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Explore turning points, everyday joys and unexpected challenges after financial independence or retirement, with the date and original source for each account.

Age
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121–130 of 177 posts

He had built an organization. Leaving gave him time to look after himself.

Jul 2020Recalled in 2021

“I don’t miss work at all.”

ESI Retiree 32Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • He stepped down from running the nonprofit he had founded.
  • Limited consulting maintained a connection without the former workload.

How it felt

  • More time to himself felt like a gift. “an incredible blessing”
  • He did not miss the pressure of leading the organization. “I don’t miss work at all”
RecoveryPurposeFriends
ESI Retiree 32
Read original postesimoney.com

Part-time travel helped a physician find his place at home

Jul 2020Recalled in 2021

“I started to feel anxious and felt the need to start searching for my next career”

PoF Post-FI 1Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • The family began a year of RV travel across the US.
  • He mixed locum work with prolonged breaks and household tasks.

How it felt

  • He welcomed time to relax. “time to relax”
  • He felt out of place in the family routine. “felt awkward”
ParenthoodIdentityTravel
PoF Post-FI 1
Read original postphysicianonfire.com

He already had enough. It took a second job to recognize the choice.

Jun 2020 · Year 2

“really enjoy”

ESI Retiree 22Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Exercise, nonprofit work and reading occupied much of the school day.
  • He had published his book and was speaking at conferences.

How it felt

  • He enjoyed the growing contribution. “really enjoy”
  • He regretted spending additional years in work he found unfulfilling. “unfulfilling work”
PurposeWorkFreedom
ESI Retiree 22
Read original postesimoney.com

Retirement and divorce arrived together. A different life still took shape.

Apr 2020Recalled in 2023

“So, I was dealing with a whole new level of emotional and financial challenges.”

ESI Retiree 53Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Divorce followed soon after his corporate departure.
  • The change brought simultaneous financial and emotional demands.

How it felt

  • Divorce overshadowed any feelings about leaving work. “emotional and financial challenges”
  • He did not consider returning to employment. “earned a good salary”
ChangeIdentityCuriosity
ESI Retiree 53
Read original postesimoney.com

Leaving the executive role made room for parenting, but not an empty day.

Mar 2020 · Year 0.75

“However for me I do feel that my level of happiness is generally the same.”

ESI Retiree 20Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • School runs, baby care and bedtime stories anchored family life.
  • Part-time consulting and a developing coaching project supplied challenges.

How it felt

  • He valued the slower mornings. “a lot less rushing”
  • Parenting was demanding, and he described happiness as broadly unchanged. “generally the same”
ParenthoodPurposeIdentity
ESI Retiree 20
Read original postesimoney.com

A market shock tested confidence; beach life made the trade worthwhile

Mar 2020Recalled in 2021

“It was a bit frustrating watching investors in these tech companies gloat about outsized gains.”

Stop Ironing ShirtsRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • He used cash and bonds to buy falling stocks.
  • His value-heavy holdings recovered more slowly than technology stocks.

How it felt

  • The market decline briefly shook his confidence. “briefly unnerving”
  • Watching other investors’ gains was frustrating. “a bit frustrating”
MoneyFreedomIdentity
Stop Ironing Shirts
Read original postesimoney.com

An arts career grows after the technology career ends

Jan 2020Interview snapshot · published 2020

“I do not have a “typical” retirement.”

ESI Millionaire 171Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • After retiring from technology management at 57, she pursued largely self-funded creative work alongside exercise, travel and helping others.

How it felt

  • She described a busy retirement rather than a slowdown, with family and friends still filling her time. “I have not slowed down at all.”
CreativityPurposeFriends
ESI Millionaire 171
Read original postesimoney.com

Retirement became a return to school and a new kind of work

Jan 2020Recalled in 2022

“Earned a master’s degree and got my academic do-over”

ESI Millionaire 99Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • She began a master’s program after her December exit.
  • Financial-literacy projects continued alongside study.

How it felt

  • The pandemic made her first retirement year feel strange. “super weird”
  • She wanted an academic fresh start. “academic do-over”
CuriosityPurposeMoney
ESI Millionaire 99
Read original postesimoney.com

A forced pause turned into selective work and deliberate family time

2020Recalled in 2022

“be more life and family first and career second.”

ESI Millionaire 93Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • The pandemic prompted a year away from usual work.
  • The couple reconsidered how family and careers fit together.

How it felt

  • Slowing down shifted their priorities. “reset”
  • They began valuing a less work-centered life. “family first”
FamilyPurposeWork
ESI Millionaire 93
Read original postesimoney.com

The surgeon identity loosened as ordinary days gained room

2020Recalled in 2021

“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
Read original postphysicianonfire.com

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