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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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511–520 of 541 posts

A stay-at-home father finds a public voice

Nov 2015

Life at the time

  • Cared for young children and fitted his own afternoon nap around theirs.
  • Built Financially Alert as an online business and community.

How it felt

  • Loved being home after leaving office demands. “I loved it”
  • Still wanted a challenge and connection beyond the initial freedom. “there was still something missing”

He learned to stop being busy. Then life overturned the plan.

Nov 2015

Life at the time

  • Kept running, music and family time in the week.
  • Left more room for unplanned activities, including a spontaneous dinner.

How it felt

  • Found value in a less crowded calendar. “living more by doing less.”
  • Questioned the need to prove personal worth through constant busyness. “Screw fake-busy-status.”

Road trips became a way to keep people close

May 2015

Life at the time

  • Returned from three weeks driving through fourteen states with her husband.
  • Kept a travel journal and stopped for photographs along the way.

How it felt

  • Valued her husband as both best friend and travelling companion. “best friend, and traveling buddy”
  • Enjoyed how road travel deepened her understanding of people and places. “build a greater understanding”

Chosen work gave freedom a purpose. Divorce changed the family around it.

Apr 2015

Life at the time

  • Continued carpentry and writing while being a full-time father.
  • Limited conventional business productivity to protect time for parenting.

How it felt

  • Questioned automatically accepting opportunities just because they paid. “these habits were costing me some freedom”
  • Gave himself permission for a long period with less pressure to produce. “I granted myself 20 years of slack time”

Retirement, a startup and a calmer division of responsibilities

2015Recalled in 2021

Life at the time

  • He left his corporate sales position.
  • Former colleagues drew him into a healthcare startup.

How it felt

  • The abrupt end of the old pace felt harsh. “very harsh”
  • Being comfortable with retirement took time. “took me a while”

He slept through the first adjustment. Later, even Sunday evenings felt free.

2015Recalled in 2019

Life at the time

  • Long naps accompanied the first months away from school administration.
  • Weekday coffee and lunches together were newly possible.

How it felt

  • Receiving a pension without working initially brought guilt. “I soon got over the guilt”
  • He gradually realized he was no longer constantly on call. “a little weird”

A knee injury slowed the launch; travel and new interests followed

2015Recalled in 2019

Life at the time

  • Knee surgery interrupted travel during the second month.
  • Reading and exercise replaced immediate volunteering.

How it felt

  • The injury exposed the importance of mobility. “big eye opener”
  • Leaving the workforce itself caused little emotional difficulty. “relaxing”

Losing the job was painful. Life afterward was mostly good—and sometimes boring.

2015Recalled in 2019

Life at the time

  • A brief attempt at consulting ended after his corporate departure.
  • Weekday errands gradually stopped feeling unusual.

How it felt

  • Being fired hurt his sense of professional worth. “it was humiliating”
  • The everyday adjustment proved easier than anticipated. “surprisingly easy”

A temporary CFO return clarified the value of her own time

Aug 2014Recalled in 2014

Life at the time

  • Wrote, volunteered and played piano after a thirty-year break.
  • Used home exchanges and helped working friends with meals and repairs.

How it felt

  • Enjoyed the conversation and support around her blog. “it was very fun”
  • Could think of no personal downside to early retirement when asked. “I just can’t think of any.”

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