afterFI/RE Life after FI/RE
← Explore posts shelves

Posts

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
Posts
1–10 of 62 posts

Within months, slower days began to feel normal

Sep 2026

“And finally, we don’t worry about money (as much)!”

Mark Seed / My Own AdvisorRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Had taken a three-week Newfoundland retirement road trip.
  • Averaged over 10,000 steps daily, golfed weekly and cycled over 100 kilometres a week.

How it felt

  • Enjoyed having time to think and act on his own schedule. “time moves differently”
  • Was surprised that the household worried less about money. “we don’t worry about money”
RoutineOutdoorsSlowing down
Mark Seed / My Own Advisor
Read original postmyownadvisor.ca

Within months, slower days began to feel normal

Apr 2026

“And to be honest, even a few days after I handed in my laptop and badge, the feeling remains quite surreal about what just happened.”

Mark Seed / My Own AdvisorRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Left an employer after more than twenty-five years and joined his wife in retirement.
  • Began mornings with more time and fewer externally imposed obligations.

How it felt

  • Found the departure surreal only days after returning his equipment. “the feeling remains quite surreal”
  • Felt moved by colleagues’ sendoff and uncertain about the shape of the next chapter. “I don’t have all the answers yet.”
RoutineOutdoorsSlowing down
Mark Seed / My Own Advisor
Read original postmyownadvisor.ca

He escaped the night calls. Then had to give himself permission to relax.

Apr 2026 · Year 2

“Third, I feel safe and content.”

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

Life at the time

  • Ran two half-marathons and made room for thinking and ordinary pleasures.
  • Let some creative plans pause as other interests took precedence.

How it felt

  • Was learning to relax without treating every change of plan as failure. “It’s all good, you can relax now.”
  • Felt safer and more content, although guilt still appeared. “Third, I feel safe and content.”
ContentmentSlowing downOutdoors
u/lifeistoughasfuck
Read original postreddit.com

An advertising side business softened the jump into retirement

Mar 2026Recalled in 2026

“Now, I’m more of a free spender.”

ESI Millionaire 314Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • He closed the business in December 2025.
  • Ski trips and daily walks now filled more time.

How it felt

  • He felt relieved to leave corporate pressures. “more of a free spender”
  • He had become more comfortable spending. “just done with it all”
OutdoorsMoneyFreedom
ESI Millionaire 314
Read original postesimoney.com

He escaped the grind. Then learned to stop optimizing every day.

2026 · Year 7

“I was scared at the beginning of the breakup that I was going to lose both a romantic partner and a friend - which does unfortunately happen far too often with couples after a breakup.”

u/hungn3Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Ended a six-month romantic relationship while keeping the friendship.
  • Added puzzle competitions and social dancing to climbing, volunteering and travel.

How it felt

  • The experience clarified how much he valued friendship and autonomy. “I STRONGLY value friendships”
  • Initial hurt gave way to an ongoing friendship with his former partner. “We're still good friends and chat/hang out regularly.”
FriendsChangeOutdoors
u/hungn3
Read original postreddit.com

Leaving the last job makes room for both races and rest

Dec 2025Recalled in 2026

“I’m getting better at telling that voice to fuck off.”

Dave · Accidental FIRERead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • He won a regional cycling race and completed his first ultramarathon.
  • Cycling and running groups brought friends; park reading restored a slower rhythm.

How it felt

  • The athletic progress felt meaningful after earlier struggles with weight. “a massive achievement”
  • He was getting better at resisting guilt about unproductive rest. “I’m getting better”
OutdoorsSlowing downIdentity
Dave · Accidental FI/RE
Read original postaccidentalfire.com

Exhaustion gave way to projects, cycling and a seasonal pace

Sep 2025

“everything is happier”

Part-time AnalystRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Walks, cycle rides and social time filled more days.
  • The previous winter included house projects and investment software.

How it felt

  • He reported greater happiness and energy. “everything is happier”
  • Choosing his own tasks kept boredom away. “quite the opposite”
RecoveryFreedomOutdoors
Part-time Analyst
Read original postmonevator.com

An early retirement makes room for travel, then consulting

Sep 2025Interview snapshot · published 2026-01

“neither angle panned out”

ESI Millionaire 455Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • He recalled spending his first retirement visiting friends, road-tripping, cycling, hiking and studying sustainable living before trying consulting tied to a software project.

How it felt

  • Neither business direction worked out as hoped; in the later interview he described a reasonably balanced life. “Right now, it’s reasonably balanced for me.”
WorkChangeOutdoors
ESI Millionaire 455
Read original postesimoney.com

Skiing made the exit easy; home and exercise sustained it

Sep 2025Recalled in 2026

“I love the freedom from anyone asking for my time.”

ESI Retiree 60Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Early swim sessions alternated with trail rides.
  • Home renovations and shared dinners occupied afternoons.

How it felt

  • He loved control over his time. “Retirement is still great”
  • He wished more friends were available during weekdays. “freedom”
OutdoorsHomeFriends
ESI Retiree 60
Read original postesimoney.com

Leaving the last job makes room for both races and rest

Jul 2025

“I’ll be honest, when I out-processed and was escorted out it was a pretty emotional day.”

Dave · Accidental FIRERead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Voluntary early retirement brought immediate pension payments and continued health coverage.
  • A graphic design business remained a chosen activity.

How it felt

  • Leaving a workplace of nearly three decades felt emotional and bittersweet. “a pretty emotional day”
  • He reported no regret about leaving and excitement for what followed. “I couldn’t be more proud”
OutdoorsSlowing downIdentity
Dave · Accidental FI/RE
Read original postaccidentalfire.com

Privacy & analytics

AfterFire uses Google Analytics only if you accept. It helps us understand visits, referral sources, pages and chapters people open, filter use, and clicks to original sources.

After acceptance, Google receives page titles and addresses without query strings, content and chapter IDs, filter names (not selected values or search terms), campaign source/medium/name tags from shared links, original-source domains, referring sites, approximate location and browser/device information. Analytics cookies distinguish browsers and visits. Campaign labels are stored in this tab only after acceptance and expire after 30 minutes without activity. We do not enable advertising personalization or Google Signals, or send your name, email address or account identifier to Analytics.

Declining sends no Analytics data to Google. Accepting starts with the page currently open; we do not replay earlier browsing. Withdrawing consent stops tracking, clears this site's Analytics cookies and reloads the page. It does not delete measurements already received by Google.

We remember your choice on this browser for up to six months. Detailed Analytics data is retained for up to 14 months; aggregated reports can remain longer. Site hosting still processes requests needed to serve these pages.

Read Google's privacy policy and how Google uses information from sites.