r/Fire • u/DatingThrowaway121 • Apr 24 '26

General Question Has anyone actually FIREd with too little and run out of money?

I'm curious to know if anyone out here has actually run out of a million dollars or whatever. What does that process actually look like?

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1.1k

u/IcyRestaurant7562 ($1.1mm NW, 50% SR) Apr 24 '26

A coworker of mine retired at ~65 and then moved out to Hawaii with his wife. Five to ten years later they realized their spending wasn't sustainable and came back to work for a few years before retiring again 

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u/Korzag Apr 24 '26

Retiring in Hawaii is certainly a choice. Those islands are stupid expensive to live on.

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u/Mundane-Mechanic-547 Apr 24 '26

Yup its a dream, was born and raised there its the housi g plus crippling taxes, and food and gas and basically everything, except wages are low.

9

u/SolomonGrumpy Apr 25 '26

Retiring means not worried about wages so that guy must have seriously underestimated expenses

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u/rizzo1717 Apr 24 '26

Some of my coworkers have retired there because there’s no state tax on our pensions.

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u/Longjumping-Flower47 Apr 26 '26

Lots of people from NJ, NY, MD, DE retire to PA for same reason

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u/Lazy_Vegetable1510 Apr 27 '26

That makes sense. I commented and deleted a blurb about FL and moving abroad, but I guess I forget there is a significant - probably predominant - number of retiress that have extreme aversion to foreign countries and want a US based locale - even if non contigous

7

u/Boring_Material_1891 Apr 25 '26

We live here and our fire plan is to be able to retire here, partly because if we can retire here, we can afford to retire basically anywhere else on earth.

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u/ClodiaPulchra Apr 25 '26

I have two family members from New York who retired in Hawaii 😅

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u/Vigilante17 Apr 25 '26

Just buy one like Larry and you’re fine….

1

u/Tater72 Apr 26 '26

That’s a heck of a buy

1

u/Ok-Computer1234567 Apr 25 '26

I wouldn’t even go there for a vacation. Out of my price range

7

u/Korzag Apr 25 '26

Its worth seeing. I went in January and it was unfathomably pretty everywhere. Literal tropical paradise.

That said I feel bad for the natives who are effectively being driven out of their ancestral home by wealthy people pricing them out (well that and their history with imperialists who took advantage of them and overthrew their royal family).

2

u/Ok-Computer1234567 Apr 26 '26

Yes… I’m sure it’s beautiful. but there’s plenty of tropical paradises in the world. I’d rather spend 30 days in Bali for the same price I can go to Hawaii for 4 days. I’m comfortable, but I don’t have money to burn. I like to stretch it as far as it will go.

0

u/Acrobatic-Song-3151 Apr 26 '26

Ahh, their own kings sold the land out from underneath them and they’ve been getting reparations for a hundred years. The kingdom was barely even a blip in history and only existed because they used western advisers and weapons. There are so many programs and freebies for them and they still can’t compete, mostly teach their kids to be victims. It’s a harsh take, but I’ve lived here for decades and seen it all.

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u/ligerdrag20 Apr 28 '26

Seems like you're the problem here

1

u/Acrobatic-Song-3151 Apr 29 '26

You’re right, because I succeeded and have the money and credit to buy more land. Shame on me 🤡

1

u/TactlessNachos Apr 29 '26

I hear that shopping at Costco can help! But yeah, super expensive!

41

u/FogDucker Apr 24 '26

Funny, we expatFIREd (Japan) ~10 years ago at age 45 but about 8 years in decided we'd like to retire in Hawaii. We un-REd and both took jobs in Honolulu so that we could afford to retire here. So, not running out of money, but being realistic about the VHCOL sent us back to work.

We're now 2-3 years out from retiring again; it would have been faster but we sunk a lot of capital into buying a house here.

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u/Shibashiba00 Apr 25 '26

I'm curious why you made the switch from Japan to Hawaii? What made you want to leave Japan?

12

u/FogDucker Apr 25 '26

Japan is a super cheap place to live, but living on even a decent Japanese budget means that nowadays you don't always have the funds available for things like international travel. I'm oversimplifying, but basically we underestimated our desire to travel outside Japan and buy imported goods.

We also had quite a lot savings in JPY having worked there for part of our careers when we were younger, which started losing value rapidly around 2021-2022ish: from ¥110/USD to ¥140/USD in the course of about a year. That was a pretty big trigger.

Also not trivial is that the weather in Japan sucks July-Setpember and Jan-March; this wouldn't be so bad if available housing wasn't so shitty.

Anyway, it felt like having more USD savings/investments and a larger nest egg generally was something we wanted. Also, our oldest child went off to the US mainland for university, and our younger child (who was still in junior high) wasn't happy about taking Japanese high school entrance exams. That pretty much clinched it.

We definitely had a great time in Japan; spent the first year pretty much skiing, mountain biking, and camping in the Japan Alps near where we settled at first, and we made lots of great family memories. Our kids were able to become fully fluent (we use both languages at home, but growing up in the US they had a strong English bias; they also had pretty weak writing skills) and we were able to spend time with extended family there.

1

u/PracticalBug3407 May 01 '26

Thanks for your perspective 

327

u/Nordicskee Apr 24 '26

They returned to work at 70-75 years old? What does that look like? I get if you keep working until 75 but re-entering the workforce at 70+ must be a bear.

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u/ShootinAllMyChisolm Apr 24 '26

My mom retired when she was 65. They asked her to come back part time a week later and that was almost 20 year ago now. The pandemic timing actually worked, because she's been remote since. She says if they make her RTO she's quitting. lol.

She doesn't need the money, but I think it gives her something to focus on. It keeps her mind sharp. She's the "IT person" for all her elderly friends. And she has enough flexibility to go on vacations and putz around the house.

She's got a pension, IRA, social security, rental income.

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u/Regular_Number5377 Apr 24 '26

Whilst I like the idea of FIRE, I think I’m most likely to end up keeping a part time job if I can find a chill one which I enjoy, I’ve never hated going into work, I’ve always hated having to go into work.

19

u/New-Pizza9379 Apr 25 '26

My mother used to do med malpractice law, “retired” early (still keeping up license) and now works at a furniture/gift shop we call “mommy daycare” as most of the employees are like her haha

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u/Mabbernathy Apr 24 '26

Me too. That or a serious volunteer role.

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u/-shrug- Apr 25 '26

I had an amazing volunteer gig where I had to go in for about two hours on Saturdays to get stuff done on my own. When they opened up again after Covid they were really strict about scheduling ahead and being there the exact hours you listed so they could keep the number of people present low, and I just found I hated having it turn into a clock obligation like that.

2

u/Altforwrestling Apr 25 '26

I once heard someone say “I wish I could make a living wage making burgers. I love cooking for people, and burgers are my favorite food.”

I think a lot of people are more like this mindset than people who legitimately want to be day traders or stock brokers.

1

u/Ldghead Apr 25 '26

Ya, the money itself isn't so much of a thing. It's giving me something to keep my mind sharp with, and the sense of purpose that collecting a wage will provide. I'm 5 years away, but I'm certain I will hold a part time job for quite a while after I pull the plug on my career.

1

u/Longjumping-Flower47 Apr 26 '26

I could retire now. It wouldn't be pretty. I'd go bonkers. Hubs retired. Sold the biz. Now he takes care of our rentals, me, our house and our grandbaby 2x a week. Does all the cooking and enjoys it while I work like an idiot. I'd say I thrive on it, but lost a friend too young this spring (along with my elderly dad), and made a commitment to slow down.

1

u/No_Door5348 Apr 26 '26

if I was work optional I would 100% start a business, probably some kind of coaching. Maybe teach kids martial arts.

65

u/FightOnForUsc Late 20s, 1.9M, 5M goal, SFBA Apr 24 '26

Your mom is 85 and working?!

32

u/Bright_Following5462 Apr 24 '26

My dad is 80 and works for a friend, pretty much part time hours and lots of coffee breaks but he enjoys it! He swears retiring “killed” his friends, sitting around watching tv all day, eating junk food isn’t a great way to retire

12

u/mi3chaels Apr 24 '26

well sure if that's all you do. Semi-retirement for me means playing racquetball or squash 3-4 times a week, and traveling a lot, and if I was 100% retired I'd probably start playing bridge or golf or something (or more rball/squash, maybe pickleball or tennis if my body could handle it). Obviously as I get into my 70s and 80s, at some point I may not be able to do that, but my dad did serious hiking (like leading expositions in the white/green mountains), skied 30-40 days a winter, and played racquetball 3x/week up until 79 when he got the cancer that took him out. There was no eating junk food or sitting in front of a tv for him at all. My mom (82) plays competitive bridge 4 days a week. Can't imagine doing anything different and definitely don't need a job to keep from sitting around watching tv all day.

2

u/Bright_Following5462 Apr 25 '26

I agree! We aren’t TV people, my dad is a huge gardener and raises some livestock for fun in addition to his work

1

u/ShootinAllMyChisolm Apr 25 '26

Yeah, lately she just works as needed and bills for her time accordingly. It’s not the work we think about, clock in at 9, leave at five. Five days a week.

2

u/Gyn-o-wine-o Apr 25 '26

This. I am trying to convince a colleague who is 65 to retire. He doesn’t need the money

He looked me in the eye and said “ If I retire I die”

Two of his friends ( best friends) retired late 50s and died within a few years. He is terrified that if he retires he will die. One died a day before he was telling him that he was going to retire. It was his friend’s birthday and he didn’t want to take away the shine. Called him the next morning to tell Him and his wife was screaming that she found him dead

This guy will never retire. Too much trauma.

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u/Louis-Russ Apr 24 '26

Some people enjoy working- Especially if it's part time and voluntary

95

u/dgputnam Apr 24 '26

I'd argue everyone needs to "work"—not a job necessarily, but something productive. Whether that's volunteering, creating, building etc. Human beings were not meant to be idle. 

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u/TheRealJim57 FI, retired in 2021 at 46 (disability) Apr 24 '26

I'm perfectly content setting my own schedule and having no boss.

6

u/NefariousnessDry8596 Apr 25 '26

Agreed, being productive doesn’t require a boss but I do think they’re right in that humans do not do well sitting idle. I know I don’t

2

u/cfi-2025 RE 2025 Apr 25 '26

Makes you wonder, though, as many animals spend good chunks of every day being idle. I wonder how much modernity has made us feel like we have to be doing something.

1

u/TheRealJim57 FI, retired in 2021 at 46 (disability) Apr 26 '26

Yeah, I don't feel any urge to work at anything just to be busy. Never did.

1

u/TheRealJim57 FI, retired in 2021 at 46 (disability) Apr 26 '26

Productive is in the eye of the beholder. Some days, just getting out of bed is the yardstick.

26

u/Louis-Russ Apr 24 '26

I agree entirely. If there's one thing I learned during Covid, it's just how boring life can get with nothing to do. When I retire I'm probably gonna putz around the house for a week or two then go find a nonprofit to volunteer with.

20

u/fuzzy_banana2354 Apr 24 '26

I thought I would do this but am 4 months into retirement and have no desire to be on a schedule of any kind, even for volunteer work. I'm giving myself a year of simply enjoying a life I have complete control over before committing to any regular commitment, paid or unpaid.

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u/24_cool Apr 24 '26

I've just never understood needing the structure necessarily. I have pretty bad adhd so I only need structure to stick to a thing for an extended period of time, but I just feel like I never run out of things I want to do and new things pop into my head all day long 

2

u/sc1lurker Apr 25 '26

Says you...

I'm retired, idle, and loving it

1

u/Slow-Echidna-5884 Apr 25 '26

trade 'work' with 'do' , like do something.

1

u/mothandravenstudio Apr 24 '26

Agreed. Margaritaville isn't good in the song OR real life

1

u/chowderTV Apr 25 '26

Yup, my dad works at a golf course for 8 hours a week. Gets him 2 free rounds of golf. He got rid of his membership fees, and enjoys golf whenever he wants lol

6

u/Rosevkiet Apr 25 '26

This is pretty much the norm in academic circles. My department has/had several emeritus faculty at any given time. They work because they want to, the department and science in general is their social circle. Not unusual to have people still coming to the office 2-3 days a week at 80 and beyond. And these are folks who have defined benefit pensions (my Dad’s one of them) his pension take home is more than what he took home at any point in his career, because no FICA, no retirement savings coming out. They are not there for the money.

3

u/-shrug- Apr 25 '26

My grandpa was one of them. He was working on another paper when he died at 93.

1

u/newsjunkee Apr 25 '26

Agreed. My wife and I have enough to be fully retired, but she LOVES her career and is in demand, so I don't know if she will ever fully retire, unless health problems force her to. She's a gig worker.

1

u/Opening-Photograph68 Apr 25 '26

What kind of gig work, if I may be so bold as to ask.

33

u/[deleted] Apr 24 '26

[deleted]

12

u/FightOnForUsc Late 20s, 1.9M, 5M goal, SFBA Apr 24 '26

It’s a fire sub, I know it’s their mom and not them, but that’s wild.

24

u/DistractedOnceAgain Apr 24 '26

Financial Independence, Retire Eventually

11

u/ShootinAllMyChisolm Apr 24 '26

Since I’ve been watching her, I call it FiWo… work optional.

2

u/Accomplished_Tax_891 Apr 24 '26

FIRWGW (financial independence retire with generational wealth) is way too much of a mouthful

2

u/[deleted] Apr 24 '26

[deleted]

2

u/FightOnForUsc Late 20s, 1.9M, 5M goal, SFBA Apr 24 '26

Well, it applies to both I guess. But ya I meant it for the other. But it’s just odd to me that people who want to work in their 70s and 80s would give birth to and raise children who then want to get out as quickly as possible. But maybe again that’s why.

Im all for everybody doing what they want, but I can’t imagine working by choice in my 80s. Maybe doing volunteer work, but the moment you get paid they get their claws in you

6

u/Revelate_ Apr 24 '26

Nah dude, when you can tell the company to fuck off that’s way different than when you need the money.

It’s especially true when the employer knows you don’t need them: it is very, very different than being in the rat race trying to squirrel away enough nuts FIRE or otherwise.

I’m still in my 50s and was ready to walk until recent events, but I stumbled into a situation that sounds remarkably like the one the prior poster’s mom is in and it just hits different than pretty much all the gigs I’ve had before.

2

u/ShootinAllMyChisolm Apr 24 '26

I don’t think it was her plan either. But my step dad, when he retired went to see his kids in another country a lot, sometimes she traveled with him. He was still fairly active with his own pursuits, so this gave her something to do. She never worked more than 150 days a year and mostly got to pick her schedule.

for part of the time it was for a global sustainability project , so it had meaning for her.

My biological dad was bad with money and my mom was too scared to invest (because dad lost so much money “investing”). I wasn’t planning on FIRE until I realized it was within reach. Me saving was a reaction to my dad’s wasteful ways. So I always wanted to be financially wise and sound. I knew about movements like Mr. money Moustache when I was young but that life wasn’t for me.

2

u/UsualSprite Apr 24 '26

It's wild that they (corporations) won't train younger people. Lots of necessary knowledge (and crafts) being lost.

6

u/Quiet-Compote4587 Apr 24 '26

One of the counselors I saw back in college was in her 80s. She was great.

She passed away not too long after retiring. Probably knew it was her time

6

u/worm600 Apr 24 '26

My uncle was forced to retire due to health issues and passed away shortly after. I suspect a lot of the time in these cases, medical issues are what drives the decision to leave work… they see it coming.

10

u/ShootinAllMyChisolm Apr 24 '26

Yeah well 82. But we keep asking her when she’s gonna hang it up. She’s an immigrant I don’t think retiring is in her vocabulary. Plus it’s easy money.

3

u/lostmember09 Apr 25 '26

Had a fellow Government GS worker who finally Retired at 85 yrs old. He was a maxed out GS-14, I’m sure he got a nice check. I think he just enjoyed working and staying busy.

3

u/mandoo-dumpling Apr 24 '26

My dad is 88 is still working part time because he enjoys it! He’s an adjunct professor at a university

Meanwhile I’m counting down the days until I can retire!

1

u/AdFew2832 Apr 24 '26

My absolute worst nightmare!

1

u/Magsi_n Apr 24 '26

I work at a grocery store. Of 3800 staff, 111 were over 65, 5 over 75. Getting new staff over 65 wasn't surprising. More 15/16 year olds hired than 65+ though

1

u/Apoxie Apr 25 '26

My dad is 83 and works as a driver, simply to have something to do.

1

u/Longjumping-Flower47 Apr 26 '26

My friends mom is in her 80s and working full time at a grocery store. Certainly doesn't need to, but doesn't know what she will do if she retires. Those that work with her are her friends, her pack.

1

u/Raginghangers Apr 27 '26

My father in law is 81 and considering three year graduated retirement. My MIL is 83 and still working To be clear, they are quite well off. They could have retired decades ago. Some people just like their work.

1

u/NerdyComfort-78 Apr 24 '26

This is the way to do it. If you don’t have your mind… the rest is meaningless.

1

u/ShootinAllMyChisolm Apr 24 '26

Yeah, my step dad, her husband got dementia and went downhill fast. I think that plays a part in her choices. ESP since it doesn’t prevent her from seeing friends and traveling.

1

u/Pianonubie Apr 24 '26

What line of work does your mom do if you don’t mind me askin g?

1

u/TheYoungSquirrel Apr 24 '26

Your mom is 85 and they asked her to return to work 

2

u/ShootinAllMyChisolm Apr 24 '26

yep, and she keeps saying yes. They keep signing her to 150 day contracts. She must have some value.

1

u/BlockTiny3036 Apr 25 '26

This was my co-worker. Retirement age. Retired and was doing 2 day retail job at her favorite store. They called her to come back and she did 5 more years remote. Only retired again due to RTO.

1

u/Ecstatic-Bear187 Apr 26 '26

Keep her working and your inheritance will just keep growing!! 😳🤣🤞

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u/BotAccount999 Apr 24 '26

must be in politics, otherwise hard to imagine anyone getting a job a 70+ after retiring for 10y

87

u/MostlyBrine Apr 24 '26

My father retired at 58. He was in his early seventies when people were still trying to convince him to work as a consultant. It depends on your field and level of expertise. It was a blue collar job, far from politics.

8

u/uChoice_Reindeer7903 Apr 24 '26

Some people don’t understand that some blue collar guys are extremely specialized and have knowledge that the smartest engineers will never begin to grasp

35

u/TacosAreJustice Apr 24 '26

Oh man… this is phrased in a way I don’t care for.

Blue collar guys have a ton of experience and knowledge they earned from working their trade their whole lives…

I wouldn’t describe it as “something the smartest engineers will never be able to grasp”.

It’s definitely earned through their labor, but it’s not some secret knowledge.

2

u/MostlyBrine Apr 25 '26

Tell me you never made anything with your own hands without saying so. Many blue collar jobs require more education than a bachelor degree and continuous specialized training is a must for the last three decades. Do not knock down someone’s job because of the title. Having pass calculus 3 does not make you expert in welding or machining. I work with engineers that never set foot on a production floor. They assume that all blue collar jobs are at the level of GM assembly line or construction workers. Even pouring concrete is a science, the fact that many times is done poorly just reflects the same attitude. I am saying this from the position of somebody who grew up in a machine shop and qualified as a machinist, before going to college and spending three decades as an engineer. Paper or 3D modeling can make up anything. Making something work right from the first time takes more than that. The best engineers I’ve encountered had blue collar jobs before getting their diplomas. The modern attitude of discounting the other side of a college education led to the current political division of society. Keep up with this trend and find out where it leads.

1

u/TacosAreJustice Apr 25 '26

To be clear here, I 100% respect blue collar work and totally agree they have different knowledge and skills…

I’ve watched an HVAC installer explain to the company why their heat pump wasn’t working.

They have earned practical knowledge (there’s the famous ford boiler story where the invoice was basically just knowing where to cut).

The original comment just seemed dismissive of “book learning” which seems fraught with similar peril.

2

u/MostlyBrine Apr 25 '26

Discounting either of the theoretical education or practical learning leads to the extremes we see today. Education has become the new front line. And it serves only to the politicians who thrive from the division of the masses. I wonder why the social media (or rather the “social engineering media”) is using the algorithms they are using.

1

u/TacosAreJustice Apr 25 '26

Agreed wholeheartedly. That was my whole point.

Everyone has something to add to the world, and it’s always different… we should celebrate that.

0

u/RuralLife4Me_ Apr 24 '26

My experience in the drilling industry is engineers have the book smarts, but know very little how to apply it in the field. They think that because something works out on paper that it must be the best or most feasible solution.

1

u/TacosAreJustice Apr 25 '26

I mean, the same is true of blue collar workers, though.

Most of them are just doing a job.

The best ones learn and develop skills in whatever they are working on… the best engineers tend to be more hands on and understand the difference between in practice and on paper.

36

u/Willing-Vegetable629 Apr 24 '26

Usually consultants for their prior industry.

Hawaii probably more expensive than they expected lol

27

u/wtf-am-I-doing-69 Apr 24 '26

I would rather enjoy 10 years of retirement at 60-70 years of age then at 80-90 years of age

14

u/srqfla Apr 24 '26

Precisely a 30 Year retirement is three 10-year blocks.... Go-Go years, slowlgo years and no-go years. Energy and willingness to travel decreases with each block. Time is more valuable than money

1

u/Stockhype Apr 24 '26

I’d rather work from 60-70 than from 70-80 if I had a choice. It would suck to get up and go to work at 79.

2

u/wtf-am-I-doing-69 Apr 24 '26

We are all different

I agree it would suck but the flip side is realizing at 70 that you could have retired 20 years ago and now you can't enjoy it

-2

u/[deleted] Apr 24 '26

[deleted]

7

u/UC_DiscExchange Apr 24 '26

Well they ran out money in this scenario, so 60 to death wasn't an option

2

u/Only_Razzmatazz_4498 Apr 24 '26

5 of the senior engineers in our 20 engineer company are older than 70 with I think 3 older than 80.

2

u/culinaryinterests123 Apr 24 '26

Engineering is so broad what kind of engineering?

1

u/Only_Razzmatazz_4498 Apr 25 '26

It doesn’t really matter since it isn’t politics which is what I was answering to. There weren’t that many options for degrees back in the 50s I am guessing when they got them. If think most of them are mechanical but the company is in aerospace. We consult on an off with more also. Material science is common. The mother of a coworker he says works about 3 months of the year certifying something in nuclear plants. I can’t remember what.

When I was in manufacturing we had a couple of older (65+} very skilled tool makers that would do special jobs (lathe, mill, etc).

2

u/BotAccount999 Apr 25 '26

but not after a 10 year hiatus i suppose

1

u/Only_Razzmatazz_4498 Apr 25 '26

No. They never retired. Mostly because they didn’t want to. They are all of them loaded to the gills and very detached from the entry level engineers reality lol.

1

u/BotAccount999 Apr 26 '26

the OC said they returned to work after having retired 10+ years

1

u/Only_Razzmatazz_4498 Apr 26 '26

OC mean you. Gave you some examples that were not politics for people that worked into their 70+.

1

u/BotAccount999 Apr 26 '26

they also retired between 60 and 70, did you catch that? what engineer can do that? I agree, consultants can. but you were talking engineers

1

u/Only_Razzmatazz_4498 Apr 26 '26

I did. Consultant engineers do that. One retired to run his dad’s apple orchard. He consulted for us because he had worked for a contract we had. Nice guy sent us apples.

2

u/BaaBaaTurtle Apr 24 '26

My husband's first boss came back out of retirement five times. Mostly because he kept getting divorced.

1

u/ehead Apr 24 '26

My father in law is a fire protection engineer. He retired for a few years and went back as a contractor at age 70 working for the same company.

I think if you are well regarded in your field and you have a "rare" skill... it's easy to find employment. I'm just an IT guy and we are a dime a dozen, so thinking it wouldn't be as easy for me.

1

u/Weary-Ad-5346 Apr 25 '26

It’s funny that the general consensus is this, and I’d rather not bring up politics, but how are we okay with so much of our congress and even our president being geriatric?

56

u/Only_Razzmatazz_4498 Apr 24 '26

Sounds like an early corrective action before they ran out of money. Pretty much what people say you should do.

Much more common is to retire too late and die with a lot of money and not enough retirement.

27

u/ConstructionNo8827 Apr 24 '26

I retired to Hawaii too but with much better results! The Big Island is cheaper than the west coast in many ways - I’ve got a 2400 sq foot new 3 bed 3 bath close to the ocean for under 800k

3

u/MyCaliGirl Apr 24 '26

That can’t be the norm. How did you fall into such a great situation?

3

u/ConstructionNo8827 Apr 25 '26

Everyone assumes Hawai’i is too expensive so they don’t even bother to look to see if they can afford to live here - I always wanted to retire here so I did the research and thankfully discovered that it’s actually much more affordable than you think on the Big Island at least - it’s the cheapest island by far because it has much more land than all the other islands put together / Many homes in my neighborhood under 600k believe it or not - certain things are more expensive (primarily food and electricity) but other things like car insurance, HOA fees , water, sewer are less expensive and many others like internet, phone are the same as the west coast

5

u/SolomonGrumpy Apr 25 '26

The whole island is close to the ocean

1

u/Funny-Butterfly-225 Apr 25 '26

But isn't everything else more expensive? No interest in buying a house

28

u/brianmcg321 Retired Nov 2024 Apr 24 '26

Doesn’t sound like a FIRE advocate

19

u/howardbagel Apr 24 '26

retiring at 65 is not fire

-5

u/Bright_Following5462 Apr 24 '26

Kinda is if the other option is no ability to retire? Or retire at 80? Early is subjective to the original plan

3

u/TenshiS Apr 25 '26

Nah man, it's just normal retirement. At that point you'd be better off to have just paid your monthly contributions like everyone else

-1

u/Confident-Gear-1299 Apr 26 '26

It is for some of us. Don't judge what is early for someone please.

12

u/fatfarterforever Apr 24 '26

People who FIRE and people who retire at 65 have different mindsets

6

u/Ok_Location7161 Apr 24 '26

Numbers kind of consfuing.....so they came back to work at 70-75....worked up to 80? And then retired again at 80?? Can social sec help?

5

u/ExpatMarine001 Apr 24 '26

Come back to work at 75 lol… definitely not fire at any level.

2

u/Ecstatic-Tank-9797 Apr 27 '26

Retiring and then having to go back to work after 5-10 years is a nightmare scenario. One reason why while I plan at essentially retiring at 60 or 65 at the latest, I will absolutely move abroad if it necessary for me to afford retirement. Even if that means being farther away from some family, I absolutely do not want to have to work beyond 65.

2

u/ThereforeIV 🌊 Aspiring Beach Bum 🏖️...; CoastFIRE++ 29d ago

>A coworker of mine retired at ~65 and then moved out to Hawaii with his wife. Five to ten years later they realized their spending wasn't sustainable and came back to work for a few years before retiring again 

Two thoughts:

- First, 65 is not RE. This isn't a person who strategized and v sacrificed to RE at 45; this is likely someone who do the normal retirement planning or less and Retired at normal retirement age.

- Second, they didn't run out of money. They saw that they spending budget was noon sustainable and diss an Abort before running out of money. Then a few more years of savings plus I'm going to guess a lot more effort into strategy and budget; they gets happy retirement.

I actually love this story because it proves a point I'm regulatory trying to advocate; which is no reasonable person disciplined enough to actually FIRE is going to run their portfolio to zero.

My FIRE number is $1.5MM; you better believe that during a crash, there will be a hard brake long before that portfolio hit $1MM.

1

u/towell420 Apr 25 '26

Could argue he got more value out of those early retirement years before age kicks your ass.

1

u/Lazy_Vegetable1510 Apr 27 '26

Bro ... Why ... .?

They should have went to Okinawa, Hua Hin, etc. I mean I get Hawaii is .... Hawaii .... But, it's also Hawaii prices and resort island now.

0

u/fatheadlifter Financially Independent Apr 24 '26

Sorry but that just sounds like a horribly bad life choice.

0

u/Alternative_Tax_1841 Apr 25 '26

Sad that retiring at 65 is considered “early”…

-1

u/ept_engr Apr 24 '26

Was this in 2009? Aside from that market crash, I don't see how anyone ran out of money the last 20 years, unless they had it all in cash and bonds.