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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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41–50 of 177 posts

Ordinary days became enough

Sep 2024 · Year 1

Life at the time

  • Read for hours and cooked without batch-prep pressure.
  • Joined local FI meetups and occasional retiree pickleball games.

How it felt

  • Increasingly accepted leisurely days without a second career. “fully leaned in”
  • Felt healthier and happier, with no regret about leaving. “zero regrets”

Purpose grows into a community, then new local connections

Aug 2024

Life at the time

  • Joined a local Probus group with Mike after finishing their townhouse renovations.
  • Volunteered with Share the Dignity and celebrated her birthday with family.

How it felt

  • Felt warmly welcomed by the local retirees’ group. “warmly welcomed”
  • Felt moved by birthday messages and the affection they conveyed. “feeling the love”

He sold the company. It took years to stop being its founder.

Aug 2024 · At departure

Life at the time

  • Tried another startup after selling his company and spending time with the acquirer.
  • Stopped the second attempt and left work in August.

How it felt

  • Recognized that the new venture had brought back his old overwork habits. “I fell right back into my old overwork habits”
  • Questioned why he was sacrificing family time for a goal already reached. “grinding for a goal I already reached”

The urge to build another career gave way to family life

Jul 2024 · Year 1

Life at the time

  • Days revolve around young children, changing hobbies and obscure learning interests.
  • Spends time with a small circle of friends, mostly outside his former workplace.

How it felt

  • Feels busy and happy with family at the center. “my day is always over too soon”
  • Finds former career achievements take effort to recall. “all my career highlights are mothballed”

The money raced ahead. He still felt lost.

Jul 2024

Life at the time

  • Took a break and traveled after being let go.
  • Considered continued job hunting or moving somewhere cheaper after receiving lower-paid offers.

How it felt

  • Felt lost as the planned route to a $3 million target became uncertain. “I feel lost”
  • Had spent a decade working and saving without a settled picture of what came next. “a decade long marathon of working and saving.”

Time freedom makes space for recovery and slow travel

Jul 2024

Life at the time

  • A lingering leg problem limited walking after his Camino trip.
  • Baking, family celebrations and his podcast remained part of life.

How it felt

  • Physical limitations and slow medical answers had weighed on his mood. “feeling much better”
  • Improvement brought optimism; he valued having space for mental-health work. “It’s a gift”

Being home is different from being present

Jul 2024Interview snapshot · published 2024-10

Life at the time

  • Newly retired, he spent time managing family finances and prioritized time with his children rather than immediately adopting every planned hobby.

How it felt

  • Leaving work exposed how often his attention had remained at the office even while physically at home. “It is a massive adjustment to step away”

She quit her career. Years later, she quit performing retirement.

Jun 2024

Life at the time

  • Stopped regular blogging and social-media engagement.
  • Completed ten German courses and spent more time on art, gardening and study.

How it felt

  • No longer felt the same need to remain publicly available or relevant. “I barely respond to email.”
  • Felt closer to the life she had wanted, while missing some friends’ updates. “I think I’ve actually, finally achieved that ‘next life’ I was seeking.”

Five magnificent years gave way to restlessness. A new season needed a new plan.

Jun 2024 · Year 5

Life at the time

  • Spent early retirement hiking and climbing.
  • Later used self-study and invented tasks to fill difficult winter periods.

How it felt

  • Remembered the first five years very positively. “My first five years were indeed magnificent”
  • Found that staying busy no longer fully answered his need for direction. “I manufactured ways to stay busy”

His focus shifted from the portfolio to people, learning and longer trips.

May 2024 · Year 4

Life at the time

  • Six service roles and a three-month Costa Rica stay widened his activities.
  • The couple also spent six weeks exploring Portugal.

How it felt

  • New experiences had displaced much of his former financial preoccupation. “living life has been fantastic”
  • He missed his parents and noticed the recovery time his sports required. “I miss them both dearly”

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