Golden Handcuffs

We had to hire a financial planner. I never thought I'd see the day. Keith works a 100% commission job so that can make planning a little bit tricky. You never really know what's coming from month to month. Keith works hard and so, generally, he does pretty well. He has done so well that I got to stop working and go back being a stay at home mom.

For two years I spent a lot of time resenting Keith's job. I felt they asked too much of him, too many hours, too much pressure to perform, too many Saturdays. Despite the fact that, if it were not for this job, we wouldn't have our beautiful house, I would have to work, and we would still be a family of four.

Our financial planner told us that a lot of people in sales commission jobs get caught in a trap they call the "golden handcuffs." In other words, they have a good year and spend a whole bunch of money on stuff they don't need and then they have to work even longer hours to maintain their standard of living. He told us that, if we plan carefully, we can have an exit plan. I really liked the sound of that.

So we sat down and tried to agree on an exit plan, or at least a timeline for an exit plan. It soon became clear that my husband has no desire to change his career path. He is extremely happy and satisfied with his work.

Great. (sarcastic)

But then I thought again. Great! (not sarcastic) How many people can say that they LOVE what they do? How many people can make a good living doing what they love? It seems like a particularly rare gift. Our exit plan will, most likely, be retirement. I can handle that, I think..... as long as it's on a beach.

It's not always easy when I see other families taking day trips to the zoo or other fun places on Saturday when I am on my own with 3 (soon to be 4) kids. It's not easy putting the kids to bed by myself or having to hire a babysitter so I can take my son to basketball practice without two little girls whining that they are bored. The fact of the matter is that it's not hard to find things to complain about no matter your circumstances.

I'll admit, I've been in a funk with this lately. My strategy is to count my blessings.  It usually makes me feel better. Usually.

I am grateful that we have been able to avoid the golden handcuffs trap so far. But in our case, no handcuffs are required. Keith will keep working hard and giving his all to his job until he decides it's too demanding and he wants more time with the family. We will be waiting anxiously for that day.