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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
Years
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81–90 of 105 posts

The rental business brings freedom, but fewer office friends

Dec 2018Interview snapshot · published 2019-04

Life at the time

  • After selling a business, he managed rental-property managers and made room for extended travel and time with his wife and daughter.

How it felt

  • He considered himself retired while still working on investments, and missed the everyday social contact of an office. “I miss the social aspect of having an office”

A smaller home makes space for people

Jul 2018Interview snapshot · published 2018

Life at the time

  • After retiring in 2014, he and his wife moved from a large suburban Chicago home to a Florida condo.

How it felt

  • Adjustment took time, but he valued having more time with his wife, relatives and friends. “it took some time to adjust to this new life”

A part-time library and a new circle of colleagues

Jun 2018

Life at the time

  • Read long books he had put off while working.
  • Wrote a personal blog and an annual A–Z gratitude post.

How it felt

  • Regarded other bloggers as a new circle of colleagues. “my new colleagues”
  • Felt grateful for their writing, perspectives, and inspiration. “I am very grateful”

Slow breakfasts replace the rush to work

Apr 2018Interview snapshot · published 2018

Life at the time

  • After both retired in 2017, the couple spent more time exercising, sharing breakfast, meeting neighbors and renovating their home.

How it felt

  • They welcomed the slower pace, while finding the loss of routine disorienting. “the lack of structure and routine is a little disorienting”

The deadlines disappeared quickly. The professional identity took longer.

Apr 2018Recalled in 2023

Life at the time

  • Reading, television and daytime walks replaced deadline-driven work.
  • Retirement allowed time with a gravely ill father.

How it felt

  • Freedom felt blissful, even oddly illicit on weekdays. “was bliss”
  • Work-related dreams lingered after the job ended. “being naughty”

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

Mar 2018Recalled in 2019

Life at the time

  • Sleep, walks and clearing out work clothes marked the first months.
  • She replaced workplace calendars with personal tools.

How it felt

  • Simply stopping work felt rewarding enough. “enough reward and celebration”
  • The reflex to check work email took time to break. “breaking the habit”

Comfort came easily. Companionship took longer.

Nov 2017 · Year 5

Life at the time

  • Used classes and exercise to bring structure to open time.
  • Found work contacts fading while friends remained occupied with jobs and children.

How it felt

  • Could find the absence of structure disorienting. “the lack of structure that FI facilitates can be disorienting”
  • Was still balancing autonomy, activity and the wish for company. “Finding the balance between the two impulses”

A part-time library and a new circle of colleagues

Jun 2017

Life at the time

  • Worked part-time in a county law library after an initial eighteen-month pause.
  • Lived in Florida while his wife continued full-time work.

How it felt

  • Found the early-retirement journey gratifying. “most gratifying”
  • Valued the purpose and extra income from part-time work. “a sense of purpose”

Redundancy gave way to a life she enjoyed more than expected

Feb 2017

Life at the time

  • Visited Melbourne, saw a film and unexpectedly met blogging friends.
  • Read quietly in a historic home’s garden amid the busy city.

How it felt

  • Enjoyed forced retirement more than she had expected. “more than I thought possible”
  • Felt relaxed after the previous year’s difficult transition. “happy, relaxed”

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