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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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71–80 of 105 posts

The empty calendar felt strange. The gym supplied friends and a beginning.

Jul 2019 · Year 2

“I always had a clock in my head when we were working, even on the weekends.”

ESI Retiree 16Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Pickleball, shared meals and a lunch club supplied regular social contact.
  • Cooking and a weekly movie night became pleasures.

How it felt

  • He no longer timed every task for efficiency. “a clock in my head”
  • Some structure helped them avoid habits they did not want. “Having some structure”
RoutineFriendsSlowing down
ESI Retiree 16
Read original postesimoney.com

Leaving was celebration enough. A slower life still needed friends.

Jun 2019 · Year 1

“Shifting from saving to spending still feels a bit unnatural.”

ESI Retiree 15Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Art, museums and reading became part of a loose daily rhythm.
  • She looked for ways to travel with other people.

How it felt

  • She felt healthier and more herself. “my authentic self”
  • Making friends and spending savings still required adjustment. “still feels a bit unnatural”
RecoveryCreativityFriends
ESI Retiree 15
Read original postesimoney.com

An empty calendar felt directionless. Useful commitments gradually brought him back.

Jun 2019 · Year 2

“I’m still alone quite a bit.”

ESI Retiree 12Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Local committees, triathlon training and beekeeping supplied variety.
  • Occasional consulting and ski instruction retained useful skills.

How it felt

  • Experimenting helped him find activities that fit. “things began to click”
  • He still spent more time alone than he wanted. “I’m still alone quite a bit.”
PurposeRoutineFriends
ESI Retiree 12
Read original postesimoney.com

Part-time engineering is an experiment in letting go

Jun 2019Interview snapshot · published 2019

“My current semi-retirement is an experiment of sorts.”

ESI Millionaire 133Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • He reduced engineering and consulting work, leaving time for family, exercise, travel and developing interests beyond his career.

How it felt

  • He valued control of his schedule but found it difficult to build new friendships and avoid defaulting to work. “My current semi-retirement is an experiment of sorts.”
IdentityFriendsWork
ESI Millionaire 133
Read original postesimoney.com

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

May 2019 · Year 16

“Retirement has been busy and satisfying.”

ESI Retiree 11Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Community clubs, neighbors and volunteering filled their days after a move.
  • Most travel centered on children and grandchildren.

How it felt

  • Retirement remained busy and satisfying. “busy and satisfying”
  • Medical appointments took more time as they aged. “new friends”
HomeFriendsFamily
ESI Retiree 11
Read original postesimoney.com

A busy move eased the exit. Then they had to protect some quiet time.

Apr 2019 · Year 2

“we actually have to scale back sometimes because it can get to be too much.”

ESI Retiree 6Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Exercise, home projects and civic activities filled flexible days.
  • Their new social circle was far busier than before retirement.

How it felt

  • They valued spending time together and separately. “me time”
  • An overflowing calendar could feel stressful to him. “we actually have to scale back”
HomeFriendsBoundaries
ESI Retiree 6
Read original postesimoney.com

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

Apr 2019 · Year 3

“many of our friends are still quite busy with their own jobs (and kids) and are not as free as we are to make plans.”

MrFireStationRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Regularly initiated invitations and renewed friendships from earlier stages of life.
  • Kept separate morning activities and shared dates, volunteering and later plans.

How it felt

  • Recognized that a social life needed someone to make arrangements. “designated planners”
  • Made reaching out to other people an almost daily habit. “I try to reach out to someone almost every day”
FriendsPartners
MrFireStation
Read original postmrfirestation.com

Freedom came easily. Finding nearby friends took more work.

Mar 2019 · Year 6

“I’ve struggled somewhat in making new personal connections.”

ESI Retiree 1Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Home repairs and helping relatives filled parts of the week.
  • His wife pursued yoga, food preserving and fiber arts.

How it felt

  • New friendships required deliberate effort. “Still working on it.”
  • Formal volunteer roles felt too much like work. “Working as a volunteer is still working.”
FriendsFreedomFamily
ESI Retiree 1
Read original postesimoney.com

Purpose grows into a community, then new local connections

Mar 2019

“I think I’ve found my purpose”

Sue LoncaricRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Ran a guest-blog series about meaning and prepared an April activity challenge.
  • Kept fit to play with her young grandchildren and model an active life.

How it felt

  • Felt excited about the forthcoming shared challenge. “I’m excited about April”
  • Found helping others motivating and a source of purpose. “I think I’ve found my purpose”
PurposeFriendsFamily
Sue Loncaric
Read original postwomenlivingwellafter50.com.au

He won his freedom—and ran out of goals.

2019 · Year 3

“So it’s like more growth is not going to make me happier.”

Mad FientistRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Declined more opportunities to protect personal projects.
  • Organized time with extended family and checked financial spreadsheets less often.

How it felt

  • Found saying no an important part of making freedom satisfying. “this third year was marked by saying no to most things”
  • Was shifting attention away from further financial growth. “more growth is not going to make me happier.”
BoundariesFriendsFamily
Mad Fientist
Read original postmadfientist.com

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