Category Archives: Working In Retirement

Retiring Well: Looking Beyond Finances

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Retirement brings freedom and options. With that comes many choices that retirees must make. Obviously having our finances in order is a key to retiring well but that alone is no guarantee. There are two questions I always ask myself as a guide for keeping me on my retirement well-being track. Two questions that I believe can help anyone avoid doing something that will mess with successfully retiring well.

Having enough money available to live the retirement lifestyle you want and can enjoy is primary to retiring well. There are many online retiring well financially geared articles and plenty here on this Leisure Freak site.

Of course there should always first be financial analysis. Deciding whether we can afford to do something or how our spending, portfolio strategy, budget, saving, etc. will impact our long-term retirement funding. After that is settled comes the two questions to make sure we truly retire well.

Retiring well means retiring without regret or unnecessary backtracking to repair a bad decision.

Believe me, retirement and its freedom brings a lot of options and decisions to make. Retiring well means living life on your terms and doing so purposely. Retiring well means retiring to something, not just from something. Nobody plans on retiring into a void. That isn’t retiring well. Neither is retiring and taking on bad projects, strangling obligations, putting up with difficult people, being unnecessarily idle, or accepting a unfulfilling retirement job.

Retiring WellRetirement is much more than our finances that support it. There is the living part of retirement that must be addressed so that we can retire well.

Retiring well must include our avoiding making any bad move that strays from what it is we really want in our retired life. We get to call our own shots and everyone makes mistakes. But I use these two questions to make sure I am truly on track to a no retirement regret decision.

Two Questions To Ask Yourself To Help Ensure Retiring Well

Question #1- If money was removed from my decision, would I still do this?

By answering this question we force ourselves to focus on the importance of the decision. Its importance as it relates to what we truly value in our retirement.

I definitely used this question in my decision to retire early the first time.

It was the end of 2009 during the recession. My portfolio was significantly down but the retirement calculator numbers still came up with favorable but tight results. When asking myself this question the answer was YES. A financial only mindset would have probably caused more retirement delay even though I was truly ready to move on to my freedom. Answering this question gave me the push to clear all the economic uncertainty. There will always be less than perfect financial conditions.

I have also used this question when presented with a paid opportunity.

I focus on skills and experiences of interest and passion when it comes to working in retirement. Sometimes the salary can have me momentarily stray from my planned path. In those cases the answer to this question is NO. But for one stepped down lower paying gig the answer came up as YES. It checked off all of my interest and passion boxes and I enjoyed every minute of it.

This question was also prominent in our retirement decision to not move to a less expensive and snow-less location. Although our financial analysis showed we could improve our finances by making the move. It also showed we could stay put without negative financial issues. But by answering this question we were able to focus on what we really valued. That is, being close to our children and grandchildren. So the answer was NO.

There have been times when our financial analysis showed that we best decide against something.

But by asking this question we gauge the importance to what we value in our retirement. In some cases we really did want to move forward and answered YES. We then made necessary budgetary and income adjustments to counter the financial negatives.

Question #2- If I knew I only had 10 years left to live, would I still do this?

This question is the ultimate ego tamer when it comes to work, activities, and relationships. It forces us to remember an undeniable truth that we are finite and puts our mortality into the equation. It has us prioritize what is most important to us.

When it comes to work opportunities it counters heavy financial justifications and our ego.

In the case of relationships it has the power to force us to focus on where we are and where we really want to be.

How we want to really handle a bad relationship, what to do about grudges we may have, or close the distance between friends and loved ones that we want in our lives.

It has us look differently at social activities that we may not feel like participating in.

It does so by adding, do I really want to miss this opportunity to be with those I care about? Answering this question can change our focus because there is no guaranty of tomorrow.

This question comes up for me with work opportunities.

They checked off all of my interests and passion boxes after passing the first question that removes money from the decision. But I have answered NO for this question because the commitment was too long. Other times the project looked and sounded perfect but I had no respect for the company or its leadership and policies. One in particular opportunity had very tight deadlines covering many months. It would have made taking time-off for family trips or vacations too difficult to fit in.

Sometimes I need this question to silence my ego when it pushes me to investigate or do things that are not aligned with my retirement values.

It allows me to stop wasting my time on things I do not value. There can be many reasons why I wouldn’t want to waste any of my finite time. I then answer NO to this question.

This question has me prioritize relationships that I truly value so I can strengthen them.

I also use the question in how I view and limit relationships with people I really don’t care for but still have because of business or other connections.

In Closing

Retiring well does need having our finances in order. But there is the living part of retirement that counts just as much. The freedom that retirement provides also brings many options and decisions to make. But decisions dictated by a singular financial mindset may cause a retirement of regrets.

I use the above two questions to enhance my retiring well decision process. I am sure there are many others that can be used to keep us on the path to enrich our retirement with what we truly value. For instance questions about our health which is also important to retiring well.

Hopefully these two questions has you thinking about questions that go beyond finances that you can use as guidance toward your retiring well.

A Fun Retirement Job Starts With Your Motivation

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I have had a few working opportunities since my first early retirement. I can tell you that a Fun Retirement Job Starts With Your Motivation. Work and Fun together in the same sentence seems to be the ultimate oxymoron. But the reality is that working for the right reasons in retirement can be fun. I love the definition of retirement as the absence of NEEDING to work. Basically we are still retired if we choose to work for reasons other than our financial survival. Being forced back to work for a paycheck just to make it is unfortunately another flavor of the rat race.

More and more people plan on working in retirement. There are many reasons why retirees choose to work. Motivators include:

  • Working in a Field of Interest and Passion
  • Being Social
  • Brain Stimulation
  • Staying Active
  • Learning New Things
  • etc.

For some retirees the motivation to work in retirement is for a financial boost or extra play-money. For a fun retirement job money can’t stand alone and shouldn’t be the only motivator.

No matter what our reason is for starting a new retirement gig, having a fun retirement job starts with our motivation. Then using our motivation to pick the right job that checks off all of our motivation boxes.

My Fun Retirement Job Experiences

I had always planned on retiring early and often. Since my first early retirement as an engineer from a long telecom career I have had some amazing retirement jobs. I call these fun retirement jobs my passion driven opportunities.

Wireless Telecommunications NOC Tech

A stepped down responsibility position from my land-line engineer career where I was able to learn everything I could about wireless networks.

Cable Video on Demand Systems Analyst

This was my encore career. It was a nice transition into IT away from my earlier life in network operations. I was able to use a lot of my passion focused skills to learn and work in the video world.

Cable Telecommunications Billing Systems Analyst

This was a 7 month early retirement side hustle. It started as the most perfect and fun consulting gig I have ever done. I was able to use the skills that I like doing from my first and second career together.

Craft Beer Bartender

This was a part-time gig of passion. I love a good beer and the craft beer movement. It’s a totally new working experience and it gave a huge boost to my social circle.

Not a bad run of opportunities since first retiring in December 2009. These passion driven opportunities were all fun retirement jobs for me. It was my motivation that made them that way. Many of my coworkers in these gigs were not having fun. That is because they HAD to work there. They were motivated by career driven money reasons and their financial survival.

What was their rat race existence was my learning, social outlet, rewarding (financially and otherwise), passion driven and fun experience.

Having the Right Motivation: The Key to a Fun Retirement Job

We have all been there. Having a job to pay the bills and enduring the crappy commute. We lived for payday and the weekends. If we were lucky we had some fun doing what we did for money.

Working in retirement has the same challenges. There is still usually a commute and a work schedule which obligates our time to be committed to the employer.

The difference that makes a fun retirement job is we only work in retirement because we want to. The key is tying anything we do to our passions and interests. Otherwise we trade one rat race lifestyle for another.

Work is work but if we choose our retirement job correctly, the Fun comes when everything is aligned perfectly.

My motivation has always been to try and learn new things. I also focused on skills I enjoyed using and steered clear of skills that I had and didn’t enjoy doing. My passion driven opportunities were for reasons other than money.  That is what made them fun. Money was just the frosting on the cake. I targeted areas of high interest and passions. How could I not enjoy doing them? It also doesn’t hurt knowing that leaving a job is always an option.

Sometimes it doesn’t Work Out or Last

We will never know until we know. As we grow and move forward some of our passions and interest can change. That is when a passion driven retirement opportunity can stop being fun. The money side of the brain can take over and convince us to stick it out. But that isn’t what working a fun retirement job is about.

When the fun ends then that is when it’s time to move on. Life is short. That is the “retire often” part I love. When I hear that little voice that I have all I wanted from the opportunity and it loses its fun-factor it is time for me to go.

Sometimes the opportunity is still something I have interest in or passion for but other elements have made it lose its luster and fun.

  • Difficult Coworkers and/or Managers
  • Difficult Clients
  • Change in Work Scope
  • Commuting Changes
  • Health and Wellness Issues

There can be a number of reasons that can make what was a fun retirement job turn into dreaded unsatisfying work. Once our motivation is no longer being met then it becomes another obligation slog. Just like any pre-retirement job. It is then time to move on to the next fun retirement adventure.

In Closing

a Fun Retirement Job Starts With Your MotivationI just ended a short 3 month run as a Craft Beer Bartender. It was a blast and totally outside of anything I have done before. The people were great, the PUB was awesome, it was close to home and I learned a lot.

However my old back injury was aggravated by all the standing on hard surfaces and the constant bending over for low stored items / low dish sink. I have had to limit a lot of things I used to do because of my back issue. So I had to resign and return to loyal customer status.

I only worked part-time a couple of shifts a week. It was still a scheduled obligation and if it wasn’t fun it would feel like an unwanted obligation. Looking forward to going in for a shift was exactly what a fun retirement job is about.

On my last shift which was this past Saturday I felt more sadness about leaving coworkers and the business than I did in my first 2 early retirements. It was hard to quit something I was enjoying doing and being a part of. Sometimes things just don’t work out but we gain great things in the experience.

Who knows what or when the next passion driven opportunity will come along. Early retirement is an adventure. My primary motivator is to strive to keep it fun and rewarding.

Are you open to considering working a fun retirement job?

Retired Multimillionaire Busboy Dishwasher

Passion, Retire Early, Retire Often, Working In Retirement,

This weekend I saw a Retired Multimillionaire Busboy Dishwasher. I know many early retired folks who since retiring have either happily started their own businesses, began their dream encore career, or simply have taken on part-time work for a scaled down approach to working. All of them doing what interests them and doing what is aligned with their values and passions. They don’t need to work but they want to. After all, that is what retiring early and often is all about. However this guy is someone I would not have expected to see with an apron on and taking on the cleanup role at a grand opening for a new (craft beer) micro-brewery.

He happens to be the only Multimillionaire that I know.

We met years ago through our shared automotive hobby interests and through some of my volunteer work. That said I won’t be specific with his name or the establishment for privacy reasons. He is a good guy, very down to earth, and active in the community. His is a story that illustrates that working in retirement doing what you want to do and enjoy doing is the new retirement model to strive for. It also illustrates how those who do retire early don’t lose all ambition and never work again. We the early retired just never trade our time for meaningless work anymore.

His story is common for many Multimillionaires. He started a business, grew it to great success, and he and his partners sold it years later to a larger corporation for a massive amount of money. He took some time off and could have just taken another corporate executive position but instead wanted to stay in town and make a difference locally. He saw an opportunity to buy an automotive repair shop in town where he shows up daily and promotes the business and stays active in the automotive enthusiast – hobby world. His manager and mechanics do the day-to-day grind. Not a bad gig for him. I am sure even he wouldn’t have thought a few years ago that he would be a Retired Multimillionaire Busboy Dishwasher but that is what makes the early retirement adventure so interesting. You don’t know what your next opportunity or passion driven endeavor will be.

Why Be a Retired Multimillionaire Busboy Dishwasher?

Retired Multimillionaire Busboy DishwasherThe simple answer is he is a part-owner of the new craft beer micro-brewery. He invested in this new business as something of interest and passion. He also knows the mastermind behind the operation. The primary has owned and operated the Home Micro-Brew supply store in town for years.

You may be saying, “Man I knew it. It’s his joint. No wonder he was busing tables and washing dishes.” Sure, that is normal for business owners but not so much for Multimillionaires. He could just have easily hung out, shook-hands and back-slapped all day long. Nope, you see those who worked hard, made wise financial decisions, and lived within their means to get to early retirement are driven, motivated and not the type to be sitting around just counting their money or worrying about looking like a rich jack-hole who is above any menial work.

Are You Thinking You Might Join the Retire Early and Often lifestyle?
  • Have all the necessary financial and non-financial early retirement boxes checked.
  • Always keep an open mind.
  • When something interests you dig into it and find out everything you can.
  • Always stay curious because you can never know enough about anything.
  • Figure out what you would love to do.
  • Understand the necessary skills.
  • Assess your skills against the required skills.
  • Close any required skill gaps.
  • Learn all you can even if it means working somewhere starting at the bottom to get it.
  • If later you find you no longer enjoy what you are doing in retirement then retire again.
  • Don’t lock yourself into something you don’t love doing anymore.
Final Comments

So I saw a Retired Multimillionaire Busboy Dishwasher this past weekend and I wasn’t really all that surprised. I know the dude enough to get what makes him tick. His early retirement has him still active in the local small business world and he is having a ball. They guy is always smiling living life on his terms even when getting down and dirty.

For those of us who have reached early retirement and have been open to pursuits of passion and interest it truly is worth all the hard work, spending discipline, and saving to get here. For those on the path toward financial independence this kind of life is a worthy goal to strive for even for us non-Multimillionaires.

If you were a Multimillionaire could you see yourself busing tables and washing dishes?

Never Say Never Just Say No Thank You

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I was just reminded of my diplomacy mantra “Never Say Never Just Say No Thank You” when I need to reject an opportunity. I also use it on myself to quell ego and greed. Two insidious human conditions that are counter to the way I want live now. You see, sometimes when you least expect it and are least prepared an opportunity can present itself. After the initial surprise my best instinct is to follow my gut. But then my brain kicks in. You may think that is how things are supposed to work. But my making a shift to a passion driven mindset means thinking beyond money when living my retire early and often lifestyle.

My brain is very good about identifying financial benefits.

Especially after all the exercise it got during the long trek to financial independence. My brain can’t help itself, running the numbers starts-up immediately. However my being open to opportunity in my early retirement does come with important limits. After all it is my finite time I am trading for money when I CHOOSE to accept paid work. In this case the opportunity was aligned with what I have previously identified as work I enjoy doing and have interest in. It even matches up with my last early retirement side hustle but this time my gut immediately said something else to me. It said, “Hell no, not again”.

Passions Can Change so Never Say Never Just Say No Thank You

Sometimes I see or hear about opportunities that look interesting because I have done them before and I am very good at doing it. My ego then will have me consider stretching the work interest and passion limits that I have set. My brain runs the numbers and lets greed chime in to make its case.

But my gut is the gate-keeper trying to calmly keep things balanced and aligned with the passion driven way I have chosen to live. This time with this latest opportunity offer my gut had something important to say.

  • Perhaps it was how my last side hustle turned into an extension and didn’t go as promised.
  • Perhaps the corporate world is just more than Leisure Freak Tommy wants to deal with anymore.
  • Perhaps I am just having too much fun now not doing paid work and not ready for any paid work.
  • Perhaps I just have too much planned now. Projects, travel, celebrations, and whatever I want to do.
  • Perhaps my passions and interests have changed as it just doesn’t fit well with me anymore.
Putting Trust In My Gut

There was no “perhaps” about it. After some self-assessment of what my hesitation and gut was telling me it was all the above.

I hadn’t given it much thought until now so I am surprised with the results of my honest self-assessment which put money totally aside. I really don’t want to engage in Tech anymore. Not as a telecom engineer or technician. Not working in IT and being a business, data, or systems analyst. I am no longer interested in any of it and have scratched those skills and work from my passions list. At least for now. They served me well with my first career, my encore career, and even my early retirement side hustle but I want to move on. I checked off some bucket-list items doing it and now it is time for new adventures when I am ready to begin another.

So to this opportunity I simply said to myself Never Say Never Just Say No Thank You. To the consulting company I replied No thank you, due to current obligations I am unable to accept the opportunity at this time.

It is a truthful response.

How to Walk Away from the Money

  • Ask yourself, if money was no object, would you want to do this work?
  • Set Retire Early and Often (working in retirement) limits tied to and aligned with your interests and passions.
  • Live by the interest and passion limits you set so you won’t dread any paid work you accept.
  • Remember your mortality. I see the government actuary tables  show my life expectancy to be 84. Simply do the math. No sense wasting any of it in misery for money.
  • Remind yourself that your health is best now while younger and don’t put off doing what you want to do until later when older age physical conditions will change.
  • Trust your gut. If it doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t regardless of how much money it pays.
In Closing

I use saying to myself Never Say Never Just Say No Thank You to cope with the fact that my passions and interests can and will change. For all I know someday I may have a change of heart and would enjoy doing tech work again. So I leave myself open to that fact this way.

Life and early retirement is an adventure. You never know what you will find along the way.

How about you. Can you see how your passions and interests can change but see the benefit of saying never say never?

High Encore Career Success Rate

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I was reading the results of a recent study that destroys the biggest argument from my naysayers about being able to start an encore career living the Retire Early and Often lifestyle. They insist that finding a new meaningful and rewarding career is impossible due to age discrimination. They insist that anyone’s encore career success is due to luck.

This survey just came out from the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER). Their study results clearly show a High Encore Career Success Rate for those 45 and older making a sought-after career change in their later life. Success at a far better rate than people would expect.

Surprisingly the results go against most published articles on the matter. As the majority of respondents not only found and started new careers that provided them greater satisfaction. But also received higher pay than the career they left.

Of the survey respondents: Eighty-two percent reported they successfully transitioned to a new career after age 45. The key was having and using their transferable skills that they gained from their earlier career.

Not only did they find themselves being happier in their new pursuits but also receiving higher pay to do it. Some said they did initially start their new career at a lower salary. But they worked hard and climbed the income ladder to be paid higher than their first career paid.

My Experience Matches the Study Results.

This is certainly what I experienced. My first retirement was from an Engineering career working in telecommunications network operations. After some time off I started to pursue opportunities of interest in the wireless industry. I focused on skills that I liked doing. I did land a sweet position in a wireless company’s network operations and was enjoying it when I made another move. This time pursuing interest in the video (cable) industry working in IT as a Systems Analyst.

Again I was using my transferable skills to win the position. My wireless experience did pay less than my first career but that job was a lower stress and lower expectation job. The video position was in a new industry and career segment for me (IT instead of network operations). It paid around 13% higher than my first career. I retired from that IT career after a few years and later returned for a little early retirement side hustle in their telecom IT unit.

It seems that success can be found pursuing opportunities when using your first career and for myself even my second career gained skills and education despite everything we hear to the contrary that most people can’t find meaningful work in their later years.

Results Show a High Encore Career Success Rate but not 100%.

Although there was a high second career success rate from the respondents. There were still those who were unable to make a career change. The study results explained it came down to being short of the necessary education or skills required. The study found that for those who failed to connect to their dream position. They only had two of the required attributes being looked for.

From this we can see the importance of planning ahead and getting the necessary education and skills needed to improve our odds of making a later life career change. Respondents did go out and did exactly that in many cases. Although it would seem through the high success rate that age discrimination wasn’t a brick wall to overcome. There is no way to know how prevalent it was as a factor among respondent’s pursuits.

Conclusion

The study was actually called “New Careers for Older Workers”. But all the findings would fully relate to those who retire early and often by seeking their desired encore career. Because starting a new career in later life is exactly what starting an encore career is about.

If you want to see more about the study you can download the PDF from the American Institute for Economic Research site using the following link: https://www.aier.org/new-careers-older-workers. Just find the “download report” button. Your email is required.

The download even includes the survey questions so that you can evaluate how the survey was done and the depth of the questioning asked to come up with their results.

Have you found success pursuing an encore career?

Do you plan on retiring early from your current career and then seeking a new encore career?

Do you find the High Encore Career Success Rate surprising?

How My Big Mistake Saved My Financial Keister

Retire Often, Working In Retirement,

Sometimes you make a mistake and you just have to suck it up and soldier through it. If I was to put a chapter title to the first 3 months of Leisure Freak Tommy’s book of 2015. I would title it Sadness, Frustration and Budget Hits. How my big mistake saved my financial keister.

My Big Mistake

If you have read some of my earlier posts you may recall I took on a little early retirement side hustle last October. It was funded for a sweet two and half month gig that went to the end of year. It was the best gig I have ever had. When they asked if I would consider accepting an extension I laid down my boundaries by being rationally unreasonable. They accepted my conditions and made me an offer to stay into this year until mid-May. Of which I accepted.

It all started wonderfully but slowly as the weeks went by the corporate behemoth I am consulting for started pushing past the agreed upon boundaries. Pushed to the point where now they don’t recall anything about said boundaries.

My big mistake is I allowed them to do this and I didn’t just say that it is time for me to move on.

I get it. They have business needs and after losing some staff the work needs to still be done. I am just a softy and decided to be nice instead of being right. It isn’t the end of the world but it does add some frustration. That’s because I prefer to spend my time doing the things I am interested in doing. Not the boring meaningless stuff of everyday production problems.

It makes me feel a bit of a fraud because for me it’s all about being passionate about what I am doing. I am not to the point where I hear that little voice saying there is more to life than this. But I do think that if I didn’t know I was returning to retirement soon that voice may just be singing to me now.

That said I am honoring my end of the deal until mid-May. I do take solace in knowing that I held up my end of the bargain and maybe that is my passion connection. Living honestly with integrity.

I am looking forward to returning to early retirement in a few weeks. I am being well paid which is what has saved my financial keister. For the most part this early retirement side hustle has been very rewarding.

How My Big Mistake Saved My Financial Keister – My Three Pay-Offs

Mistake Pay Off #1-

I had posted about recovering from the blown budget blues in January where I explained how our long time beloved pet, our fury family member was diagnosed with terminal heart disease. I am sorry to announce that he passed away a couple of weeks ago. From his first symptoms through all the tests and medications we did spend $2800. We spent that to make his last months as comfortable as possible. The money from the side hustle certainly spared taking this money from my emergency fund.

Mistake Pay Off #2-

My mother could no longer climb the stairs from her basement apartment at my sister’s home. She was basically trapped because she would restrict climbing the stairs due to pain and the length of time to get through the ordeal.

After speaking with my sister the logical decision was to find one of those stairway chair-elevators. My sister hasn’t the money. Even though Medicare will help pay for a Jazzy-Chair to zip around the neighborhood. They do not pay for a way to get up and down stairs in your old age.

So as I am on this side hustle I happily purchased said chair elevator system for $4900. Once again the money from the side hustle certainly spared taking this money from my emergency fund. Because even if I wasn’t still working this side hustle I would have done this anyway. I love my mom.

Mistake Pay Off #3-

Last week totally out of the blue my father-in-law passed away. As the family is trying to recover from the shock we will be traveling out-of-state to the funeral. We will also be pitching in money for the wake and obituary.

As this trip is coming in the next couple of days I don’t know the total we will be spending. But the money from the side hustle certainly spared taking this money from my emergency fund. Or at the very least from our travel and vacation fund for this year. It sucks to deal with a death in the family at a personal level. But I feel badly for anyone who has to also suffer through financial pressure too.

In Closing.

Things happen in life that you can’t budget for. Having an emergency fund is very important. I have also been thinking a lot about how my early retirement side hustle was extended. How it has turned out with me sticking to my end of the bargain by staying on even though they broke my rules for being there.

I certainly could have walked off the job anytime I wanted to. I can’t help but think about the old saying that things happen for a reason. With all that has happened through March I hope that my life quiets down, my contract comes to a quiet but exciting (for me) end, and I return to my early retirement life living totally on my terms.

Have you ever had a run of bad financial hits within a short time period?

Have you had a business deal go sideways but you still held up your end?

Early Retirement Myth

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There is an early retirement myth that people believe. It is time to drop the myth and get real about early retirement. First I want to define early retirement. To keep it simple I will say there are two flavors.

  • Extreme early retirement where you retire before you reach 50.
  • Early retirement where you retire before age 62.

There are probably many so-called early retirement myths but the early retirement myth I am writing about is that early retirement means you will forever stop engaging in productive and compensated work. Wow! You worked hard and lived a smart frugal and balanced life. All done so that you are debt free, could save an enormous amount of money and/or become pension eligible at your job. Now that you can retire early and young. Your are to retire to a life of leisure. Never again work another day in your life. FALSE! What a myth.

early retirement myth - Leisure Freak Redondo BeachA Large percentage of people who I speak with believe that retirement is all leisure and every day is nothing but beaches, mountains, and martinis. Now I am as big a Leisure Freak as anyone and I can tell you something. Leisure is a state of mind. If there is no context to compare your activity against, like physical labor or anything that causes personal sacrifice. Then you won’t appreciate your leisure time.

After my first early retirement I was employed at a position I really wanted to do and still considered it as leisure. That’s because I was thoroughly enjoying the experience. I don’t care if you are in your 20s or 30s reaching for extreme early retirement or someone who has slogged away many years in agony within the corporate world trying to retire early before age 62.  Try to free your trapped mind from the early retirement myth. Be open and get-real with the early retirement reality. You may just be able to pull it off sooner than you think.

If you are pre-disposed to think within the box provided by the so-called retirement authorities, Corporate World, the Financial Industry, and the government. Then you may be causing yourself unwarranted retirement delay. Trapped because you are stuck sacrificing your happy life attempting to reach your early retirement goals. You have to be a Freak and break the norms by thinking outside of the box to make any real leaps.

Early retirement myth: You will be retired a long time. Or will you?

Early retirees will stay engaged in all kinds of activities. Whether it’s becoming an artist, writer, starting a new career, a business pursuit, or anything that they have an interest in. It’s a myth to think you will leave the workforce with all your talents, energy and ability, and spend 30 to 40 years in a life of leisure. The myth retirement as defined by the mainstream.

That myth is a little hard to swallow if you read any of the multitude of early retirement articles, web sites and blogs. People who have actually retired early are at least either occasionally working at something they want to do or are open to doing so if they felt the desire to.

Of course depending on your background, where you live, and your health or fitness you will have to be realistic about your dreams. I always wanted to be a fireman. But I assure you that isn’t going to happen.

There are of course obstacles in regions of this country where opportunities are limited. Some may say the early retirement myth then stands. You retire early and that is it. Never being paid again. However I feel that early retirees will still have the desire to pursue their dreams. When an opportunity does arise, they will jump at it. Early Retirees will enjoy the leisure of retirement and when the time is right they WILL engage in something that they can be passionate about and interested in doing.

Retire TO Something

Early Retirement success and happiness is based on what you are retiring to. Not what you are saving and trying to retire from. Sure, job dissatisfaction may have been your trigger to seek a better life. But you will be retiring young and full of energy. Full of enthusiasm for your passions. At some point early retirees will WANT to engage in an activity that will not only compensate them, but will be something that they have an interest in and passion to do.

This is exactly what the Retire Early and Often lifestyle that I live is all about. It is a lifestyle I very happily live. You should plan to retire to something, not from something. That is as important to your early retirement planning as the financial parts. I am now retired TO retirement number two. It came after a couple of awesome opportunities I have wanted to do. At this moment I have no targeted positions to pursue. But I sure will know when I am ready for the next great adventure when it comes to me or lands on my head.

How is retiring and then working again still considered retirement?

Once you have the means to fund your retirement lifestyle and you have left a career that just doesn’t float your boat anymore, you are retired. Forget what the mainstream retirement definition is for a minute. This is what retirement truly is. Having the financial freedom to do whatever interests you, lights your spirit, and drives your passion. What the early retirement myth does is makes us think we can’t do it. That we need to continue paying into a system hungry for our precious time and our money. A system which is designed only to delay our retirement.

Certainly if you thought you would never work again you would believe you have to save much more money. Why take that position and stay in a career or occupation that you no longer enjoy when you could start a life following your dreams? Once again, you do have to be realistic about future endeavors. If you plan on staying in an area with limited opportunities. Then you must take that into consideration when analyzing your retirement savings and funding.

Having a Pension Benefit

If you are someone who has a pension benefit and have reached pension eligibility you have an opportunity. Once you reach pension eligibility you can choose to put that pension to work for you instead of leaving it sitting in the pension fund. The difference in any pension yearly increase may not be worth wasting another year doing something you no longer like. By retiring you will give yourself the opportunity to not only pursue what does interest you. But also allows you to increase your wealth doing it.

Final Words-

If you are in this position to even consider early retirement you have already been living a smart frugal and balanced lifestyle. Look at your unique lifestyle requirements with a Leisure Freak mindset. See if you can make the leap. I heard a line recently that I liked, “When it comes to dreams you have a choice, you can forget them or live them.” I hope the early retirement myth isn’t holding you back from living your dreams.

Have you retired early and engaged in another opportunity, planning to do so or at least open to it?

Retire Early Retire Often Trap

Retire Early, Retire Often, Working In Retirement

Is there a Retire Early Retire Often Trap that one must be aware of? There sure is. First off if you are not familiar with this site and the Leisure Freak Retire Early and Often lifestyle then let me explain. You retire early and remain open to opportunities that interest you. Open to opportunities that lights your passions. The bonus is that you increase your wealth by being able to save and invest all of your earnings. Basically you get paid to do exactly what you want to do.

That said, before you retired the first time you were probably a go-getter in your previous career. The type of person who jumped in and got the job done. Even though you may not care much (I’m being nice) for the Corporate World and the way business is done, you build relationships. Relationships with the others on your team and extended team. Those team members aren’t the executives who come up with all the crappy policies. Making changes for change sake to shake up and anger the wage slaves.

I have been fortunate to accept a couple of opportunities that totally checked through “jobs I would like to do” items from my Bucket List. Now that I have done these things and have been at this last contract position for over 2 years, I am hearing that little voice in my ear. It’s telling me that it is time for retirement number two.

I have notified my contracting company manager of my plans. But haven’t had them tell the company I am at because of what I am calling the trap.

So what is the Retire Early Retire Often Trap?

There are a few issues that occupy my mind and has delayed my announcement for retirement #2.

Fellow Teammates:

Because this company I am at has had its share of churn. Either because they fire folks at the blink of an eye. Or people just can’t do it anymore and walk off the job. I know what will happen once I leave.

The leadership will wait until 2 days before I go. That’s when they will tag one or two folks to dump the work on. People who are already over-burdened with work.  Then have me transition everything I do to them.

I think the corporate leadership likes to wait to the last-minute so whomever gets dumped on doesn’t have time to find another position and quits. Quits and walks before the announced exiting employee leaves. This company I am at drags its feet for a couple of months before back-filling. That causes the existing teammates get mired in the increased work pile.

Having been on the receiving end of the dumping, I feel sorry for my teammates.  These people that I have built what I hope are personal relationships. I hope that we will someday again cross paths.

What I need to remember is that we are all replaceable in the tech business. This just comes with the territory. Sure people will feel the burden and adapt. Nothing is personal and if it goes how it has with me, any anger is directed toward the company for not getting off their ass and back filling the position.

Need vs. Greed:

This gig is very lucrative and I am funded until the end of the year. Leaving 6 months early of that end date is leaving a lot of money on the table that if I just stuck it out I could save and invest. This is what I think many will see as the biggest retire early and often trap to overcome. However, if staying in a position that no longer thrills me and lights my passions for the money, then I could have sleep-walked through several more years at my first career.

I don’t ever want to stay in a position to the point that I am no longer enjoying it or start to bitch about all the BS that keeps being shoveled on all the people who actually get crap done. My needs have been met in the time I have spent there and I don’t want to waste another precious minute of my life doing something just for money when it is no longer fulfilling and personally rewarding.

Fear of Never Making Another Dollar:

There are a couple of fellow consultants that work for my same company that know of my plans. The repeating caution I get is that I am at this time turning 56 very soon and no one will ever consider me for a position if I decide to pursue one. That by my taking this step there is no going back. Especially if I do as I am planning and taking a year off before contemplating another adventure.

Ok, I know there is age and long time-off work discrimination. But that’s the beauty of being a Leisure Freak who has his retirement funded and doesn’t HAVE TO find another job. If a company is that shortsighted then I wouldn’t want to be there either.

I know deep in my soul that if something else makes my Bucket List “jobs I would like to do”, that eventually I will be able to do it and if I don’t, I will be just fine. I treasure my freedom more than any job or position and won’t allow fear to dictate my retirement.

Is there a Retire Early Retire Often Trap? Yes, but it’s all in our head and we can overcome the trap by sticking to our plan. In my case, the plan where I live my life on my terms and enjoy the choices I have earned through FIRE. I will be letting the cat out of the bag next week.

Do you or have you experienced the above or any different thoughts that have delayed your announcing your retirement?

Never Retire

Passion, Retire Early, Retire Often, Working In Retirement,

I know seeing the words Never Retire coming from Leisure Freak Tommy who raves and raves about the Leisure Freak Retire Early and Often lifestyle seems completely bassackward. But hear me out. Never retire is what retiring early and often is all about.

  • No, I am not saying never retire so you can stay doing the same old job you have always done until you can no longer keep-up physically and/or mentally.
  • No, I am not saying never retire so you can stay on the job serving your public or private master until age 70. Just to max out your Social Security or to reduce the time you will spend in retirement.

What I  Mean By Never Retire

What I am saying is. Retire from anything that doesn’t continue to ignite your passions. Retire from anything that doesn’t fulfill your spirit, or no longer interests you. Retire once you have saved enough and / or have reached pension eligibility. Go ahead with your retirement. But do so always being open to opportunity. Live having a focus to follow your passions, seek fulfilling endeavors, and only accept positions that truly interest you.

Keeping an open mind about early retirement

That is what I mean by saying Never Retire. This post is to plant a seed that introduces the notion that even though you can retire from where you have toiled for who knows how long and have the finances to cover your early retirement, always keep your mind open to new opportunity. Change the way you define early retirement.

Passion Driven Mindset

I am not saying by any means that you retire early with the mindset that you will always be able to find another job. I especially do not agree with the notion that anyone voluntarily retire early and have-to find another job. Another job is not what you retired early for. You retire early so you can pursue what interest you, lights up your passions, and adds a spark to your life.

The Never Retire Attitude – Freedom of Choice.

There is nothing that says in this lifestyle you even have to ever take on another opportunity. That is the beauty of it. You are your own master now. Hopefully your health allows you to be retired a long time. Can you even picture yourself rejecting any kind of interesting opportunity for all those years? The reason you retire early is so you can stop doing what you have been doing so that you can now do what you want to do and have a blast doing it.

No more being stuck in the rat race rut

If you are no longer dancing and fist pumping where you are at and have the means to retire early, why wouldn’t you consider joining the Leisure Freak Retire Early and Often lifestyle. Or if you prefer, the never retire mindset. Go ahead, take breaks throughout the rest of your life and have multiple working opportunities or careers.

Never Retire Means Being in Control of your Life’s Employment Rules

Do you think people should work for 20 or 30 years, saving and planning and then just sit out the game? Well I would say yes to sit out the game that the Corporate World, Wall Street, and perhaps the one your government has defined for you. Retire early so you can start playing YOUR GAME where you make the rules.

You decide what interests you and how long you will do it. Retire early, try something new and retire again when YOU ARE READY. That is the “retire often” part. You may be retired from your original career, position, company, for a long time. Why not embrace the idea of being open to opportunities that interest you and never retiring. Or at least until you have completed checking off your bucket list of opportunities you would like to try.

Think of yourself like an actor going from opportunity to opportunity and living a Leisure Freak life in between them. Even when you are in between opportunities, rolls, gigs, etc., you are still the actor and always living, promoting, and showing off your brand. Your brand of  YOU. It won’t always be easy getting that next gig. But what in life worth having has ever been easy?

You accomplished the hardest part. Being able to retire early while you are still young enough to enjoy it. Retiring while still having the energy to go out and do the things that light you up.

Conclusion

My final shot here is to those who think being open to pursue opportunities that interest you and that may even increase your wealth after early retirement is neither retirement nor qualifies as leisurely for a Leisure Freak.

I say as long as I do what I want to do, when I want to do it, and for how long I want to do it, then I am retired. I am calling my own shots, and yes living the life of a Leisure Freak. I am just getting paid to be a Leisure Freak when I am doing these things that I want to do.

Believe me. If you think your first retirement was fun, wait until you retire young again. I am on retirement number 2 and it is even sweeter than the first.

Although I haven’t any more positions or careers at this time that I want to pursue on my bucket list. I will be ready for anything that might come along and spark my interests. That bucket list is always growing and who knows what comes next. It is an adventure.