[Marc]

Has anyone worked PAST the point they could FIRE and then regretted it years later?

For those who reached their FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) goal but chose to keep working, did you ever regret it? If so, why?

Was it due to burnout, missing out on personal pursuits, or something else?

On the other hand, if you don’t regret it, what made continuing work worthwhile for you?

[Amy]

I definitely regret working past FIRE. I was easily FIRE by 40 but then fatFIRE became the goal. Could’ve fatFIRE’d by 44.

But then started a company that’s worth north of $2 mil. In my 40s,

I picked up 4 autoimmune diseases, long covid and unexpectedly lost my 15 year old to natural causes.

So, I’m sitting with a few million, 8 houses (7 investment ones) and a commercial property…thinking about how I could’ve lived my 40’s not grinding like I have.

[Ryan]

Work till fire. Then continue working because you enjoy it. Or find something that you enjoy.

I started a business doing home inspections because I want to help people and still have a purpose but It allows me to make my own schedule and work as much or as little as I want.

[Pappas]

This is an interesting question.
My dad unexpectedly died in my early 20s, my mother in law also unexpectedly died a year later in our early 20s (wasn’t my mother in law yet but besides the point).

We went through with the wedding, had an incredible 3 weeks in Italy and Paris, spent the same we would have spent in the USA for an amazing and unforgettable experience with our family and friends. Memories we will cherish forever.

I missed the last vacation with my dad to work when I was living at home and didn’t need to miss it. It’s something I’ll always regret.

The point of FIRE is not to put your nose to the grindstone your entire life so when you have the chance to “Retire” you are so lost and don’t even know what you’d want to do.

Are there amazing ways to be incredible members of society without “working”… yes absolutely, I volunteer with Parkinson’s patients as much as I can right now and I love it. FIRE is NOT the “goal”, it’s a mindset.

The “goal” is being able to make your life about what you want it to be and look like. If that means working for you, great.

I also think people don’t really focus on the important things until they’re gone. Health, love, family, hobbies.

Those are the things that this whole movement worth it.

[Jason]

I will probably hit fire buy 45 but I will work tell at least 55 my plan is to have the option at 55

[Voepel]

We haven’t fired, but I’ll tell you about 2 older friends….
One is a dear friend and boss of mine. We worked together from 16 years.

She always said she would retire at 55. And could have, but ended up working until 60. She had a hard time letting go.

Then covid hit as she already had her date scheduled, who knows if she would have actually left, but once covid hit, she didn’t want to leave the team in lurch.

Then the location was sold and she didn’t want to leave the team in a lurch during the transition.

So, 60 came and she was SO done. She spent almost a year sleeping and eating she was SO burned out. Husband was still working. Always trying to learn from those that go before me, I ask her, looking back anything she’d do differently, she says she has no regrets but she would have left sooner. Corporate got rich on her back and stress took such a toll on her body etc.

She’s getting healthier now several years into it, and says she loves the freedom she has. She’s 65ish now. We had a core team of people that had worked in the area for decades at different locations.

I ask her, “Now that so and so and so and so and you all are retired, what do they all say when you get together?” She says they say the same thing as she does – should have left sooner, too dedicated, corporate got rich off of working us like dogs.

Another friend was waiting and waiting for her husband to retire. He finally did in early 70s, but they’ve both had health problems and she says they’ll never do the things she dreamed of now.

They spent their “go-go” years working and waiting, and their slow-go years are rougher than expected, and the no-go years are coming up fast. It’s sad.

My husband is 10 years older than me, so I count time by his age. He’s nearing 60 and I feel the weight of it.

I feel it for me too – SO many things I want to learn and try and do, and I feel the time slipping away.

We would both stop work in a heartbeat if we could. Not to say we wouldn’t be productive, but on our terms and less job focused for sure.

If you can “retire,” do it. The regret of lost time and lost life is far worse than the regret of I wish I had a little more money.

[蔡恆華]

You never know for sure when was the exact point you could FIRE. So no, I don’t regret working a few years more than I actually needed.

[Jenni]

Yep. We FIRE’d when my husband turned 40 but could have 4 years earlier and he passed away at 42.

[Badgley]

No, I could have FIREed many years ago, but I continue to work part-time to be a functional member of society, to build generational wealth so our children can FIRE ASAP, and because I love what I do!

Also, it helps that I’m underworked, overpaid, and appreciated and valued by my boss!

[Inessa]

Times are so uncertain now, that one cannot be blamed for not feeling fully financially secure.

Any time laws or regulations or policy can be dramatically changed and pull the rug from under your plan.

[Kenneth]

I could have FIRE’d at 50. I worked till 55 for a benefit package eligibility. That made FIRE into Fat-FIRE.

I had 7 weeks a year paid vacation, but that’s still working 45. So, 225 weeks lost.

But networth doubled in that period as well.

[Gabriel]

My mother passed before 50 due to cancer. My brother passed in a car accident before 35.

Tomorrow is not promised.

[Thuy]

I continue working because I am trained through 8 post secondary education.

I don’t necessarily enjoy every single day but I know I make a difference in someone else’s life and they teach me something new everyday.

Of course, I have other income sources but I don’t know when I’ll sell those businesses.

[Jody]

I don’t think I’ll ever not work in some form because I’ve turned my passions and hobbies into careers, businesses and (recently) a non-profit that I really enjoy actively participating in.

I do very much believe in work: life balance, and having careers that are based in core values that mesh with an existing lifestyle has been the key to my ideal life, even well before “retirement.”

[Author]

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