Have enough in savings to walk away whenever you want. I've been stuck in jobs far longer than I wanted because I'd neglected my emergency fund and didn't have

Have enough in savings to walk away whenever you want. I've been stuck in jobs far longer than I wanted because I'd neglected my emergency fund and didn't have the cash on hand to walk away. Now I make sure I have a year's living expenses available outside of my investments. If I get tired of my job, I can just quit knowing that I have the cash to float myself for a while. A year may be more than you need but at least six months is a good minimum. You'll have the cash to cover a job loss, car troubles, most medical expenses, etc. on hand without going into debt. And an emergency fund should be liquid and save, not invested and at risk. You may only get 1% in a savings account but view the low returns as the cost of insurance, since that's effectively what an emergency fund is—self-insurance.