The sentence I hear more than any other

“I make $900k and I'm not sure I could stop working.”

I've heard a version of that sentence from more health-system executives than I can count.

The numbers are always different of course. But it’s the same sentiment.

From the outside it makes no sense. Everybody assumes you're all set. You have a nice paycheck. A fancy title.

But you know the inside math…

You started saving late... after the training, the moves, the years you wrote tuition checks. Not to mention… a big chunk of your "retirement" is deferred comp you can't touch and don't fully control.

And somewhere along the way the life got sized to the salary. It was ever thus.

So you’ve got a pretty big number, but you are far from certain… You're not sure when you could be done. You're not even sure how you'd figure that out.

Here's what I want you to hear: that feeling isn't a character flaw, and it isn't rare. It's what happens when money arrives faster than the plan for it. Life man… it’ll reach up and smack you in the face every time. The most capable person in the hospital is usually the last one to ask a question about their own comp.

Asking feels like admitting something. It isn't. Not really. It's just measuring.

So here's my question for you today, and I'd genuinely love a reply: if work stopped being fun on a Tuesday, do you know what year you could walk? Not the fantasy year. The one the math supports.

Hit reply and tell me. I read everything and answer personally.

All the very best,

John Montgomery