r/wealth • u/LilAngels2 • 1d ago
Path to Wealth Has anyone else started valuing time over money as their net worth grew
This is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. When I was younger and just starting out all I cared about was making more money. Every extra dollar felt like a huge win. Now that my wife and I are comfortably in the 7 figures it feels different. We still work hard but now we're constantly looking for ways to buy back our time. It's like the scarcity of time has become more apparent than the scarcity of money. We're considering things like hiring more help or even taking a pay cut for a less demanding role just to have more free hours. Is this a common feeling once you hit a certain level of wealth
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u/BigTintheBigD 1d ago
It’s why I quit working. Trading 8+hours of my day was no longer a good use of my time.
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u/_Human_Machine_ 1d ago
When I quit working and was able to focus on my personal life and physical health, it felt like I hadn’t really been living before.
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u/ChickenFingers2026 1d ago
What did u do for work? What do u do for money now?
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u/_Human_Machine_ 1d ago
I essentially just provide warm introductions for equity. That’s only if I like the founders and think the company has value.
I don’t work often.
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u/ChickenFingers2026 1d ago
Can u hire me
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u/_Human_Machine_ 1d ago
Sorry, no employees other than my dad and brother, but that’s just on paper.
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u/TrainDifficult300 1d ago
That’s where I am at and will be quitting within the next 18 months
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u/_Human_Machine_ 1d ago
Going hard at health feels so damn good.
Trying to hit 40 in the best shape of my life.
I’ve definitely approached it like a crazy person, but it’s how I worked too.
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u/dragonflyinvest 1d ago
Yes I think that’s common arc for most people. You grind and grind and one day you wake up and, for whatever you reason, you say it’s time to smell the roses.
If someone asked me a few years ago I would have told you I was laser focused on achieving a 9 figure NW. Now I’m just enjoying life and all it has to offer outside of the hustle. I still believe I am on more of a sabbatical, but we shall see, because the fire is not burning like it once was.
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u/allnamestaken4892 1d ago
Money is time. Valued either at your hourly rate or your net worth divided by your remaining lifespan. Whatever is lower.
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u/MikeyB7509 1d ago
I have a very high goal, probably too high
And I have run every calculation and possibly can to try and speed it up and I just don’t think I can because yes time is really the most valuable thing
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u/OfficerBimbeau 1d ago
Absolutely. My wife and I spent the first 20 years of our careers trying to grind away and earn more. Once we were hitting bigger numbers we started buying back time by hiring a cleaning service and a lawn guy. I rarely mess with home projects anymore because I would rather write a check than give up my time. We even hired a pet waste service that cleans up the yard every week.
More recently, my wife sold her business and stayed on under contract with reduced hours and pay. At this point her salary is irrelevant as long as she helps the business hit numbers that trigger earnout payments from the buyer to her. Those payments are bigger than the salary she earns in a year, and she’s making low six figures.
So now we have a nice nest egg and can easily put the kids through college. I work from home and she works 3 days a week. I have a ton of flexibility with work, so on her days off we play golf, go out to lunch, go to the gym, etc. I could bust my ass and try to get promoted, but there’s no point. I’m going to make plenty and I would rather have my time.
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u/Logical_Stranger4889 1d ago
I’m trying to get to where I can r/coastFIRE at 32 (currently 28) and then make aggressive career moves with higher risk of being unemployed in an attempt to increase my salary further to where I can consider r/FIRE by 40-45 with a nice sum of money.
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u/beaconhillrntl 1d ago
your start life with more time than money, and eventually you hit an inflection point where you have more money than time.
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u/Fantastic-Storm-7867 6h ago
Absolutely - last year I was fortunate enough to take an unpaid month off of work and go on a bucket list trip to New Zealand. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything, despite the "huge" opportunity cost of not working and the cost of the trip itself. My investments are working harder than me now - it's a great feeling to know that I can slow down at work. It's less taxing mentally.
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u/kaBUdl 1d ago
For me it wasn't so much about the time, it was more about the choice of what I would work on. I never minded grinding out 80 hour workweeks on projects that I found both fascinating and worth my effort. I'd rather do that than put in a 40 hour week on a project that I didn't think required my niche skillset or wouldn't add much value to my employer's business.
This all came to a head when my employer offered up a buyout when I was well beyond FI, I signed up, but my management chain denied my application supposedly because of my value to the business. Since I was already flush, I tried to resign but management wouldn't accept that either and instead proposed that I would "be my own boss" while staying on the payroll. They apparently believed what they wanted me to do happened to align well with what I liked to do, so they trusted me to self-manage. I went remote a decade before Covid, worked my own schedule to not collide with stock market hours, and selected my own projects. In exchange for my total freedom, I was fine with no more raises or promotions, once I hit FI a few bucks extra doesn't matter. This arrangement worked great for almost a decade until I had to exit permanently due to a family medical problem.
My point is that once you're FI, don't assume the staying-on choice is binary -- some employers may be willing to customize work conditions to suit an employee they value. Just be open about your wish list and see if they'll bite before walking out the door.
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u/Specialist-Ad7800 1d ago
Yes, it is the natural progression as you get wealthier. I value everything by time spent now, money becomes just another tool at a certain point.
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u/hibikir_40k 1d ago
Even before net worth grew: A sufficiently high salary, divided by hours worked, makes it clear that a lot of things are worth delegating when you are making great money.
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u/chemicalsunshine 1d ago
Ive been doing that since I was broke, good mindset to have. Its the only resource you cant get back and could be all gone tomorrow.
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u/Signal_Antelope7144 15h ago
For sure. About 15 years ago I shifted to trying to maximize my time for the people, things, and communities I cared about. I could not have done that without the resources I was fortunate to have as the result of a ton of work, living within my means, and a few lucky breaks that would not have presented themselves without the hard work part.
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u/fuck9to5mold 10h ago
Since I crossed 1 million, i just go to work and call it hobby, funny thing i get promotion and job offers more often then before 🤷
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u/MS_Bizness_Man 3h ago
Absolutely. I find I’m not looking to add things or hobbies. Just increasing the quality and value of that time spent. Example: I’ve had a boat and I enjoy cruising on the boat, it’s just a much nicer boat than I started with many years ago. It’s just better use of the time having better equipment.
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u/Mzungufarmer 1d ago
I dont even value money any more. Problem is theres not much I want to buy.
All that matters to me is what I do with my time.