afterFI/RE Life after FI/RE
People
Selected life timeline 2019—2026

He escaped the grind. Then learned to stop optimizing every day.

At 35, u/hungn3 left consulting with $1.1 million and discovered that freedom still needed a little structure. Board games, climbing and volunteering became anchors. Seven years later, the story includes ambitious travel, new hobbies and a relationship that ended without costing him a friendship. The achievement is a life with room to keep changing.

Finances
Net worth at retirement2019-01 · Personal
$1,100,000

Self-reported personal starting net worth.

Source
Posts3
2020Year 1
Post 01

Downshifting without losing direction

“With the ability to do slower travel and therefore less pressure to squeeze everything in, I've found that FIRE has given me a a stronger sense of calm/relaxation from the normal frantic life and resulted in a lot less stress.”

u/hungn3Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Built a loose weekly rhythm around climbing, games, films and theater.
  • Spent more time with friends and family, with substantial volunteering still planned.

How it felt

  • Felt calmer and more willing to leave a day unoptimized. “I have a much more laid back attitude with life.”
  • Found that a routine reduced the effort of choosing between appealing activities. “Making decisions takes energy and effort”
RoutineSlowing downFriends
u/hungn3 (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Update date at the available precision. Recollections, current circumstances and future plans are distinguished in the summary.

Quality of Life Update: Downshifting; Decisions and Structure.

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

2023Year 4
Post 02

Testing the limits of saying yes

“I was partiailly inspired by u/MrLlamaSC with this post and decided the following: Instead of finding reasons to say no, I would look for reasons to say yes”

u/hungn3Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Spent 243 nights away in 2022, including new travel and social experiences.
  • Tried skiing and Burning Man, while a cruise and a difficult companion revealed firm dislikes.

How it felt

  • Wanted to test experiences he would previously have rejected. “Say Yes to (Almost) Anything”
  • Was looking for reasons to participate, without assuming every experiment would be worth repeating. “Instead of finding reasons to say no, I would look for reasons to say yes”
TravelCuriosityChange
u/hungn3 (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Update date at the available precision. Recollections, current circumstances and future plans are distinguished in the summary.

Say Yes to (Almost) Anything; TL;DR.

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

2026Year 7
Post 03

Making room for relationships

“I was scared at the beginning of the breakup that I was going to lose both a romantic partner and a friend - which does unfortunately happen far too often with couples after a breakup.”

u/hungn3Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Ended a six-month romantic relationship while keeping the friendship.
  • Added puzzle competitions and social dancing to climbing, volunteering and travel.

How it felt

  • The experience clarified how much he valued friendship and autonomy. “I STRONGLY value friendships”
  • Initial hurt gave way to an ongoing friendship with his former partner. “We're still good friends and chat/hang out regularly.”
FriendsChangeOutdoors
u/hungn3 (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Update date at the available precision. Recollections, current circumstances and future plans are distinguished in the summary.

Highlights; My First Romance; Goals 2026.

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.

  • Three milestones are selected from a linked annual series. The departure began as leave; formal resignation followed after an eleven-month leave of absence.
  • This is a selection of reviewed updates, not a complete account history. No later life outcome is inferred from the absence of another indexed post.

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