afterFI/RE Life after FI/RE
People
Selected life timeline 2011—2025

The mortgage ended and spending became more generous

A sales and marketing retiree combined golf, volunteering and travel while his wife continued teaching. Years later, both were retired and the mortgage was gone. Strong health and growing assets made him more willing to pay for comfort and enjoyment.

Finances
Investments at retirement2011 · Household
$2,700,000

Explicitly recalled retirement portfolio, separate from home equity.

Source
Reported spending2024 · Household
$260,000 / year

Spending including roughly $50k taxes.

Source
Posts2
2020
Post 01

Activity and financial comfort

“My wife and I are looking to enjoy life and travel as much as we want to over the next, hopeful, several years.”

ESI Millionaire 231Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Golf and bike rides complemented nonprofit roles.
  • His wife still enjoyed part-time teaching.

How it felt

  • He felt comfortable allowing wealth to decline. “no problem areas”
  • He described few retirement worries. “enjoy life”
MoneyTravelContentment
ESI Millionaire 231 (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Date of original interview, as identified by publisher.

Retirement plans and concerns

Editorial summaries with short, attributed quotations. The original contains the full story.

2025
Post 02Recalled in 2026

More comfort on the road

“Unlike many affluent retirees, I am not afraid to spend money to bring joy as my wife and I enter the “7th Chapter.””

ESI Millionaire 231Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • They increased international travel and upgraded hotels.
  • They made their final mortgage payment.

How it felt

  • He felt fortunate to have good health. “Free at last!”
  • Spending for enjoyment no longer troubled him. “not afraid to spend”
MoneyTravelContentment
ESI Millionaire 231 (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Explicit retrospective account in this interview.

Overall better/worse

Editorial summaries with short, attributed quotations. The original contains the full story.

See how these posts compare with other people’s experiences.

Research

Last checked Sep 2026. The accounts are self-reported. This timeline follows selected accounts, including recollections where labeled; it is not a complete archive.

  • Update misstates original publication year; original page states interview October 2020, published April 2021. Later interview submitted October 2025.
  • Selected public self-reports, not a complete archive or independent verification of finances.

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