afterFI/RE Life after FI/RE
People
Selected life timeline 2021—2023

He expected a new life. The reward was being an available father.

u/TheOrchardFI left tech and discovered how ordinary freedom could feel. Cooking, gardening and time with a child replaced work’s competing demands. A working spouse and busy friends still shaped the schedule, but the central benefit held: being present without asking an employer for permission.

Finances
Net worth at retirement2021-07 · Household
$2,300,000

Approximate starting household net worth; the second-year explanation includes the home. Not all investable capital.

Source
Posts2
2022Year 1
Post 01

Ordinary days become the prize

“Now that I've had some experience of it, what strikes me about retirement is how normal it seems.”

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

Life at the time

  • Cooked, gardened, read and spent time swimming, walking and playing with a child.
  • Adapted to friends’ working hours and a spouse’s part-time job.

How it felt

  • Found retirement surprisingly normal rather than a permanent vacation high. “what strikes me about retirement is how normal it seems.”
  • Valued being available to a child without work competing for attention. “I can be there for him without any competing obligations.”
ParenthoodRoutineContentment
u/TheOrchardFI (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.

First-year reflections on normality, parenting, hobbies and friends.

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

2023Year 2
Post 02

Freedom still needs a balance

“I expect it'll be a lifelong quest to get this balance just right.”

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

Life at the time

  • Tried museums, travel with a child, audio courses, games and community gardening.
  • Continued adjusting the mix of learning, leisure, service and family.

How it felt

  • Did not regard a satisfying balance as something solved once and for all. “I expect it'll be a lifelong quest to get this balance just right.”
  • Appreciated having time to continue experimenting. “Luckily for me, I have all the time I need.”
ParenthoodCuriosityPurpose
u/TheOrchardFI (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.

Life update: child, learning, games, garden volunteering and balance.

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.

  • Spouse continued part-time employment. Household expenses were supported by that salary and investment income; this is not a zero-earned-income household.
  • 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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