Q&A: We Have $80K in Cash and Want a 1–2 Year Sabbatical. Is It Enough?

Paula Pant and Joe Saul-Sehy answer a 42-year-old UK listener's question about dividing savings among an emergency fund, a career break, and retirement. They explain how to separate true emergencies from known upcoming expenses and how to rank competing goals when nothing can be fully funded. Later, they walk a 30-something couple through funding a one-to-two-year sabbatical with $80,000 in cash and discuss whether retirement should keep waiting. The episode closes with Roth conversion timing, risk tolerance for all-stock portfolios, and how to judge a politician's economic record. Their overarching message: protect the safety net while still funding the life you want now.