>Also, how do those of us who are 'too old' to change careers feel? Are you stuck in a trap of high earnings but poor lifestyle? Would you do something different if you were ten/twenty years younger?<
Faustino, I like your creative style of questioning!
Charles Handy in one of his books (can't remember which) poses the question as to what the purpose of business is and suggests (rightly in my opinion) that the answer is something much wider than just profit (although there is nothing wrong with making a profit) and that good business benefits society as a whole in many other areas.
I think a good analogy is the story as to how they catch monkeys by making a hole in the melons such that the only way the monkey can get his hand in is with it outstretched. He then clenches his fist to get at the seeds but then refuses to unclench it in order to release his hand from the melon. He cannot run away as the melon is now firmly attached and it is then easy to catch the monkey.
In much the same way we have our clenched fists around the x thousand pounds a year. All we need to do it let go and we can escape - yes, there will be consequences but I believe that if you go for quality of life first then standard of living will follow. It just doesn't work the other way round.
You are NEVER too old to change path. The man who started Kentucky Fried Chicken (personally it's not my scene, I hasten to add), Col Sanders was 65 years old and was so disgusted by his first social security payment that he went knocking on the doors of over 1,000 "restaurants" before someone liked his recipe - he became a millionaire within a very short period of time. The ONLY thing that makes the difference is how you think! As Henry Ford once said, whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right!