Chris was burned out. Despite enjoying aspects of his work, the relentless grind of long hours and aggressive saving left him exhausted and longing for retirement. His goal was to save as much as possible, retire in a few years, and finally spend time with his wife, travel, and enjoy life. However, James, founder of Root Financial, offered surprising advice: stop saving for retirement.

After analyzing Chris’s portfolio, James discovered that the growth of Chris’s investments was outpacing his new contributions. Continuing to save aggressively was unnecessary and came at the cost of his health, relationships, and overall happiness. By redirecting funds toward enjoying life—such as taking trips, playing golf, and reducing work stress—Chris could create a more fulfilling life today without jeopardizing his financial future.

James explains that compound growth allows established portfolios to do the heavy lifting, especially later in life. He outlines five scenarios where pausing retirement savings might make sense: when you already have enough, are on track to meet goals, feel sacrifices today are too great, lack legacy goals, or don’t need tax benefits.

Questions answered:
1. When might it make sense to stop saving for retirement?

2. How can you balance enjoying life now while preparing for retirement?

Submit your request to join James:
On the Ready For Retirement podcast: Apply Here
On a Retirement Makeover episode: Apply Here 

Timestamps:
0:00 - Chris's dilemma and James's advice
2:45 - An example of compound growth
4:46 - Unbalanced living
7:12 - Having enough and being on track
8:53 - Sacrificing important things today
10:25 - Legacy goals and tax benefits
12:25 - Summary

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