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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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81–90 of 194 posts

Freedom arrived first. Meaningful part-time work was still taking shape.

May 2023 · Year 2

“I most enjoy the freedom of time”

ESI Retiree 48Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Reading, exercise, outdoor activities and home projects filled ordinary days.
  • Disaster-relief logistics joined church and small-group commitments.

How it felt

  • He enjoyed deciding what mattered each day. “freedom of time”
  • Meaningful part-time work was still something he was developing. “meaningful work”
PurposeFamilyChange
ESI Retiree 48
Read original postesimoney.com

Travel and sport held their appeal as family needs continued

Apr 2023Recalled in 2023

“Better — glad to be retired, healthy and living in a beautiful and friendly area.”

ESI Millionaire 175Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • He kept playing sport in the Bay Area.
  • The household helped pay his father’s assisted-living costs.

How it felt

  • He appreciated being healthy and retired. “glad to be retired”
  • His wife enjoyed performing music locally. “beautiful and friendly area”
TravelFamilyOutdoors
ESI Millionaire 175
Read original postesimoney.com

A career break creates time for Europe and daily walks

Apr 2023Interview snapshot · published 2023-08

“My work life balance is very good right now since I am currently not working.”

ESI Millionaire 368Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • After leaving a general-manager role, she spent time with family in Europe and walked their dog each morning with her retired husband.

How it felt

  • She described improved balance and considered their financial goals achieved, while learning how to use their savings. “My work life balance is very good right now”
FamilyOutdoorsMoney
ESI Millionaire 368
Read original postesimoney.com

Health in the family changes the timetable

Mar 2023Interview snapshot · published 2023-07

“no one knows when our movie ends,”

ESI Millionaire 364Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • He retired from construction leadership in 2022, creating time to explore investing and prioritize family, travel and church involvement.

How it felt

  • Despite loving his career, family health events made the opportunity to enjoy life together feel more urgent. “it has been fantastic to have the time to dive deeper into this.”
FamilyChangeCuriosity
ESI Millionaire 364
Read original postesimoney.com

School runs anchored the first months while spending confidence grew

Feb 2023

“We feel we are in a good place and have enough.”

JakeRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • School drop-offs and children’s activities structured weekdays.
  • Gardening and regular walks created time outdoors.

How it felt

  • Calling himself retired still felt unusual. “strange”
  • He felt they had enough, despite occasional financial doubts. “good place”
ParenthoodMoneyRecovery
Jake
Read original postmonevator.com

Sharing retirement meant renegotiating the house, the chores and the conversation.

Jan 2023 · Year 4

“We still experience “negative feelings” (sadness, anger, boredom, restlessness, etc.) in early retirement.”

ESI Retiree 45Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Meals, exercise and Spanish study provided shared time.
  • Travel and individual projects coexisted with deliberately separate activities.

How it felt

  • A new communication approach reduced conflict. “drastically decreased our conflicts”
  • Retirement made emotions easier to handle without eliminating them. “negative feelings”
PartnersFamilyFreedom
ESI Retiree 45
Read original postesimoney.com

He retired with $2.7m. Three years later, he wanted back in.

Jan 2023 · At departure

“I can not mentally call it retirement as my small brain can’t seem to get over the fact that my money would last our lifetime.”

u/outdoorfire38Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Gave notice at 33, planning more time for four children, outdoor activities and home projects.
  • Kept returning to work as an option while reassessing the household finances.

How it felt

  • Found it difficult to describe the departure as permanent retirement. “I can not mentally call it retirement”
  • Preferred thinking of it as a long break or mini-retirement. “I am calling it a mini-retirement or long sabbatical”
FamilyOutdoorsChange
u/outdoorfire38
Read original postreddit.com

FI/RE becomes parenthood and a small software business

2023Recalled in 2026

“I experienced the joy of being a one-person company.”

Alex HsuRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • His second child arrived while relatives helped with childcare.
  • He released paid features for his Japanese-learning app and met his initial revenue target.

How it felt

  • Building something customers paid for brought satisfaction. “the joy of being a one-person company”
  • Higher family costs had made the original financial cushion feel less comfortable. “less comfortable”
ParenthoodCreativityWork
Alex Hsu
Read original postalexhsu.com

A layoff became a travel business—and time to help his parents.

2023 · Year 4

“I love being able to do whatever I want.”

ESI Retiree 51Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Travel clients, volunteer boards and trips filled his calendar.
  • He could spend weeks helping his mother recover from surgery.

How it felt

  • He liked the freedom to accept opportunities. “do whatever I want”
  • He looked forward to his wife’s planned retirement, which had not yet happened. “my wife is still working”
WorkFamilyPartners
ESI Retiree 51
Read original postesimoney.com

Her maternity leave became retirement. Parenting kept the calendar full.

2023Recalled in 2025

“I no longer had a deadline to return to work hanging over me”

ESI Retiree 54Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Retirement initially continued the rhythm of maternity leave.
  • Work messages stopped once she formally left.

How it felt

  • The missing return deadline brought relief. “relief and happiness was amazing”
  • Her attachment to work faded faster than expected. “completely forgotten about it”
ParenthoodRecoveryChange
ESI Retiree 54
Read original postesimoney.com

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