Feeling Burned Out? How to Know When to Quit Your Job — and What to Do First

NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast

NerdWallet Personal Finance

Investing, How To, Education, Business

4.3 • 895 Ratings

🗓️ 13 October 2025

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Learn how your habits and the cash and cards in your wallet reveal your money mindset, then learn how to know when it’s time to quit your job. What amount of cash should you keep on hand? Should you “quiet quit” or make a clean break from your job? Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola discuss everyday wallet decisions and career change trade-offs to help you understand how everyday money habits and major career choices can strengthen your financial stability. They begin with a candid, “What’s in Your Wallet?” segment, revealing what they keep close and providing some tips and throughs on keeping a small emergency cash stash, rotating rewards cards wisely, and avoiding risky wallet habits like storing everything in your car. Then, Tess Vigeland, Smart Money producer and author of Leap: Leaving a Job with No Plan B to Find the Career and Life You Really Want, joins Sean and Elizabeth to help answer a listener’s question about whether they should quit their job or simply “quiet quit.” They discuss building a “freedom fund” before quitting, ways to reduce workload without burning bridges, the realities of healthcare and benefits if you leave your job, how today’s labor market affects timing, and why giving yourself reflection time can clarify your next step. Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews: American Express Gold Card Review: Dining Rewards Royalty https://www.nerdwallet.com/reviews/credit-cards/american-express-premier-rewards-gold American Express Platinum Review: Top-Notch Lounge Access, Big Credits https://www.nerdwallet.com/reviews/credit-cards/american-express-platinum Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header In their conversation, the Nerds discuss: quiet quitting, emergency fund, freedom fund, how much cash to keep at home, what to keep in your wallet, wallet organization, travel credit cards, cashback card strategy, debit vs credit, remote work burnout, career change planning, leave a job without plan b, how to quit without burning bridges, lateral move vs new job, reduce workload tips, using AI at work, outsource repetitive tasks, referral risk when underperforming, healthcare after quitting, benefits when changing jobs, real estate license costs, FIRE financial independence retire early, savings goals at 29, HSA spending, high deductible health plan, emergency cash vs card, labor market trends, employee engagement Gallup, identity beyond work, partner concerns about quitting, building a freedom fund timeline, cash vs digital payments, keeping cards safe, rotating cards for categories, smart travel rewards use, backup plan before quitting, burnout signs, and when to leave a job. To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	What's in your wallet, Elizabeth?
0:02.3	Money, Sean. Lots of money. Well, I would hope there'll be lots of money. But I'm kidding. I hardly carry any cash, so I have cards. Lots of cards in there. You've got plastic money in your wallet. Basically, I got play money. And what else do you have in there? I think I also have a CVS rewards card somewhere in there, and also one for Kroger as well. Well, let's actually pull out our
0:21.3	wallets and see what's in them. Welcome to Nerd Wallet's Smart Money podcast, where you send us
0:29.9	your money questions and we answer them with the help of our genius nerds. I'm Sean Piles. And I'm
0:34.7	Elizabeth Ayola. Later in this episode, we're going to talk about career changes and also how to know when it's time to leave a job that just ain't working out anymore and how to prepare financially for that possibility. But first, a new segment that we're hoping you all will help us out with. It's called What's in Your Wallet? And we'd love for you to send us voicemails or videos of you opening your wallets to see what exactly is in there. Maybe take a step from a favorite concert, photo of your kids, some dirt from your garden, just speaking for myself there. I was going to say that sounds like your business, Sean. But anyway, we're nosy and we want to know your business. We want to know how many credit cards you carry around.
1:14.7	Do you have a George Costanza wallet or do you have no wallet and just use your phone?
1:20.6	Send us your audio and video at podcast at nerdwollet.com. Just don't show us anything too personal.
1:25.7	In the meantime, while you're all going through your phones to make your videos,
1:31.4	Sean and I got in a conference room together in Scottsdale, Arizona last month at NerdWall HQ, and we cracked open our wallets for inspection.
1:36.1	Now here's our what's in your wallet segment taped in person.
1:41.0	Okay, well, we're going to try a new segment where we explore what's in our wallets and see what it says about who we are as people, as money managers. And also what kind of embarrassing secrets we might be hiding in our wallets right now. Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it because I think after this I'm going to feel closer to you, Sean. I think so too. And listeners, if you want to share what's in your wallets, we are so nosy. We would love to hear and see what's in your wallet.
2:05.0	So let's do this. I'll go first. I'll start by describing my wallet.
2:10.8	ASMR. It's a thin blue card holder with a little slot in the middle for some cash. I have my real ID in the state of
2:19.8	Oregon, which I recently got. I was very late to the party there, but I have it. Next, I have a little
2:26.1	metro card from New York. I use when I visit my friends there. I also have a hotel room key because
2:32.9	I'm here in Scottsdale, Arizona, a little team builder
2:35.8	with the smart money folks right now.
2:37.7	My health insurance card, what else is in here?
2:40.5	A bunch of sand.
2:41.6	I have so much sand in my wallet right now.
2:43.2	Where's the sand from?
2:44.2	Oh my God.
	...

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