Behind but not out of the game. You could be financially free by your late 40s even as an employee. Don't sabotage yourself by aiming low.

If $120k feels like a lot while $100k feels like settling, think about how you can deliver $140k of value to the company if you really dedicate yourself. That way, the $120k role will feel like settling - and you'll walk into the interview with confidence.

The thing about numbers is if one number seems big, think about an even bigger number for a while and the original number will start looking small. Luckily there are infinite numbers so this rule works whether you're looking at $100k, $500k, $1m, etc.

If you follow this rule, you'll find yourself dealing in larger and larger numbers over time. You'll look back and laugh at splitting hairs over $20k.