[cli]

I suppose this is as an appropriate time as any to ask for advice: I am a multimillionaire from inheritance, and am about to complete my masters in physics. I wish to work on long term theoretical physics problems that do not seem to be possible under the current publish-or-perish academic system. The plan was to complete a PhD, then leave academia, but lately I have been having severe doubts about continuing onto a PhD, partly due to the cruft that comes with academia. Obviously, future employability due to financial reasons is completely irrelevant to me.

I would greatly appreciate any advice.

[akvadrako]

It sounds like you are in a good position - you can have total control over what you work on. You could even write your own grants and get other people to research what you want alongside you. Since the traditional PhD path isn't showing that much success, doesn't it make more sense to just research what you want?

All the papers are free online and authors will generally discuss their work with you if you have intelligent questions.

BTW, this is what I do. I freelance about 20% of the time and spend about 50% of it reading physics papers. So far I haven't produced anything new, but I have greatly increased my intuitive understanding.

[brohee]

Completing your PhD would give you credence, being taken seriously even if you are right can be an issue (and justifiably so, evaluating new ideas take time and lots of cranks come up with new ideas). Also making contact in academia certainly can't be bad.

[mikhailfranco]

Have a look at Garrett Lisi and PSI:

http://www.pacificscienceinstitute.org/

[awwx]

I suggest asking Dr. Hossenfelder directly.

[arcadi7]

find a small group of people that are excited about what they are doing -- then go from there