Early retirement strategies

[CHGolferJim]

I had a friend that retired most of a year before me who told me, in retrospect, that he made a mistake by diving straight into a new project volunteering ~1/2 time at a non-profit that is important to him. That he should have taken a few months off to enjoy it.

I took that to heart and am right at 6 months now since I retired. And I'd recommend that sort of a break from any sort of serious recurring time commitment. I'll be starting up a ~1/2 time gig at a non-profit next week and I know that I'm awfully glad that I've taken this time off. I was never worried about being bored - what has been interesting to me is just how quickly being retired feels like my natural state of existence, and it was that full time job thing that was unnatural. In reality I think its the reverse - society needs enough people doing productive stuff right now to function, but I'm ok not being one of the people that is being productive

Yes, and the common definition of “productive” needs broadening to include non-profit and charitable work, for example.

 

[elasalle]

What kind of impact can earlier retirement have on one’s young kids?
Do they remain focused on achieving their life goals , once parents decide to take a easier laid back approach?
COVID messed up my plan to take a 1 year break.

 

[juanmedina]

My wife last day from work is this Wednesday and I am still trying to decide when it will be prudent to pull the cord.

What kind of impact can earlier retirement have on one’s young kids?
Do they remain focused on achieving their life goals , once parents decide to take a easier laid back approach?
COVID messed up my plan to take a 1 year break.

I been wondering about this. I have a 3 and 5 year old... I guess I can tell them I am still working from home at my current job or became a trader .

 

[CHGolferJim]

My wife last day from work is this Wednesday and I am still trying to decide when it will be prudent to pull the cord.



I been wondering about this. I have a 3 and 5 year old... I guess I can tell them I am still working from home at my current job or became a trader .

One of life’s imponderables. One trade-off is between displaying a continuous work ethic and spending quality nurturing time with them / having real conversations not just telling them what to do. Also, perhaps we learn more from peers and teachers than our parents after the age of 6.

 

[winfield100]

Yes, and the common definition of “productive” needs broadening to include non-profit and charitable work, for example.

as a few suggestions, having retired 3/31/2016,
Balloon Builders journal and if Brian Boland is still around, he used to teach how to sew, then fly, hot air ballooning at Post Mills, Vermont, USA, (he commuted to New Zealand 1/2 the year)
(though not Santos-Dumont style)
or
getting a sailing kayak and learning to sail, then a catamaran and bopping around, electrified of course
or
a small ultralight with or without floats and doing low and slow traveling, maybe an electrified Laz-aire
or
travel and couch surf, friends, relatives and motels

 

[goinfraftw]

If it helps this thread, I built a philanthropy strategy and started it in December of 2020 (when notifying the non-profits involved) that I'm donating $200k a year over 5 years. Been building an investment strategy around to support that goal even though it's completely 100% attainable now even at these TSLA (and other investment) price levels. It started in June 2021 and I'm, also, trying to purchase a permanent home close to family.

I'm enjoying my FIRE retirement (at this point) by being a "major" philanthropist and very minor angel investor...mostly thanks to TSLA. Yes, donating $1M is and has been a bucket list item. I'll be already 10% into it within 3 months.