Budget Your Career Change

Any big career change is going to involve moments of vertigo, which is why it's nice to start out with a trust fund, a second home to leverage, or a spouse who earns enough to keep the family's lifestyle intact. Nice, but not essential. You can still make big leaps without a financial safety net; it just takes more planning, creativity, and tolerance for sleepless nights.

Of course, the definition of safety net is subjective. A woman with a sizable 401(k) and a lot of home equity may refuse to invest those funds in anything other than a sure career bet. Another woman may be willing to max out her credit cards. Economic climate matters too. Rising home prices and stock markets make change easier; recession requires improvisation.

The women you'll meet here are all successful leapers. Their best advice to their midlife peers is to cash in on the kind of wealth we all have in abundance: patience; deep, broad networks; a willingness to ask for help; and stubborn, resilient enthusiasm.

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