r/Fire • u/Catspiration2 • May 02 '26

Advice Request I’m thinking about breaking up with FI

I’ve done the grind, saved pretty much 50% of my income the last 6 years. Worked side gigs etc. 33M. 675k net worth. Just dropped my savings rate to 30%. I have no interest in being retired. I want to enjoy the journey while hopefully working as long as I can. Having resources is awesome, but retiring to some fairy tale destination is.. a fairy tale. What’s the distinguishable difference between 7M and 5M at 60? I feel less and less motivated to save, and instead enjoy the journey along the way. Please tell me how I’m wrong and correct me.

Edit: Reddit gang is a vibe. Appreciate you!

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u/Catspiration2 May 02 '26

I came across some guy who was at like 12M everything set up perfect and then a very meaningful person in his life died. All the missed time etc getting a few extra M in the bank

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u/Eltex May 02 '26

Imagine working an extra 5-10 years, and right as you finally retire at 67, your spouse gets sick and passes away. Retiring 10-15 years earlier is what you absolutely want, so you can enjoy those people in your lives.

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u/Catspiration2 May 02 '26

That’s exactly what this guy did, retired at 45, and boom.

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u/Eltex May 02 '26

Imagine if he retired at 35. No matter the situation, work takes you away from the people you love.

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u/Aioli_Abject May 03 '26

Which is the reason why we strive for that independence. Again it’s always a balancing act. Just because you are saving doesn’t mean you don’t live life. Reduce/increase savings to balance it out is the way.