<prompt> Human: I just recently learned that I have a trust fund worth roughly 180k in stocks, bonds and cash. I am 24 years old and have spent the last couple years worrying about finding a career I enjoy that makes enough money to support myself. I have no debt and a very low expense lifestyle. I have worked a couple of jobs related to my college degree the past few years but havent found much fulfillment. I have been considering moving to a field that I enjoy more but pays much less, but have been deterred by the low pay. Now Im not sure I need to worry about that, but Im not sure I have a concept of just how much or how little money 180k is in the grand scheme of things. I have about 5k saved in an emergency fund from the last couple years as well. What should I do to make the most of this money over the course of my lifetime, and what are the chances of me being able to retire early? Do I still need to worry about finding a high paying career, or should I follow my passion since Ive been afforded this opportunity?  <response>: if you depend on the 180k and you end up blowing through 30k per year, it will all be gone in 6 years. if you invest all of it as soon as you get it, leave it alone, and get a 5 annual return, it will turn into 1M around the time you turn 60. that still means that you are going to have to figure out how to find a career that you enjoy and gives you a paycheck to support yourself. at least the stress of saving part of your paycheck for retirement is zero...or significantly lower. 1M at age 60 has a pretty good chance of supporting 1 person until they die. note: average returns from index funds or investments will vary. you could get returns as high as 11, but if you depend on those kinds of gains, theres a good chance you will be disappointed. 