Take a year off

By MSN Money staff



Could anything sound more wonderful and less realistic? Yet thousands of people just like you do it every year.

Maybe you want to travel, go back to school, spend quality time with your family, volunteer or pursue a hobby full time. Not many employers will foot the bill, but an increasing number will welcome you back once you're refreshed.

Yes, you are probably going to end up with less money a year from now, five years from now and 20 years from now. The goal is for you to plan your time off in advance, make sure you can swing your finances so you don't have money worries while you are supposed to be de-stressing and not find yourself saying, "I wish I had never taken that time off -- it just wasn't worth it," at any point in the future.

It sounds great in theory, but how do you pull it off and keep your financial goals -- such as a secure retirement -- on track? Here's how.