How This Woman Beat Burnout and Launched Her Dream Travel Business

Jen Tenzer always thought she would spend her entire career in investment banking. But 10 years in, she realized the 90-hour workweeks and pressures that came with rising in the ranks wasn’t the life she wanted. 

“I was always told that you should want the person’s job who was in the seat right above you,” Tenzer says. “So I started looking at my bosses, and they didn’t have very different lives than I did. They were incredibly busy. And they weren’t, unfortunately, seeing their families a ton. I think my objectives in life shifted and that was no longer incredibly attractive to me.”  

By 2019, Tenzer’s burnout had reached its peak. Her long hours were affecting her physical health and she no longer had the same drive to succeed in her role. During a wellness retreat in Arizona later that year, Tenzer realized she needed to make a change. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I just knew that I needed some break or reset to see things a little more clearly outside of this bubble.”  

A change in life plans 

Tenzer always had a side passion for travel, and solo trips she had taken in the past to places like Patagonia and Bali always provided a much-needed recharge. She decided it was the right time to quit her job and plan new travel adventures until she could figure out the next phase of her career. That’s when she called her Northwestern Mutual financial advisor Aubrey Rosser.  

“I know that quitting my job is not the most financially savvy choice to make, but I also knew that this was something I needed to be honest about,” Tenzer says. So at one of their regular check-ins, Tenzer asked Rosser whether she could make a yearlong sabbatical work.  

"She was nervous to tell me because things had changed. She’s not going to be saving for a while, she’s going to be spending,” Rosser says. Although this wasn’t the first time the pair had discussed the possibility of Tenzer taking some time off, “it really hit home when the dialogue shifted from ‘Can I do this?’ to ‘Let’s make this work,’” he adds. “I knew that we were talking about giving her confidence in this new journey.”  

A financial plan that turned passions into a new career 

The good news was that Tenzer’s saving and investing over the years had prepared her well for this moment. Her financial plan had always included setting aside money for travel. But she had also been saving up for a home — giving her flexibility to set a new goal after her plans changed yet again because of the pandemic. 

Tenzer took a trip to Antarctica in early 2020 before lockdown rules sidelined her planned trips to Machu Picchu and Marrakech. While she continued to travel around the U.S., she realized she had a new entrepreneurial dream: planning small-group retreats and customized trips for solo travelers, with a focus on female travelers. By the end of the year, she had launched her business, The Soloist.  

“The context around her planning before had been around needing liquidity for a down payment if she saw a home she wanted to purchase,” Rosser says. “But once she knew she wasn’t going to buy a home, we shifted it to a source for cash reserves she could use to get her business off the ground.”  

Tenzer kept her final work bonus in cash as well to help pay for her everyday expenses. She also holds investments for long-term growth, which she could tap into as backup income if needed. As they talked through her new life changes, Rosser ran simulations to show her how her portfolio could be impacted by different scenarios, like a steep drop in the markets. “He was very honest about the potential downsides and risks, but I think it was helpful for me to actually see it all on paper and know that this can still work,” Tenzer says.  

Plus, Rosser reminded her that she could access the cash value in her life insurance policy as another source of cash, in lieu of tapping her investments. “We talked about the fact that she has this cash value position she can lean into so that her assets can continue to grow,” he says. 

Today, the pair speak quarterly to check in on her portfolio and share general life updates. Tenzer still travels frequently as she builds her business. “I think life is about chapters and change and growth,” Tenzer says. “When I was saving up to buy a home, Aubrey and his team were right there with me. When that transformed into wanting to take time off, he was there. And I have no doubt that he’ll be alongside me when the next dramatic change happens.”  

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