Count the cost

There's a cost for what we want most.

Nothing comes free in this world. Even nineteenth century pirates understood that. Pirates of the Caribbean characters echoed this sentiment throughout the final of three films with the statement, "There's a cost for what we want most." How true. For every hour a businessman spends at his desk he misses another minute in the life of his children. For every hour a woman spends in the office, she misses another step that her toddler makes. But at the same time, for every hour a business man or woman spends at the office, another bill they can pay. Where do we draw the line? Can we have it all, where we do not sacrifice that which we love the most for what we need? Enter the world of the home business.

While the home business is not a panacea for the marriage of business and family, but it certainly offers some major benefits that the traditional model of business and family offers. Those who think about a full-time home business neglect to note the consequences cost for what they want most, with staying home acting as the thing they want the most.

First and foremost, home businesses offer no benefits. The second that a person decides to leave his traditional job and move home to work, he or she sacrifices the health benefits that the job once paid. The monthly cost of health insurance for a family of four can run nearly $1000 a month. This is on top of the deductible. Furthermore, some people are not insurable. Have you been diagnosed with diabetes since starting your job? Does your child have diabetes? You will have an incredibly difficult time finding an independent insurance provider for a family with health problems. Consider this carefully before tossing your keys at your boss.

Secondly, the home business does not come with a matching retirement plan. Those who want to start their own business at home must consider how they can put money away, and not just save it, but invest it so that by the time they reach retirement age, they will have a nest egg to live off of. No one will be matching what they put into their fund, so they must compensate for this as well. Financial experts state that individuals should find a way to put away 10 to 15 percent of their monthly take home pay for retirement after paying off debt and after putting away three to six months worth of expenses as an emergency fund. If you cannot afford to put away that 10 to 15 percent on your own or if you lack the discipline to do so, reconsider your choice to work from home.

Finally, be prepared to sacrifice your straight-laced reputation. When you quit your job and decide to work from home, your neighbors will look at you differently. They will see the sacrifices you're making, such as selling a new car and driving a used one, or playing ball in the backyard with your kids at three in the afternoon, and just shake their head in disbelief. Few will applaud your move, and most will just think you're strange.

Those who have gone home to work instead of staying at their traditional office job understand the necessary sacrifices. They've made them. They know about the looks, and they pay the high bills for independent health insurance. And at the same time, while they recognize the sacrifice, they consider the payback much higher: time spent with family and the opportunity to dictate their own future.