afterFI/RE Life after FI/RE
People
Selected life timeline 2016—2026

He won his freedom—and ran out of goals.

Mad Fientist left work, made the album he had dreamed about and became a present parent. Financial independence delivered. The surprise came after those victories: he no longer had a big goal pulling him forward. His decade of updates traces the difficult work of saying no, learning to spend and finding satisfaction after the finish line.

Finances
Income after retirement2018 · Household
Credit-card tool revenue exceeded spending

Reported for 2018. Income from the tool covered more than household spending during this period.

Source
Net worth at retirement2016-08-01 · Personal
Not established

A personal retirement figure was not established in the sources reviewed.

Source
Posts6
2018Year 2
Post 01

Building a satisfying routine

“The decreased stress from the first year has also carried over into the second year, which I’m very thankful for.”

Mad FientistRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Spent time exercising, cooking, traveling and being with his wife.
  • An existing business tool still brought in more than the household spent. “money is still coming in”

How it felt

  • Reported lower stress and gratitude for control over time. “The decreased stress from the first year has also carried over into the second year”
  • Found that appealing commitments could still crowd out meaningful personal projects.
RoutineFreedomCreativityBoundaries
Mad Fientist (opens in a new tab)
Notes

anniversary_relative_to_reported_2016_departure

Full Transcript / post-FI income

Full Transcript / health, stress and income

Opening / second anniversary

Editorial summaries with short, attributed quotations. Based on the publisher’s transcript. The original contains the full story.

2019Year 3
Post 02

Choosing projects and initiating connection

“So it’s like more growth is not going to make me happier.”

Mad FientistRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Declined more opportunities to protect personal projects.
  • Organized time with extended family and checked financial spreadsheets less often.

How it felt

  • Found saying no an important part of making freedom satisfying. “this third year was marked by saying no to most things”
  • Was shifting attention away from further financial growth. “more growth is not going to make me happier.”
BoundariesFriendsFamilyIdentityMoney
Mad Fientist (opens in a new tab)
Notes

year_explicit_in_transcript

Full Transcript / choosing commitments

Full Transcript / turning down speaking opportunities

Opening / third anniversary

Full Transcript / grandmother’s birthday

Editorial summaries with short, attributed quotations. Based on the publisher’s transcript. The original contains the full story.

2020Year 4
Post 03

Reconsidering complexity during disruption

“That would cause me a lot of stress to have to empty properties.”

Mad FientistRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Reconsidered a proposed two-home arrangement before buying the properties.
  • Absorbed a sharp fall in unexpected post-retirement income while keeping spending restrained.

How it felt

  • The pandemic exposed how quickly the travel assumptions behind the plan could fail. “the entire travel industry would just go poof overnight”
  • Did not want the stress of managing that arrangement under pressure. “I don’t think I would be comfortable with that.”
ChangeFreedomSimplicity
Mad Fientist (opens in a new tab)
Notes

year_explicit_in_transcript

Full Transcript / proposed two-property strategy

Full Transcript / pandemic income decline

Editorial summaries with short, attributed quotations. Based on the publisher’s transcript. The original contains the full story.

2021Year 5
Post 04

Completing the creative project behind the goal

“it is by far the thing that I’m most proud of”

Mad FientistRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Released the album he had wanted to make for years.
  • Reunited with US family and announced plans to stop anniversary updates.

How it felt

  • Recognized that fear of failure, not just employment, had delayed the album. “I was worried I’d fail”
  • Felt exceptional pride in completing it. “it is by far the thing that I’m most proud of”
CreativityIdentityFulfillment
Mad Fientist (opens in a new tab)
Notes

anniversary_and_2024_followup

Full Transcript / obstacles to completing the album

Full Transcript / releasing the album

Opening / fifth anniversary

Full Transcript / opening travel account

Editorial summaries with short, attributed quotations. Based on the publisher’s transcript. The original contains the full story.

2024Year 8
Post 05

Parenthood changes the picture

“this is actually the first house that I’ve enjoyed owning.”

Mad FientistRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Returned to anniversary updates as a parent, with a home and music studio he enjoyed.
  • Spent more deliberately on everyday comforts while focusing on family, health and relationships.

How it felt

  • Found homeownership more enjoyable when the home fitted his current life. “this is actually the first house that I’ve enjoyed owning.”
  • Was practicing accepting a purchase as a worthwhile pleasure rather than automatically minimizing its cost. “It is a splurge and it’s a great splurge”
ParenthoodHomeFamilyMoneyChange
Mad Fientist (opens in a new tab)
Notes

anniversary_and_page_updated_date

Full Transcript / homeownership

Full Transcript / home studio

Full Transcript / ongoing experimentation

Editorial summaries with short, attributed quotations. Based on the publisher’s transcript. The original contains the full story.

2026Year 10
Post 06

Contentment alongside uncertainty about what comes next

“So this is the first year I can remember in my adult life where I didn’t have some long-term goal driving me on, and it’s quite uncomfortable, if I’m honest.”

Mad FientistRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Prioritized his children, enjoyable exercise and simpler decisions.
  • Cut two trips short by choice and explored where to put down deeper roots.

How it felt

  • Felt deeply fulfilled but uncomfortable without another major long-term goal. “it’s quite uncomfortable, if I’m honest.”
  • Did not yet have a settled answer for the next stage. “I also feel like I’m entering the great unknown for the first time in a long time.”
ContentmentIdentityParenthoodSimplicityFamily
Mad Fientist (opens in a new tab)
Notes

anniversary_and_page_updated_date

Full Transcript / life after completing long-term goals

Opening / tenth anniversary

Full Transcript / Canada and Italy trips

Editorial summaries with short, attributed quotations. Based on the publisher’s transcript. 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.

  • First anniversary page inaccessible in this pass.
  • No annual chapter inferred for years without a reviewed update.
  • Detailed side essays and outside interviews are not exhaustively reviewed.
  • Exact original publication dates for revised pages not established.

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