When I was 21 years old I had __two finance jobs.__ Well, technically I had one job – __but two incomes.__ I was working as a trading assistant at Fisher Investments. And [my investment banking]() job had paid me (ahem, _deferred me_) to take the year off. It was 2001 and I was making close to $125,000. But was that a gift? __Or a curse?__ ## New to RadReads? Hi, I’m Khe Hy. Nearly a decade ago [I quit my 7-figure job on Wall Street]() to become a writer. I explore topics like [money](), [happiness](), [ambition](), [relationships](), [productivity]() and [more](). I also host [The Examined Life Podcast]() where I explore life’s thorniest questions with a different guest each week. My newsletter is the best way to experience my work. Sign up here: ## __But did financial security make me fragile?__ As an adult, I’ve had very [few worries about money.]() Until I took a 90% pay cut to [work for myself.]() ![Blog post image](/images/blog/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-10.28.37 AM-1024x286.png)Here’s [the full tweet]() I wish I had been able to give my worst-case scenario a test drive. In hindsight, I wish I had experienced __[more scarcity.]()__ It’s one thing to look at your financial statements and say, “Yeah, we’ll be fine.” And a completely different mind-fuck to __watch your savings go down__. Or flatline. Or even more terrifying – [never go back up.]() For most people, your fight-or-flight reflex kicks in. And you immediately want to __run back to the stability__ of a paycheck, employer-sponsored healthcare and your 401k match. But what if you were able to keep a strong chin up [amidst uncertainty and turmoil?]() The outcome could be massively different. So how are you practicing your worst-case scenario?