.

[C]

Yeah, no, I'm the problem for sure. I think, you know, I think if it were, it probably could be up to about 5,000 per month.

[A]

All right, so let's say five grand a month. See that? I just did it. Five.

[B]

Sell the house.

[A]

All the house. Sell the house. You have the equity put aside, like a little bit of money just so you have it. Like you already have 90 grand in your high yield savings account. So if you just want to make yourself feel better, like every year, make sure you have an extra 60 grand in the bank in the high yield savings account just so you can pay your rent. The rest of the money can start a brokerage account. All right. By the way, you're debt free. How good do you feel? You then have that brokerage account building over the next five years. Not a guarantee, but it's going to grow by something over five years. And you are going to be able to buy out the other home, the other person in the. In the second home. So you'll have that. And then you're going to learn about, like, what do you. Like, you'll have the, the freedom and you'll buy something. What do you mean? Like, oh, I'm so worried the market's going to get. The market's already gotten away. You are basically selling the top of the housing market in terms of values. It's already gone up by 50% in the last five years. It ain't going up 50% in the next five years. I can promise you that. And so what I see is give yourself a better quality of life. Rent. See how it goes. Maybe you find yourself like a little something. Maybe there's like a pied a tear. That's like instead of you spending having 850,000, you're like, okay, I can do something for half a million. Or maybe not. Maybe you just say, I'm going to rent for eight years and then you'll figure it out. You can always buy something. Nothing's good. Nothing is so terrible getting away from you. You've got a ton of money saved. You really do, and there's no problem. But your problem is a Solvable problem, which is you have a terrible commute and you have the money to make it different. I say go for it. Do you think Andy's convinced?

[B]

I don't know if she's convinced, to be honest with you. I mean, I'm convinced. And it would make the next. If she chooses to stay for eight more years, it would make the next eight years so much more easier. Then you get that pension and you guys forget it. Everything's.

[A]

It's a gravy. It's gravy. And by the way, you also mentioned something about Roth conversions. I wouldn't necessarily start converting this minute. I think in eight years what you'll start to do is you'll start to then consider whether or not you need to convert. You can maybe just pull money out of the accounts. You're using the Roth retirement accounts right now for both of you. Right. You're putting new money. New money going in is going into Roth or going into traditional.

[C]

Right now, on my husband's end, it's going into Roth. My 403, it's not. Although we do have a 457 Roth that I could perhaps start investing in.

[A]

I might do that.

[C]

Do that and do the brokerage account or just focus on a brokerage account.

[A]

Mark, I think doing the 457 Roth version makes sense, don't you?

[B]

Yeah. If you're going to be working for the next eight years, if that's the game plan and you have a Roth option, I would use the Roth.

[A]

I would, too. And listen, all of this is to say that if something changed and you wanted to make a different decision, you've got plenty of money to make that decision. You really do.

[C]

I'm able to do both the 403 and the 457. Would you do both or would you just do one?

[B]

No, pre. I don't think you need any tax money.

[A]

I agree. You have a lot of money that's already pre tax. Right. Because he's got the 1.2 million and you've got 650. Like, we already are going to have to deal with that down the line. Maybe not this minute, but we're going to have to deal with that. So I wouldn't put new. Any. I wouldn't put new money into traditional. But I think you're in great shape. Andy and I take quality of life quite seriously. And I think commuting is a total bummer. Hey, I know people. You, you. You're all out there and you're like, oh, yeah, you know But I do this, this, this. And it's great if you can do it, but it gets harder and harder. And I think you're in such a good situation, you have the ability to do it. That's the thing. That's amazing. And especially I thought you were going to say to me, oh, no, my husband loves the big house and the lawn, and we can't do that. But it sounds like he's on board.

[C]

Oh, more than on board.

[A]

He's ready to rock. He's like, I'm done. All right, well, let's go get you a spot. Get, get, get. Go look into this and everyone who listens. I know that many of us come came of age owning, but I want to be clear. You can always buy something. So if you're renting and you're. You stumble on something, you have assets you'll be able to buy. It won't be a hardship. It won't. And, and, and what is the. Is the market going to jump by again? I. The market has gone up. Valuations of homes have gone up by about, let's say, 45% since 2020. Do I think that's going to continue? No, it's already slowing down, by the way. So I think you're in a good situation. The whole reason that your house is worth this much money is because the housing market exploded. So now you're just going to take advantage of it. Go find yourself a rental, make that commute shorter, and be clear that you'll always have a chance to buy. You have plenty of money. You guys have done a great job. You really have. So take advantage of that and get out of that car. Do some stretching. Do you have a back pillow? I have a back pillow in my car.

[C]

I don't, but I listen to a

[A]

lot of podcasts besides ours. How dare you.

[C]

You should just make just your gestures.

[A]

All right. I thought. All right, Andy, good luck to you. And just be clear that we're here for you and for everyone. Listening. Quality of life matters. It matters wherever you are, whether you're 23 or 43 or 83. So if you have an ability to change, change the quality of life, to improve it. And you know, what's really most important here is that we are listening to you. We are wondering, what is it that makes you tick? What do you want to do and how can we help you take all the hard work you've done and translate that into different opportunities. That's what we just did with Andy. We could do that for you. You have to go to jillandmoney.com, click the contact Us button and check that box to come on the air. I promise you, if we had had this question and we read it as an email, we would not have gotten to the nuance of this. I promise you that you can subscribe to us on the Odysee app or wherever you find your favorite podcast. Don't forget to lift someone up. Change your work, change your wealth, change your life. Thanks for listening and we'll talk to you tomorrow.

[C]

Nerds.

[D]

Today's episode is sponsored by NerdWallet's Smart Money podcast. Ever Google a money question and end up 12 tabs deep with 12 different answers? This podcast is your shortcut back to clarity. NerdWallet's Smart Money podcast breaks down financial decisions with a team of trusted journalists, they explain the why behind decisions like investing, home buying and choosing credit cards. With clear research backed insights. No jargon, no misinformation. Make your next financial move with confidence. Follow NerdWallet's Smart Money podcast on your favorite podcast app.

[E]

Hi, my name is Lloyd Lochridge and I'm the host of a new podcast from Odyssey called Family Lore. In this podcast, I'm going to have people on to tell unusual and sometimes far fetched stories about their families.

[A]

I've heard my whole life that she invented the margarita and then we're going

[E]

to investigate those stories and find out how much of it is true. He gets a patent one month before the Wright Brothers. Oh my God. Please follow and listen to Family Lore, an Odyssey Podcast available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your shows.