dmeyer, I shouldn't comment on personal issues - but in this case the opinions of mix work and trade is a good one.
Dig out yesterdays thread re a comment I made about day traders who trade less have a higher success rate. Put simply they only trade dead certainties allowing a larger at risk amount - at lower risk when they trade. They simply don't waste time when there is a risk they could be wrong.
But if you put that together with perhaps a mid life career change into "private management consultant" and actually pick up some actual consulting work as well I figure your wife could work with it.
What she is reasonably worried about is that "day trader" on the resume doesn't help in the future.
