afterFI/RE Life after FI/RE
People
Selected life timeline 2021—2026

Leaving protected their health. Feeling safe took longer.

u/togaman12 left work at 29 with a small financial cushion because continuing was damaging their health. Early retirement meant slow travel and simple days. Years later, disability benefits and a steadier living arrangement had improved security, but anxiety had not disappeared with the practical dangers it once tracked.

Finances
Net worth at retirement2021-08 · Personal
$370,000

Author’s rounded departure total: about $350k invested and $21k cash. Disability benefits were approved later and materially changed the situation.

Source
Posts2
2022
Post 01

Simple adventure on a narrow margin

“I don't want to act like I have it all sorted out yet.”

u/togaman12Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Left work because of health before reaching the preferred financial cushion.
  • Slow-traveled, cooked and walked, with family offering a place to stay during visits.

How it felt

  • Was cautious about treating a few good months as proof of permanent security. “I don't want to act like I have it all sorted out yet.”
  • Still felt fortunate about the early experience. “so far my "retirement" seems very blessed.”
TravelSimplicityFreedom
u/togaman12 (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.

togaman12’s comment: slow travel, costs, departure and health constraints.

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

2026Year 4
Post 02

Security improves before anxiety does

“I still have a bunch of anxiety (and probably always will) but I also have time now.”

u/togaman12Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Received approval for disability benefits and shared housing with a sister.
  • Spent time writing fiction, knitting, reading, cooking and walking.

How it felt

  • Recognized that preparation could not eliminate anxiety. “But you can’t prepare-away anxiety”
  • Also acknowledged that improved finances and living conditions made life feel better. “And yet, it DOES feel better.”
MoneySimplicityCreativity
u/togaman12 (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.

Disability approval, shared housing, hobbies and anxiety.

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

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.

  • The early milestone is an author comment explicitly referenced in the later standalone update. The later story includes disability benefits; it is not funded solely by the original portfolio. Gender is not inferred.
  • 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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