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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.

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41–48 of 48 posts

Financial freedom kept opening doors to new kinds of work

Oct 2019

“not really something that I enjoy”

Jacob Lund FiskerRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Built furniture, repaired watches and began making a plywood clock.
  • Lived in a small fixer-upper with a vegetable garden.

How it felt

  • Enjoyed practical learning but disliked the maintenance attached to homeownership. “not really something that I enjoy”
  • Found purchased experiences harder to enjoy after learning to make things himself. “harder to appreciate bought experiences”
CuriosityWorkSimplicity
Jacob Lund Fisker
Read original postgetrichslowly.org

Loving freedom and still feeling unsettled

Jun 2019Interview snapshot · published 2019

“I do feel unsettled at times.”

ESI Retiree 14Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • She attended classes and theater, met friends and learned canasta, while her husband's work schedule limited longer trips.

How it felt

  • She loved not working but sometimes felt uncertain about purpose; talking through the transition had helped. “I do feel unsettled at times.”
IdentityPartnersCuriosity
ESI Retiree 14
Read original postesimoney.com

A second career keeps scientific skills in use

Dec 2017Interview snapshot · published 2017

“I’m only consulting and still occasionally hustling for my own fun and entertainment.”

ESI Millionaire 30 (father)Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • After retiring from research in 2002 at 58, he trained as a patent agent. By the interview, occasional assignments continued after a busy second career.

How it felt

  • He found the challenge rewarding and kept consulting for enjoyment, despite already exceeding his financial target. “I could give up my work”
WorkCuriosityPurpose
ESI Millionaire 30 (father)
Read original postesimoney.com

The bucket list did not run itself. Neither did the friendships.

Mar 2017

“Winter would be the best time, but I’m too busy right now.”

MrFireStationRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Compared the retirement activities he had imagined with those he actually pursued.
  • Traveled and enjoyed entertainment while leaving some proposed hobbies untouched.

How it felt

  • Found the calendar full without completing every original idea. “I’m too busy right now.”
  • Discovered that boating involved more effort than the couple wanted. “more work than we wanted”
CuriosityChange
MrFireStation
Read original postmrfirestation.com

Freedom gives a generalist time to recover

Jun 2014 · Year 2

“Even after two years, I am still in the recovery phase”

Ermine · Simple Living in SuffolkRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • He built shelters, repaired tractors and worked on irrigation and coding projects.
  • Photography and recording brought some incidental earnings.

How it felt

  • He was surprised still to be recovering from work stress. “still in the recovery phase”
  • General interests could now flourish outside a restrictive workplace. “free rein”
RecoveryCuriosityCreativity
Ermine · Simple Living in Suffolk
Read original postsimplelivingsomerset.wordpress.com

They retired to travel the world. Then family life rewrote the plan.

Dec 2013 · Year 1

“We left the stresses and inconveniences of the working world behind, and found happiness and contentment through everyday experiences.”

Jeremy Jacobson · Go Curry CrackerRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Traveled through Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and the Pacific Northwest.
  • Combined travel with language lessons, cooking, new skills and friendships.

How it felt

  • Described the first full retirement year as a success. “our first year of early retirement was a great success”
  • Found satisfaction in ordinary experiences as well as the larger adventures. “found happiness and contentment through everyday experiences”
TravelCuriosityContentment
Jeremy Jacobson · Go Curry Cracker
Read original postgocurrycracker.com

Freedom gives a generalist time to recover

2012Recalled in 2014

“I crossed the finish line exhausted and no reserve capacity.”

Ermine · Simple Living in SuffolkRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • He handed back the employer’s equipment and stopped receiving wages.
  • Redundancy money helped bridge the period before drawing a deferred pension.

How it felt

  • He described arriving at retirement exhausted. “exhausted and no reserve capacity”
  • Losing regular pay made financial life feel unfamiliar and frightening. “I find it scary”
RecoveryCuriosityCreativity
Ermine · Simple Living in Suffolk
Read original postsimplelivingsomerset.wordpress.com

Financial freedom kept opening doors to new kinds of work

Dec 2011Recalled in 2019

“strange living in a place”

Jacob Lund FiskerRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Sold the RV and moved from California to Chicago in seventeen days.
  • Accepted a finance role offered through a blog reader.

How it felt

  • Was eager to try work he had long wanted to explore. “easiest move ever”
  • Initially found a stationary, more spacious home strange after RV life. “strange living in a place”
CuriosityWorkSimplicity
Jacob Lund Fisker
Read original postgetrichslowly.org

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