afterFI/RE Life after FI/RE
People
Selected life timeline 2018—2024

He got fifty hours back. The pressure to use them followed him home.

Jim’s retirement delivered Panama, an RV adventure and years with his family. It also exposed a stubborn habit of turning freedom into another to-do list. Six years in, he still prized the decision while searching for a stronger sense of purpose.

Finances
Net worth at retirement2018-12-31 · Household
$1,100,000

Reported household net worth on leaving work; not an independently verified balance.

Source
Posts2
2019Year 1
Post 01

The to-do list becomes the boss

“I couldn’t sleep and I was stressing.”

Jim / Route to RetireRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Moved to Panama and reorganized family life.
  • Began tackling projects one at a time instead of trying to complete the whole list.

How it felt

  • Pressure to accomplish everything had affected sleep and created stress. “I couldn’t sleep and I was stressing.”
  • Recognized that the deferred ambitions were not all immediately due. “I didn’t need to get everything done at once.”
RoutineRecovery
Jim / Route to Retire (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Publication date at available precision. Retirement milestones follow the author’s own count; a missing milestone is not inferred.

Overcommitment and learning to tackle one thing at a time.

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

2024Year 6
Post 02

Adventure does not settle the purpose question

“I’m sure if I put more time into it, I could drive up the revenue, but I don’t want a full-time job.”

Jim / Route to RetireRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Lived in Panama, traveled by RV and returned to the United States.
  • Continued blogging while his wife did flexible substitute teaching.

How it felt

  • Remained grateful for retirement even with purpose still unresolved. “I wouldn’t trade my early retirement for anything.”
  • Did not want a conventional full-time job to become the answer. “I don’t want a full-time job.”
PurposeTravelFamily
Jim / Route to Retire (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Publication date at available precision. Retirement milestones follow the author’s own count; a missing milestone is not inferred.

Panama, RV travel, homecoming and search for purpose.

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.

  • Two selected milestones; intervening and later articles may add context.

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