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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
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531–540 of 541 posts

Freedom gives a generalist time to recover

2012Recalled in 2014

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”

A temporary CFO return clarified the value of her own time

2012Recalled in 2014

Life at the time

  • Accepted a part-time contract CFO role about three years after retiring.
  • After roughly a year, the role brought back responsibilities for others’ problems.

How it felt

  • Initially found the contract enjoyable. “it was really fun”
  • Then felt stressed and remembered wanting control over her time. “a little bit stressed”

Financial freedom kept opening doors to new kinds of work

Dec 2011Recalled in 2019

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”

A search for community met an uncomfortable market lesson

2008

Life at the time

  • Their diversified portfolio lost 23% on paper.
  • The decline drove a decision to live in Mexico full-time.

How it felt

  • The loss felt large enough to change their lives. “life-changing”
  • They regretted not discovering a more conservative approach sooner. “worry about not having enough”

A market crash threatened the journey; a seaside home later felt enough

2008Recalled in 2023

Life at the time

  • His portfolio fell toward its starting value during the financial crisis.
  • He updated his résumé in case travel became unaffordable.

How it felt

  • The losses felt like a personal crisis. “gut-wrenching”
  • He feared the traveling life would collapse. “collapse in ruins”

A home fit for a while. Traveling light fit better later.

May 2007 · Year 23

Life at the time

  • They combined a country home near Buenos Aires with continuing travel.
  • Paul made wine with two Argentine friends.

How it felt

  • They felt fortunate and expressed no regrets. “We feel fortunate”
  • Vicki wished she could be in several places to be present for loved ones. “wanting to be in more than one place”

Leaving the business lifted a weight. Enough became easier to recognize.

2007Recalled in 2024

Life at the time

  • He sold the engineering business.
  • He helped the new owners part-time for three months.

How it felt

  • Leaving brought relief. “a weight had been lifted”
  • He rediscovered confidence in making major choices. “significant life choices”

A long retirement became a community life, with room for changing health.

2003Recalled in 2019

Life at the time

  • Volunteer work and unfinished chores filled his first year.
  • Once his wife retired, they spent two months visiting their children.

How it felt

  • Leaving emotionally wearing work brought relief. “For me, I felt relief.”
  • The extended family trip helped the transition feel natural. “felt very natural”

He caught up on sleep. Decades later, he was still learning to leave blank days.

Jun 2002Recalled in 2023

Life at the time

  • Parenting and home repairs shaped the first months after the Navy.
  • Daily naps and exercise on his own terms replaced chronic fatigue.

How it felt

  • A market downturn prompted difficult conversations with his spouse. “our concerns faded away”
  • Pension income and cash reserves helped their worries ease. “our new normal”

A search for community met an uncomfortable market lesson

2002

Life at the time

  • Kevin left Allegro; Erin had retrained in massage.
  • Occasional consulting and massage replaced conventional careers.

How it felt

  • More time together proved pleasantly compatible. “feel blessed”
  • Their priorities no longer aligned with many working friends. “out-of-synch”

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