How much money do you actually need to take this job and shove it?

    Go on, admit it: You've thought about it. Maybe you've imagined quitting your job and easing into early or semi-retirement -- or starting your own business.

    It's a perennial topic, but it's especially timely now. Millions are either unemployed or working part-time. Millions more fear their job could be next.

    Obviously there are a legion of complicating factors involved in anyone's decision. Sherrill St. Germain, a financial planner in Hollis, N.H. with a lot experience in the field, says the big issue for many clients is losing group health insurance. 'That's the thing that keeps them stuck,' she says. 'That's the deal-breaker.' Say what you will about healthcare reform: The present system is a huge drag on economic mobility and entrepreneurship.

    But even if you can surmount all the other complications involved in escaping your current situation, how much money would you need to have saved up to make it a viable idea?

    Most financial planners have advice on the subject, but Troy Thompson's is as good a place to start as any, because it comes from experience. He left his job as a lawyer at a large firm in San Francisco to start out on his own as an independent financial planner in Portland, Ore.

    'What's the cash in your pocket that you need to check out of the rat race?' Mr. Thompson asks. 'I decided I had to have two years' worth of （living） costs…in very liquid, easily accessible assets.' He figured he had to cover a lot of transition costs. That included moving expenses, legacy costs （like the remainder of his lease in his old home）, and enough money to support his expenses while he changed careers and ramped up his new business. Saving up to two years' worth of costs may sound daunting. But here's the good news: If you are making this kind of move, you are probably moving from a high-cost part of the country, like San Francisco or New York, to one of the cheaper ones. And your money will go a lot further there.

    A dollar may go twice as far in Austin, Texas or Portland as in Manhattan. Obviously everyone's numbers are different. Here are some other questions to consider:

    What kind of escape are you planning （or dreaming about）? Are you just going to change jobs or are you planning to change careers? Or are you really wondering if you can check out- take early retirement, or maybe semi-retirement? The money you'll need is going to be completely different for each one. Ms. St. Germain gives clients some scenarios: A mid-level military man happy to live on his pension while searching for a new job may not need anything. A highly-paid executive who wants to downshift to a lower-paid job may need a lot to help supplement her transition and future income. Net result: Your 'escape fund,' as Ms. St. Germain calls it, can be anywhere from zero to a large pile of cash to supplement your income indefinitely.

    How far will your savings get you over the long term? Someone investing their savings conservatively should certainly be able to earn about 3% a year over inflation. If you want to withdraw $10,000 a year and make it last for, say, thirty years, you will probably need to have about $200,000, or twenty times as much, saved up now. Anyone giving serious thought to the idea of escaping is going to need to take a hard look at their expenses. 'It's all a game of cash flow, in or out,' says Mitchell Reiner, a financial planner in Atlanta. One of his clients, a senior executive in Atlanta, recently managed his escape: He and his wife threw in their expensive lifestyle and took early retirement to the mountains. But they axed their monthly expenses in half, from $7,000 to $3,500.

    The biggest saving was simply on real estate: Mortgage, property taxes, insurance and other expenses. They sold their expensive home and moved somewhere cheap.

    What can you live without? It's a truism but worth repeating: Most middle-class household budgets can be cut. The most common advice is to look at your current expenditures and see where you can pare back. But if you really want to escape, the more radical idea is zero-based accounting: Start with a blank piece of paper, and see what you would need to spend to be comfortable.

    'The problem with people nowadays is that a 'necessity' is any luxury your neighbor happens to have,' jokes Ernie Zelinski, a frugal living guru and author of 'The Joy of Not Working and How To Retire Happy Wild and Free.' He adds, 'We can all live on less than you think.'

    You might not want to go as far as Mr. Zelinski-'I don't own a cellphone, I drive a '95 Camry, and for two years I lived without a sofa,' he says-but the principles he espouses aren't crazy. 'You're financially independent if you have $15,000 coming in and $14,900 going out,' he says.

    How much do you need to be free? Maybe you should ask instead: How much do you really want to be free?

    你到底需要多少钱才会把手头这项工作扔掉？

    好了，还是承认吧：你想过这个问题。或许你曾想像辞职、悠闲地过起早退或半退休的生活，或是自己开公司当老板。

    这是一个永久的话题，但在眼下却尤其合时宜。美国有数百万人不是失业，就是在做兼职，另外还有数百万人担心饭碗不保。

    显然，任何人作出的决定都牵涉到一大堆复杂的因素。纽约州理财顾问杰曼（Sherrill St. Germain）在这个方面有着丰富的经验。她说，对很多客户来说，主要问题是担心失去集体健康保险。她说，就是这个使他们难以迈出那一步，就是这个把事情搅黄了。说说你对医疗改革的想法：现有体制对经济的流动性和创业精神都是个阻碍。

    但是，即使你能超越所有其他使你无法摆脱现状的羁绊，要想把想法变成现实，你需要攒多少钱才行？

    大部分理财顾问都会就这个问题提出建议，但汤姆森（Troy Thompson）的建议却是不错的起点，因为他的建议是基于自己的经验。他曾是旧金山一家大公司的律师，辞职之后开始在俄勒冈{做独立理财顾问。

    汤姆森问道，你需要口袋里有多少现金才会逃脱你争我夺的生活？我认为我必须要够两年生活成本的……流动性很强、容易变现的资产。他认为他需要满足许多过渡成本，这包括搬迁费用、遗留成本（如过去房屋的剩余租金）,以及足够前在他改变职业和开展新业务期间支撑他的开支。节约相当于两年成本的钱也许听起来O人望而生畏。但是还有个好消息：如果你要做出这种改变，你可能会从旧金山或纽约等美国高成本的地区搬到物价更低的一个地方。你的钱在那里将会更加值钱。

    在得克萨斯州奥斯汀或波特兰，一美元可能相当于曼哈顿的两美元。显然，每个人的数字是不同的。以下是一些要考虑的问题：

    你正在计划（或梦想）哪种逃生办法？你是只打算换工作还是打算改变职业？或者，你真的想知道你是否退出──提前退休或是半退休？你需要的钱将会同每个人完全不同。杰曼给客户描述了一些情况：一位可凭借退休金安居乐业的中层军官寻找新工作时可能不需要任何东西。一位高薪管理人员如果想降格到底薪的工作，那她可能需要一大笔钱补充她过渡期间和今后的收入。最终结果是：杰曼所说的"逃生"基金可能从零到一大笔现金才能补充你不确定的收入。

    从长期来看你的储蓄会让你坚持多久？保守投资者每年的收益应会比通货膨胀率高出3%左右。如果你想每年撤出1万美元，并持续比如30年，你现在可能需要储蓄大约20万美元，或1万美元的20倍。任何认真考虑逃跑想法的人都需要好好研究下他们的开支。亚特兰大金融规划师雷纳（Mitchell Reiner）说，这完全是一个现金流入或流出的游戏。他的一个客户是亚特兰的高管，这个人最近设计了他的逃生计划：他和妻子放弃昂贵的生活方式，提前退休回到山区。但他们将月开支砍掉了一半，从7,000美元降到3,500美元。

    最大的结余都在房地产上：抵押贷款、物业税、保险和其他开支。他们卖了昂贵的房子，搬到了便宜的地方。

    你能离开什么继续生活？这是一个老生常谈但值得重复的问题：大多数中产阶级家庭预算都能削减。最普通的建议是看看你目前的支出，研究一下能从哪里削减。但是，如果你真的想逃生，更激进的想法是从零开始核算：用一张白纸开始，看看你要舒适都需要什么支出。

    俭朴生活大师、《乐在不工作》（The Joy of Not Working and How To Retire Happy Wild and Free）一书的作者泽林斯基（Ernie Zelinski）开玩笑说，人们目前的问题是节俭的人正好有个生活奢侈的邻居。他还说，我们生活所需要的都能比你认为的更少。

    你可能不想像泽林斯基那样生活──他说，我没有手机，我开一辆95年的丰田凯美瑞，两年来我都没有沙发──但是他所奉行的原则并不疯狂。他说，如果你的进项是15,000美元，而你的支出是14,900美元，你就是经济独立的。

    你究竟需要多少才能自由？或许应该这样问：你究竟想要多少才能自由？