afterFI/RE Life after FI/RE
People
Selected life timeline 2019—2020

Leaving the executive role made room for parenting, but not an empty day.

A difficult run of jobs led this father into semi-retirement in Southeast Asia. Caring for two young children and choosing small projects created a different rhythm, with less rushing but no automatic leap in happiness.

Finances
Net worth at retirement2019 · Household
$4,500,000

Author-reported retirement balance; no independent financial verification.

Source
Posts2
2019
Post 01Recalled in 2020

Leaving executive demands

“The initial few weeks was a big relief, with having so much free time.”

ESI Retiree 20Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Unstructured time initially replaced a demanding executive schedule.
  • Exercise and small projects began to rebuild a routine.

How it felt

  • The first relief gave way to feeling unproductive. “a big relief”
  • Recent career setbacks had shaken his confidence. “falling into a rut”
ParenthoodPurposeIdentity
ESI Retiree 20 (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Earlier period recalled in the account published 2020-03-20; this is not a separately published contemporary update. The earlier year is approximate.

Retirement life / personal reflection; exact short excerpt: a big relief

Retirement life / personal reflection; exact short excerpt: falling into a rut

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

2020Year 0.75
Post 02

Parenting becomes the main work

“However for me I do feel that my level of happiness is generally the same.”

ESI Retiree 20Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • School runs, baby care and bedtime stories anchored family life.
  • Part-time consulting and a developing coaching project supplied challenges.

How it felt

  • He valued the slower mornings. “a lot less rushing”
  • Parenting was demanding, and he described happiness as broadly unchanged. “generally the same”
ParenthoodPurposeIdentity
ESI Retiree 20 (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Dated first-person reflection; the observation date follows the interview month where stated, which can precede publication.

Retirement life / personal reflection; exact short excerpt: a lot less rushing

Retirement life / personal reflection; exact short excerpt: generally the same

Retirement overview and reported duration.

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

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

Turn availability into shared time.

School runs, baby care and bedtime stories anchored family life. Part-time consulting and a developing coaching project supplied challenges.

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.

  • These are selected first-person accounts, not a complete life history. Later circumstances may differ.
  • Financial figures and household circumstances are self-reported and are not independently verified.
  • The first moment is a retrospective account of an earlier period, except where explicitly identified as a reproduced journal entry.
  • An exact age at final departure was not established; an age reported later is not substituted.

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