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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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61–65 of 65 posts

He escaped Sunday-night dread. A decade later, even freedom needed downtime.

Feb 2016

Life at the time

  • Reported that his wife had left her job after earlier negotiations kept her working.
  • The couple could now share freedom from a nine-to-five schedule.

How it felt

  • In Justin’s account, his wife was uncertain about how to fill the open time. “Her biggest worry becomes the emptiness”
  • He described her choosing family and freedom while still wanting to contribute; this was his account of her transition. “she chose freedom and family over helping other people in the corporate world.”

Travel opened the world. Deciding where home belonged proved harder.

2016Recalled in 2021

Life at the time

  • A long holiday marked the opening stretch.
  • Lists, routines and meeting people helped after the holiday feeling faded.

How it felt

  • Work worries stopped following him home. “disappearance of stress”
  • He discovered he and Sally had assumed different retirement plans. “got our wires crossed”

Leaving engineering made room for parenting. Blogging kept a working rhythm in his days.

Dec 2015

Life at the time

  • Staying home replaced long daycare days for his son.
  • Blogging and managing a duplex continued alongside his wife’s employment.

How it felt

  • More time with his child was a central benefit. “that was me”
  • The household arrangement was working for them at this stage. “Right now it’s working out pretty well”

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”

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”

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