afterFI/RE Life after FI/RE
People
Selected life timeline 2020—2021

The surgeon identity loosened as ordinary days gained room

A surgeon stepped away from full-time clinical practice but kept a small consulting role. Professional habits took almost a year to unwind. Later, unhurried mornings, exercise and helping relatives filled his time, even as he still missed surgical relationships and satisfaction.

Finances
Investments at retirement2020 · Household
Not established

Departure balance not established in the reviewed source; later figures are not starting wealth.

Source
Income after retirement2021-12-16 · Household
$76,000 / year

Military pension; its hypothetical capitalized value is not counted as wealth.

Source
Reported spending2019 · Household
$130,000 / year

Approximate pre-pandemic annual spending; spending during pandemic was lower.

Source
Posts2
2020
Post 01Recalled in 2021

Still checking on the old world

“I am still trying to figure out other aspects of my true identity.”

PoF Post-FI 12Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • He left full-time surgery while retaining occasional consulting.
  • Professional journals and contact with former colleagues continued.

How it felt

  • Work had shaped his identity for nearly three decades. “defined myself primarily through my work”
  • He was still exploring an identity beyond his profession. “true identity”
IdentityRoutineFamily
PoF Post-FI 12 (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Explicit retrospective account in this interview.

Work status and work-missing answers; first retirement year

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

2021
Post 02

Space without boredom

“I have ample time to do everything I want, but I do not get bored.”

PoF Post-FI 12Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Dog walks, exercise and home projects shaped ordinary days.
  • He could fly out to help elderly relatives.

How it felt

  • He appreciated his ample free time without boredom. “do not get bored”
  • He still missed the relationships and satisfaction of surgery. “prestige and satisfaction”
IdentityRoutineFamily
PoF Post-FI 12 (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Interview publication date; current account.

Post-FI Life

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.

  • Retirement year approximately 2020 from an explicit 1.5-year recollection; exact departure age unknown. First moment covers the transition and ensuing year.
  • Selected public self-reports, not a complete archive or independent verification of finances.

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