I think there is a confusion between being young and having enough savings to last you for a year or two. Many young people have zero expenses and thus having t

I think there is a confusion between being young and having enough savings to last you for a year or two. Many young people have zero expenses and thus having two years saved up is easy. For older people, especially with kids, it means you actually have to keep a budget and save. The real goal is the same, having a buffer that lets you take long term bets and still have enough time to find a job in case they don't turn out OK. I'm in the same boat as you are, a bit over 30 with a kid. Quite frankly, doing a startup now is a lot less risky. I've already done 2 startups before and worked at some incredible companies. And because maintaining that buffer is harder my wife and I have years of practical experience in planning a budget and tracking expenses.