The FIRE is Gone – Retire by 40

Hello friends. I hope you’re enjoying the summer break as much as my son is. RB40Jr just wrapped up an incredibly busy freshman year of high school. Now, his main goal seems to be playing video games until 3 a.m. and waking up at noon. Actually, I have no idea exactly how late he stays up because I’m out cold by 11 p.m. Life is sweet for a teenager when school is out.

Things are going pretty well on my end, too. My glacial pace transition to full retirement is almost complete. I left my engineering career way back in 2012 and have been meandering toward the finish line ever since. This year, I dialed back on blogging to once a month and cut way down on my catering delivery side gig. That translates to about 15 hours of work per month. These days, I’m staying busy with pottery, ukulele, home repairs, and just goofing off.

However, I do have a bit of a confession.

The Post-FIRE Reality Check

Cutting back on blogging totally killed my interest in the FIRE movement.

When I was writing more frequently, I sought out other FIRE blogs and articles for inspiration. Now? I rarely look at personal finance content online. The internet has changed tremendously due to AI. Everything is served up on a silver platter, and old-school blogs are becoming irrelevant. Ouch, that’s kind of harsh. It’s still good to read real experiences from real people. AI doesn’t have that real-life experience we can relate to.

Truthfully, it’s been a struggle to write lately. Writing less often means the words don’t flow like they used to. I don’t really know what to write about either. At this point in my life, the financial equation is pretty much solved. We spend less than 3% of our net worth and live a comfortable, moderate lifestyle. The only major financial challenge left is minimizing taxes during our withdrawal phase. That’s a pretty boring long-haul project.

Life Beyond the Numbers

I still have plenty of challenges, but they have nothing to do with money or FIRE. They are simply about midlife.

• The Sandwich Generation Dilemma: Mrs. RB40’s parents are older and need more assistance. She has been spending about half her time down in California to help them out. This is a challenging situation for us. RB40Jr gets along with his mom, and he needs her around.
• Long-Distance Family Support: My dad is also getting older and needs more support. Earlier this year, he underwent radiation treatment for prostate cancer. The prognosis is good, but he feels weaker than ever. I want to be there to help him recover, but I need to be here for my son during the school year. Fortunately, my dad has a younger “friend” who is stepping in to help. I’m heading to Thailand soon to see what I can do.
• Teenage Life: RB40Jr had a tough freshman year. He loaded up on challenging classes and activities, and lacked the time-management skills to succeed fully. He still pulled off an acceptable 3.75 GPA, but he was mad because he could have done better. He left points on the table by turning in assignments late and missing some crucial classes. Next year, we’ll help him manage his time better.
• Health in my 50s: Staying healthy is another big challenge at 52. I recently stopped going to the gym due to persistent joint pain. Instead, Mrs. RB40 and I have been taking daily walks. I know it’s not enough, but my joints feel a lot better. Once I get back from Thailand, we’ll set up a home gym. RB40Jr wants to start working out too.
• The Relocation: We are planning to sell our duplex and move after RB40Jr heads to college in 3 years. The plan is to spend six months in California and six months in Thailand. I don’t know if it’ll work out as I envision, though. Things seem to keep changing.

What’s Next?

So, I want to turn it over to you. Would you be interested in reading about any of this “life after FIRE” stuff? After the math is done, what should I write about?

Alright, I’m heading off to Thailand for 2 months. I’ll get back to writing in September. Have a wonderful summer, and let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Please follow and like us:

The following two tabs change content below.

Joe started Retire by 40 in 2010 to figure out how to retire early. After 16 years of investing and saving, he achieved financial independence and retired at 38.

Joe recommends Empower for DIY investors. They have many useful tools that will help you reach financial independence.