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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
Wealth
Years
Posts
21–30 of 45 posts

FI/RE becomes parenthood and a small software business

2023Recalled in 2026

Life at the time

  • His second child arrived while relatives helped with childcare.
  • He released paid features for his Japanese-learning app and met his initial revenue target.

How it felt

  • Building something customers paid for brought satisfaction. “the joy of being a one-person company”
  • Higher family costs had made the original financial cushion feel less comfortable. “less comfortable”

Her maternity leave became retirement. Parenting kept the calendar full.

2023Recalled in 2025

Life at the time

  • Retirement initially continued the rhythm of maternity leave.
  • Work messages stopped once she formally left.

How it felt

  • The missing return deadline brought relief. “relief and happiness was amazing”
  • Her attachment to work faded faster than expected. “completely forgotten about it”

He quit the job. The laundry never ended.

Sep 2022 · Year 2.3

Life at the time

  • Parented a second child while repetitive household work filled the days.
  • Planned a remote automation contract and paid help with chores.

How it felt

  • Missed satisfying technical challenges while domestic tasks kept recurring. “But the laundry - it never stops.”
  • Did not see a return to work as evidence that retirement had failed. “Nothing about my retirement seems like a failure”

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

Sep 2022 · Year 1

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.”

Leaving police work meant learning to feel secure in a smaller life

2022Recalled in 2024

Life at the time

  • He left policing and bought a mountain bike.
  • A daycare problem soon made him a full-time caregiver.

How it felt

  • He appreciated being able to remove the children immediately. “felt fortunate”
  • Spending limits and comparisons with peers unsettled him. “freaked me out”

Leaving the office made space for a daughter’s firsts

Nov 2021 · Year 0.25

Life at the time

  • Spent a month with family in an ancestral village.
  • Resumed teaching and educational content without an employer’s timetable.

How it felt

  • Village life could be boring, yet felt mentally cleansing. “formatting my brain clean”
  • Enjoyed the chosen work enough that it rarely felt like work. “I love doing it”

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

Sep 2021

Life at the time

  • In Mexico, he taught and graded his teenagers’ classes.
  • Regular meetups with local and expat families built connections.

How it felt

  • He no longer missed work. “don’t miss work at all”
  • He preferred retirement after finding a place in family life. “prefer retired life”

Leaving at thirty-four brought room to explore—and discomfort with withdrawals

Jul 2021Recalled in 2021

Life at the time

  • Running became a new hobby.
  • He used summer for family time and exploration.

How it felt

  • Running quieted his mind. “quiet”
  • Withdrawing money felt harder than expected. “harder than I expected”

Family freedom survives, but side businesses grow too large

Jun 2021

Life at the time

  • Afternoons included bike rides, hikes and golf with his children.
  • Morning journaling helped him develop a writing habit.

How it felt

  • He did not miss the title or corporate demands. “I don’t miss the title.”
  • Family conflict and money decisions still caused stress alongside greater happiness. “I wouldn’t change it for the world”

Leaving at thirty-four brought room to explore—and discomfort with withdrawals

May 2021Recalled in 2021

Life at the time

  • He quit a long-held controls-engineering job.
  • Investment income replaced most of the household salary.

How it felt

  • He had lost faith in his boss. “lost faith”
  • He was unsure what he wanted to do next. “a bit lost”

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