[USER]

I don’t know how to frame my goals and accordingly Goals setting is troubling me, let me explain:
Around 10 years ago I started manufacturing from zero with no funds, first worked as an artisan then started a company and currently own a small factory (even the land), during the years I worked really hard and decided to plan my early retirement (at 40) and I was okay with selling and have a “lean retirement”

I was well aware that that for most people is hard to say “is enough” and I was miserable with the work.

Some episodes with my ex gf made me rethink the early retirement and I realised that I could work until 45 and have a better retirement, her persuasion had wrong intentions (in fact she become my ex) but she made me realise that now I don’t work 10 hours a day but 3-4 and may be I can start a new business and I planned accordingly.

I put a down payment for a land to start a new business that will materialise in 1.5 or 2 years.

During the last few years i delegated and trained and now I mostly talk with my customer and employees and do quality control over videocall, I travel exotic paradises 6 months a year and save and invest 60-70% of my income, (in the middle I purchased 2 apartments) and in the future I will most likely double my income.

I don’t want to have babies and no one in my family need financial support, I don’t gamble, drink take drugs etc.
Now back to my troubles: should I even retire at all?

The fact that I work over videocall and able to spend the most of my day enjoying and a lot of my time travelling is making me question it, should I then save most of my income ?

For what exactly if I don’t want to retire? Or should I start the new business and exit with a fat bank account and invest everything on index funds any way even if my life is already good?

How do I understand when is “enough”? Or I should stop completely thinking about absolute amounts and think in a new way, for example: I plan to work max 4 hour a day and I plan to save max 50% of my income (and enjoy the rest) with out thinking about “enough“ as a number but think in terms of percentages and just make as much as possible with minimal effort?

How would u do the goal settings if u where in my place?

TIA

[Hadi]

Don’t retire if work stream lined and you enjoy it. Think of it as an ATM or a printer. It’s still printing well. Use your active income to invest.

Start another business if you feel like it.

Start asking how you can make the world a better place or how you can help others. Live for others, not yourself and you’ll know when you’ve made “enough”.

Enough never comes as long as you strive to better yourself.

[Scott]

Financial independence is defined as not having to work, meaning your assets generate more than your expenses. Once you achieve that, and you don’t mind continuing to do things you get paid to do, then keep working.

The point is you do what you want, when and how much you choose to do it.

[Nishant]

The fundamental question is “what do you define as retirement?”
My answer is “doing what you love instead of doing it for money.”
Definition of retirement as “drinking MaiTai’s on the beach forever” is wrong.

First it is a drug induced coma, second it can only last for a week then you will get all depressed and aimless in a month.
Life needs to have bigger challenges.

I consider pre-retirement is when you are working to fulfill your basic needs- food, clothing and shelter.

It takes majority of the people their entire lifetime to get to that so they end up “retiring” when their bodies are about to give up, in late 60s.

More fortunate/driven ones are able to do this around their 40s/50s.
After this you need to climb philosophical ladder, do something that stimulates your intellect, creativity, passion and add value to society.

If you can still make money while doing this, that’s perfectly fine. Retirement doesn’t mean you just drain your accounts.

[Bob]

In my opinion, you’re looking at retirement wrong. You don’t retire *from* work. You retire *to* something else. Like retiring to the living room or to bed.

You need to figure out what that something else is. What will you do to fill your days? To occupy yourself and your mind?

I’m all set to retire early in June. However, I haven’t figured out what I want to do on a day to day basis.

Sure, I could sit on a beach, drink mojitos and watch all the pretty girls go by but after a week or so, I would get bored.

Until I figure that out, I may as well keep working as long as it’s tolerable … and I can do the things I want to do in life.

[Robert]

I look at this way……Mr. Future is an unpredictable gentleman. IMHO, the reason to be FI (and/or have a ton of money in the bank) is not to make you happy, b/c happiness does not come from money.

The goal of FI (and/or of any money) is to give you options.

And peace of mind. Either tomorrow, years from now, or decades from now, you could either find new passions, and/or be hit with health issues, and/or need some form of long-term care, especially if you live into your late 70’s/80’s, or even longer.

Having a large bank account during those times will enable you to navigate those challenges.

[Gabriel]

Create 2 short term goals, two medium term goals and 1 long term goal. Save cause you can and save so you enough to enjoy your life style incase you get injured. Save for inflation.

Save for life style creep etc etc

[Author]

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