Picture this for a moment: you’re retired at a fancy Caribbean resort, sitting on a soft sandy beach. The sun is out, there’s a cool breeze, a drink in your hand and an easy novel in your lap. No stress. Staff brings food and drinks whenever you want.
Sounds amazing, right? I’d enjoy it… for a few weeks, maybe a month. After that I’d start to get bored and want more out of my days. I might tire of resort food and want to cook. I might crave something more mentally stimulating than cheesy novels. At some point I’d have to hit the gym or my body would turn to Jell-O.
And realistically, living that way long-term on my current spending wouldn’t last. So there’s the practical side to think about too.
The main reason I’m chasing financial independence is simple: I want a sense of accomplishment, the pleasure of being productive, and the satisfaction of helping others. I’m aiming for financial independence — a kinder way to say “F*ck You Money” — but I’m not focused on early retirement.
My target is based on my current lifestyle, which from a needs-and-wants perspective is pretty comfortable. Because of that, I don’t want to retire only to find we’re short on cash. Some people feel they already have what they need and can’t imagine spending more on luxuries. That’s not me, and it’s definitely not my wife. We can picture spending more.
The idea of marginal utility explains it: an extra $10,000 means the world to someone with nothing, but barely moves the needle for a billionaire. My wife and I fall in the middle. Our FI target covers a comfortable life, not a flawless one.
There are plenty of things I’d love to spend money on but choose not to today. I’ve always wanted to heli-ski in Alaska. It’s expensive now, but if I were financially independent and had solid income, I could book that trip without feeling guilty.
One thing I’m sure of: once I’m financially independent, I won’t spend all my waking hours just to make money. I won’t do work that doesn’t give me any satisfaction. That said, doing work I enjoy and earning extra for fun things wouldn’t be a bad setup.
When I graduated college, I wanted to help people with their finances. I applied for every “financial advisor” job I could find, got through multiple rounds of interviews, and then faced the test: list people I could sell financial products to. Looking back, those products were likely whole life insurance and annuities.
I wouldn’t have a problem selling the right product to the right person, but it didn’t feel like that was happening. It felt a bit shady, so I turned my career toward working with corporations instead.
That choice was great for my career — I’ve moved up and done well — but it doesn’t give me the satisfaction I wanted. I’m even farther from my original goal of directly advising people.
I’m not giving up, though. I still plan to help others reach financial independence. To prepare, I’m studying to become a CFP — a Certified Financial Planner.
I know many in the FIRE community don’t trust financial advisors. I get it — I’m a DIY person too. But I also believe most people can benefit from a second opinion, and some prefer paying for help rather than doing it themselves.
I want to build a practice where my incentives match my clients’ interests. If that means I make less than typical advisors, that’s fine — it would just be extra money at that point in my life.
Honestly, I think most FIRE bloggers are really focused on FI, not full retirement. Blogging for income is work, even if you love it. Writing, marketing, maintaining, and monetizing a blog makes you self-employed.
Retirement, by the usual definition, is when a person stops working completely. If you’re still working — even on your own terms — you’re not technically retired. Almost everyone who reaches FI early stays too driven to quit entirely. Look at billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson, or Donald Trump: they’re financially independent, but they still work because they want to.
A FIRE blogger who leaves a 9-to-5 but keeps blogging for income is similar.
In my ideal life, I’d be financially independent and not have to work, but I’d still spend about 20 hours a week doing work I enjoy. I’d want it to be a bit challenging, to feel accomplished, and to help people improve their lives.
The rest of my time would go to friends and family. I’d ski, hike, cycle, run, play board games and poker, and keep learning. Those leisure activities would be richer alongside purposeful work.
What would I do with extra money? While I’d be happy living on my current spending, a bit more would be nice. I’d hire someone to clean the house — I don’t enjoy scrubbing toilets. I’d go to nice restaurants without worrying about budgets. And yes, I’d splurge on the occasional luxury beach vacation like the one I pictured at the start.
When I reach FI, I’ll do everything I can to live that life. My 2018 goals — savings and education targets — were steps toward it. My path to FI isn’t a race, and it’s not about painful sacrifices.
I don’t want to retire early; I want to live well now and build the freedom to live my dream later.
Editor’s note: I respect where Jason is coming from. Many of us want to enjoy life’s extras, help others, and call our own shots. Financial independence lets you step away from at-will employment so you can pursue meaningful work.
If you think retirement means zero work, think again — very few of us ever truly stop working. Grandma taking care of grandkids isn’t retired. Grandpa volunteering at Habitat for Humanity isn’t retired. Grandpa — grab that tool bag and let’s go!