afterFI/RE Life after FI/RE
← Explore posts shelves

Posts

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
431–440 of 541 posts

The money was enough. Learning to spend it took longer.

Mar 2019 · Year 1

“I didn’t know what to do with myself, but I got plenty of sleep”

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

Life at the time

  • Slept, cycled, read and took music lessons as a loose routine emerged.
  • Turned down job offers and spent less than the planned allowance.

How it felt

  • Initially felt unsure how to use the time. “I didn’t know what to do with myself, but I got plenty of sleep”
  • Became interested in selected creative work for engagement rather than simply income. “it’s not about the money anymore, it’s about the experience.”
RecoveryMoneyFreedom
u/FI/RE_and_forget_it
Read original postold.reddit.com

Purpose grows into a community, then new local connections

Mar 2019

“I think I’ve found my purpose”

Sue LoncaricRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Ran a guest-blog series about meaning and prepared an April activity challenge.
  • Kept fit to play with her young grandchildren and model an active life.

How it felt

  • Felt excited about the forthcoming shared challenge. “I’m excited about April”
  • Found helping others motivating and a source of purpose. “I think I’ve found my purpose”
PurposeFriendsFamily
Sue Loncaric
Read original postwomenlivingwellafter50.com.au

Making time for family after a consuming career

Feb 2019Interview snapshot · published 2019

“I spend a lot of time with my wife and kids now and enjoy it immensely.”

ESI Millionaire 116Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Outside executive employment, he spent more time with his wife and children while pursuing angel investments, walks, runs and yoga.

How it felt

  • He regretted earlier absences and described family and community involvement as part of his personal growth. “enjoy it immensely”
FamilyPurposePartners
ESI Millionaire 116
Read original postesimoney.com

A second retirement begins with fewer simultaneous changes

Jan 2019

“I also think the increased exercise and loss of stress is resulting in my sleeping like a baby currently which can’t be a bad thing.”

RIT · Retirement Investing TodayRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • He walked around his new Cyprus surroundings and began writing extensively.
  • Making new local connections was proving slow.

How it felt

  • Initial euphoria had given way to doubts about the decision. “I’m finding this really difficult”
  • Improved sleep and exercise coexisted with fears about money and employability. “sleeping like a baby”
RecoveryChangeWork
RIT · Retirement Investing Today
Read original postretirementinvestingtoday.com

A quiet home life made room for creativity and care

Jan 2019

“I can visibly feel myself relax when I walk through the door.”

Retired IntrovertRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Left room between social outings and appointments.
  • Read, sewed and worked on her blog, with weekday movies around her husband’s job.

How it felt

  • Felt relaxed and secure at home. “My home is my sanctuary.”
  • Valued seeing friends without sacrificing the solitude she needed. “on my terms”
CreativityFamilySlowing down
Retired Introvert
Read original postretiredintrovert.com

A pilot retires as his wife considers more work

Jan 2019Interview snapshot · published 2019

“Since I retired, I wear a straw hat and Hawaiian shirts.”

ESI Millionaire 109Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Newly retired from the Air Force, he enjoyed recreational flying and a relaxed routine while his wife considered returning to full-time nursing.

How it felt

  • He liked the improved balance and was still anticipating how an empty nest and different work schedules would change it. “Since I retired, I wear a straw hat and Hawaiian shirts.”
PartnersChangeFreedom
ESI Millionaire 109
Read original postesimoney.com

He escaped the corporate role, then found another reason to use his skills.

2019

“It’s kind of terrifying to quit a job”

Barney / The Escape ArtistRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Left a successful corporate career.
  • Built financial-independence writing for a UK audience. “trying to create some, some UK content”

How it felt

  • Found leaving frightening because the job had been part of his identity. “It’s kind of terrifying to quit a job”
  • Other people’s accounts had helped make a different life feel possible.
IdentityPurpose
Barney / The Escape Artist
Read original postmadfientist.com

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

2019Recalled in 2020

“The initial few weeks was a big relief, with having so much free time.”

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

Life at the time

  • Unstructured time initially replaced a demanding executive schedule.
  • Exercise and small projects began to rebuild a routine.

How it felt

  • The first relief gave way to feeling unproductive. “a big relief”
  • Recent career setbacks had shaken his confidence. “falling into a rut”
ParenthoodPurposeIdentity
ESI Retiree 20
Read original postesimoney.com

Financial independence gave their young family more ordinary adventures.

2019Recalled in 2023

“I loved the feeling of freedom and using my time how I choose.”

ESI Retiree 44Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • His wife left paid work as their property income supported independence.
  • They continued choosing projects for themselves.

How it felt

  • Her departure revealed stress she had not fully noticed. “latent stress”
  • He valued being able to choose how time was used. “feeling of freedom”
FamilyOutdoorsFreedom
ESI Retiree 44
Read original postesimoney.com

Sharing retirement meant renegotiating the house, the chores and the conversation.

2019Recalled in 2023

“Pure joy, gratitude, and freedom.”

ESI Retiree 45Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • The second departure put both partners at home full time.
  • Separate offices replaced one shared workspace.

How it felt

  • They welcomed the freedom from employer schedules. “Pure joy, gratitude, and freedom”
  • Dividing chores and space required negotiation. “re-negotiate”
PartnersFamilyFreedom
ESI Retiree 45
Read original postesimoney.com

Privacy & analytics

AfterFire uses Google Analytics only if you accept. It helps us understand visits, referral sources, pages and chapters people open, filter use, and clicks to original sources.

After acceptance, Google receives page titles and addresses without query strings, content and chapter IDs, filter names (not selected values or search terms), campaign source/medium/name tags from shared links, original-source domains, referring sites, approximate location and browser/device information. Analytics cookies distinguish browsers and visits. Campaign labels are stored in this tab only after acceptance and expire after 30 minutes without activity. We do not enable advertising personalization or Google Signals, or send your name, email address or account identifier to Analytics.

Declining sends no Analytics data to Google. Accepting starts with the page currently open; we do not replay earlier browsing. Withdrawing consent stops tracking, clears this site's Analytics cookies and reloads the page. It does not delete measurements already received by Google.

We remember your choice on this browser for up to six months. Detailed Analytics data is retained for up to 14 months; aggregated reports can remain longer. Site hosting still processes requests needed to serve these pages.

Read Google's privacy policy and how Google uses information from sites.