FIRE? Unless you hate or are bad at your job, isn't work the best part of life?

Albermarle

I think you now will understand why so many chose to quit in their 50s, particularly if there are underlying health issues or family histories.  Even if it means "being on the dole".

I fully understand why some will want to retire in their 50's . I was just pointing out the actual statistics do not always match with what we perceive personally about the risk of early death.

I do not think retiring is the same as 'being on the dole' ( being retired recently myself)

I was trying to point out whilst many on this forum have the luxury of being able to debate the merits of early retirement, after a lifetime of well paid work. Many others will have a lifetime where having  a secure job at all is  only something they can dream about .

So on their deathbed they may wish they had been able to spend more time in the office , rather than down the Job Centre.

RogerIrvine

"Unless you hate your family or have none isn't that the best part of life?" - Absolutely, Terron; although it is good to check with them occasionally. 

Actually, we were happiest when we had nothing. There was nothing more that could be taken from us. But since I have experienced both, I can say that having money is better than not, no question.

ex-pat_scot

I am similar.
Fatigued.
I can hardly describe my working conditions as anything other than comfortable - WFH, nice people, great boss, generally great clients - but it's the volume of work, the endless additional stuff that's required, the targets, the neverending worry about coping and fitting in ever more with less time, fewer staff, greater demands, higher quality.  I just cannot ever mentally switch off, and have a continuous guilt that the to-do list isn't getting any shorter.

I also feel guilty that I don't enjoy it more. I do try and focus on the enjoyable bits - the engagement with clients, the stimulation of good colleagues.

I'm finding it increasingly difficult to focus, which really adds to stress/anxiety as the tricky stuff mounts up and I struggle to really get my teeth into it.

Overall it makes me tired, distracted, grumpy and never rested. Guilty, that I have life pretty cushy. Very well-paid.  Which then restricts my ability to maintain that level if I tried to simplify / move.

If I could, I would stop soon.
Perhaps pick up a little bit of contracting.
Certainly, once FI, then I do expect this to allow me the flexibility do work on my terms, and to take the pressure off the need to keep going and earning the big salary.

bostonerimus

The most important letter in FIRE is the I ie Independence. It allows you to make choices freely. I FIRE'd at 52 and did not work for three years. Then an old colleague asked me to do some part time work for a small company he's started. So now I work around 15 hrs a week and save the extra money and basically potter around an optics lab. I can work more or less or stop altogether, FIRE gives me options.

HCIMbtw

bostonerimus said:

The most important letter in FIRE is the I ie Independence. It allows you to make choices freely. I FIRE'd at 52 and did not work for three years. Then an old colleague asked me to do some part time work for a small company he's started. So now I work around 15 hrs a week and save the extra money and basically pottering around an optics lab. I can work more or less or stop altogether, FIRE gives me options.

^This

I'm a long way off financial independence.. there's so much I like but struggle to make time for around work and family, art, reading, videography/photography, sports coaching, fitness and health.. I manage to make time for little bits every now and then 

Could totally see myself transitioning to voluntary coaching and small paid elements of fitness class work/PT when i'm older.. just got to suck up the next 16-18 years.. 

chiefie

Pollycat said:

RogerIrvine said:

Tenure to a paying post seems to be an invaluable perk. For example septuagenarian Paul Dacre has recently demurred from re-applying 

for the prestigious chair of the kingdom's media regulator to be parachuted into a more lucrative private sector post. In his 80th year, great football manager Sir Alex Ferguson continues as Manchester United's Global Ambassador, after a stroke. 

Acknowledged that us in the middling MSE crowd don't have that leverage, still, isn't it better to have the focus of a job? I may be wrong and obviously no disrespect intended  but get the impression that tax-considerations or, even worse, a failure of imagination lies behind this FIRE goal.

Writing as someone who took early retirement 18 years ago, I much prefer to focus on the things that interest me - although I did enjoy my job, I enjoyed my hobbies much more.

Work was never the best part of my life.
Work enabled me to do the things I enjoyed.

Maybe we weren't as frugal as some people with FIRE goal, but we always lived within our means. But we lived well.
When work colleagues were holidaying in 5* AI resorts, we stayed in small hotels.
When colleagues were driving BMW or Audi, we had a Yaris.

Totally this ☝️  Who decided that 5 days/week work for 50+ years as the best way to exist ?  It's easy to fall into the trap of consumerism to enable other, very rich people, meet  their own needs.

it's time to get off the roundabout 

Pollycat

chiefie said:

Pollycat said:

RogerIrvine said:

Tenure to a paying post seems to be an invaluable perk. For example septuagenarian Paul Dacre has recently demurred from re-applying 

for the prestigious chair of the kingdom's media regulator to be parachuted into a more lucrative private sector post. In his 80th year, great football manager Sir Alex Ferguson continues as Manchester United's Global Ambassador, after a stroke. 

Acknowledged that us in the middling MSE crowd don't have that leverage, still, isn't it better to have the focus of a job? I may be wrong and obviously no disrespect intended  but get the impression that tax-considerations or, even worse, a failure of imagination lies behind this FIRE goal.

Writing as someone who took early retirement 18 years ago, I much prefer to focus on the things that interest me - although I did enjoy my job, I enjoyed my hobbies much more.

Work was never the best part of my life.
Work enabled me to do the things I enjoyed.

Maybe we weren't as frugal as some people with FIRE goal, but we always lived within our means. But we lived well.
When work colleagues were holidaying in 5* AI resorts, we stayed in small hotels.
When colleagues were driving BMW or Audi, we had a Yaris.

Totally this ☝️  Who decided that 5 days/week work for 50+ years as the best way to exist ?  It's easy to fall into the trap of consumerism to enable other, very rich people, meet  their own needs.

it's time to get off the roundabout 

I was so pleased that I got off the roundabout just after my 50th birthday.

I had worked for the same company for almost 35 years, had a final salary pension with immediate payment.
I know how lucky I was and still am.

SouthCoastBoy

chiefie said:

Totally this ☝️  Who decided that 5 days/week work for 50+ years as the best way to exist ?  It's easy to fall into the trap of consumerism to enable other, very rich people, meet  their own needs.

it's time to get off the roundabout 

I was thinking exactly that about 10 mins ago, we are conditioned to think we should do the above to ensure those at the top get very rich. Sometimes I think the people who are on lifetime benefits have got it right, they are playing the system the same as those at the top, the middle are the losers.

itwasntme001

SouthCoastBoy said:

chiefie said:

Totally this ☝️  Who decided that 5 days/week work for 50+ years as the best way to exist ?  It's easy to fall into the trap of consumerism to enable other, very rich people, meet  their own needs.

it's time to get off the roundabout 

I was thinking exactly that about 10 mins ago, we are conditioned to think we should do the above to ensure those at the top get very rich. Sometimes I think the people who are on lifetime benefits have got it right, they are playing the system the same as those at the top, the middle are the losers.

Yes quite.  It is not too dissimilar to the "Skinner Box" experiment where in our case you have humans as the rats and the "prize" is the pay instead of rat food.

After a certain point we get conditioned to accepting this reality as the only way.  Some do eventually see the bigger picture and get to "escape the rat race".

[Deleted User]

I pressed the button on my 55th birthday, since I was 25 years old I have been working on client sites doing IT consultancy for 30 years. Hardly ever once commuting from home and back in a day. Normally leave Monday come back Friday

Do I have enough cash, probably, but I did love my job but the politics to get higher was pants (I achieved a level of pay I was happy with in 2001 and stayed at that level).

Anyways, since then, I have sold my house, moved into rented, got married (finally after decades!), and am moving abroad next year

The last year or so in limbo has been a bit weird, I have been going to the pub for company most lunchtimes, but I wouldn't have changed anything