I’ve been wondering a lot about this lately for some unknown reason. I know there are not too many people who are comfortably well off enough to retire in their 30’s and 40’s but there are some. I keep thinking there has to be some place they generally hang out, or some club they join, but so for I’ve come up with nothing.
Don’t they travel a lot? See the world?
I would be bored out of my mind. I never had any desire to retire young.
I guess a lot of them would, but what about ones that can retire and live off of like $60,000 a year? Or someone with a military pension who started in the service at 18? Is there just a very small number of them? Do they tend to do things like start a business?
I don’t personally know anyone who was able to retire that early, but I do know a number of people who did so in their early to mid 50s (usually not voluntarily - layoffs, pressure to take buyouts, etc.) but fortunately still had enough cash saved up to not have to worry about finding another full-time job. What these folks have done are as varied as they are. In my experience, the happiest ones find something else to do that is important to them, be it a hobby, volunteer work, etc.
The little bit I have read about the sort of people who have retired in their 30-40s as a result of their own money-making ability has indicated they did so in order to do something else they wanted to do with the money they had made - starting a foundation, for example, or founding a new business that would provide for public good even if it didn’t make a lot of cash, and so on.
FYI, military pensions generally do not provide enough cash to fully retire on at 20 years of service unless you are single, childless and live frugally (though I suppose if you manage to rise meteorically through the officer ranks it might be different). It will enable you to worry less about how much you make in your next full time job, but you will still be working.
My dad was able to retire at age 40. He started several small businesses related to his eclectic interests. He didn’t hang out anywhere - he worked more than when he was an executive.
I kind of tend to envision that I would lie on a beach all day if I came into some real money; but in reality I would probably end up doing this.
This is my perception of what happens. People with the drive to earn enough money to retire early are wired as movers and shakers. They just move on to the next challenge.
I’ve got a friend who retired in his 30s. He joined the Peace Corps and went on to do a lot of really cool work with technology startups in Africa.
Lying on beach all day is really boring and I can’t imagine that the kind of person driven enough to acquire enough assets to retire at forty years old is going to be satisfied doing that.
I was able to retire at 47. When I got into law enforcement in '82 there was a “25 and out” plan.
I have a full pension and paid health insurance. When I retired our home was paid off and our kids all out of the house. So we were in a pretty good place.
I took a part-time patrol gig with another agency. But yeah, my wife and I travel a lot. Always did. We just got back from Paris. We like to wander too. Summer weekends we’ll pack up the Hog and just take off. I only work 2 days a week and don’t always have to if I don’t want to. A switch here and there and I can be off 4 weeks straight.
I retired at 32. After taking a year off (which I really needed) I started a consulting company at 33 and have been working ever since, although not as hard as I did in my 20s. The benefit of having retired early is that I can do work for startups and take equity instead of cash. I have fingers in a lot of pies.
There are quite a lot of trustfunders out there also.
When we visit Puerto Vallarta we see a number of such people. Some seem to start businesses, others just relax. I’d be one of the latter.
What does “retired” mean in these cases? Obviously not the conventional definition of “having left one’s job and ceased to work”…
I think we’re sort of going with the doesn’t *need *to work definition.
I retired early due to prudent investments, savings, and a good retirement plan from my employer.
I’m pretty busy. Some volunteer work, and a lot of work on my serious “hobby”, which is research/botanical stuff. Home improvement is an important energy giver and taker (oddly enough I live in the best house of my life now, but continue to improve it. Travel is often, and diverse in destination.
Family vacations in the summer include my wive and I plus the next two generations…often at some touristy location like San Diego.
I go to sports events…something I never had the time/money/interest for in my working days.
Basically I follow my whims…photography, new technology, keeping up with new science and so forth. Also, I read a lot, but no longer read every book to the end; if it hasn’t captured my interest by page 50, i’m laying it down.
My sons are now planning on how they can retire early.
My uncle retired from the Navy and did start his own business. When he retired from his second career, he took up something from his first one. In the Navy, he got to fly into hurricanes and take pressure readings. He never lost that thrill and took up chasing tornadoes. Sadly, he is now in a wheelchair, but he had a lot of fun while he could!
My ex got a tarnished brass parachute from his company and figured that, with scrimping and saving, he could just work part time jobs and do some travelling. He still travels to car races and works in a local theater doing pick-up doorman and front of house work.
My husband works half time and I retired in my 30’s. He spends a few months a year volunteering overseas and we spend four months every summer at our vacation cabin.
I fill my time with sports (golf and curling and swimming and yoga and walking) and reading. So I guess you could say I joined a golf club and a curling club and a fitness center and a library.
Was it difficult to find friends who could relate to you?
If my running around on weekdays is any indication, Thursday they were all at the Home Depot garden center. Friday they were all at Costco.
(Sometimes I find myself saying “don’t you people have JOBS!” Then I laugh at the irony of that situation since I’m on sabbatical myself.)