In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this financially independent lifestyle, they invite you to take advantage of their wisdom and experience.

Do Not Retire in Your Thirties

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

On the Beach in Belize

Recently we read a MainStreet article titled Why Retiring in Your 30s Is a Terrible Idea for Anyone.

Apparently, the impetus for writing this piece was because Forbes ran an article about Jeremy and Winnie  a Seattle couple in their thirties who retired young a few years ago and began traveling the world. Not only did Jason Notte (the author of the article) say that most financial advisors would not get behind their plan, he quoted one of them as saying “My thought on that is being 30 or 40 or whatever and pulling the plug and retiring — kind of putting your brain on autopilot — I don't advise that.” Do they mean that once retired, we don’t learn anything new or do anything worthwhile? That's holding a very limited view of financial independence and it's being naive.

While we understand the cautioning of advisors to early retirees because life is full of twists and turns (one could get divorced (at any age), become ill (at any age), become bored and choose to spend more therefore shrinking their assets, or even have a child) and we understand that perhaps some people in their early thirties might not have the emotional maturity to structure their own lives productively, however, we were stunned at some of the assumptions of the article. Such as continuing to work would allow you to “keep up with the spending of family and friends,” and apparently, that’s a good idea (as if living below your means is a bad idea). Or that “You’re in a situation where you’re adding no value to anyone.”

What?! Really?

Here’s another assumption that was outrageous – if you retire early you are “just letting your talent and skills go to waste by shutting them down early” and that, once retired, you would “coast for the rest of your lives.”

We have always encouraged mentoring, volunteering, continuous education and getting involved in your new life of financial independence. This is your chance to shine, learn new skills, see the world, pursue those hobbies that have been on the back burner for decades, spend more time with your grandchildren, get involved with pet rescue, pursue a spiritual quest or have the garden of your dreams. But Benjamin Sullivan, a certified financial planner with Palisades Hudson Financial Group, of Scarsdale, N.Y., says “Working keeps you occupied and prevents you from spending money. Unless you plan to sit at home idly once you retire, your expenditures might grow in retirement rather than shrink.”

Has Mr. Sullivan never heard of tracking one's spending? Or the financial infrastructure that having a job practically forces one into? This is the Cost of Working.

Do people really not have a life outside of their job that they cannot imagine giving back to society, learning a new language or to play a musical instrument? Much better to continue working and be afraid of your future and how you might spend your time and money if you didn’t have a job.

We can tell you that we didn't put our "brain on autopilot" nor did we let our "talents and skills go to waste." We never expected nor did we plan to "coast for the rest of our lives."

Traveling the world, mentoring and volunteering, we wrote books and created a lifestyle we love that is full of variety and challenge. We made history, and don't plan on fading into it anytime soon.

Reading these sorts of articles about financial planners (who are still working) giving advice to people who might want something different from their lives, looking to step out of the box or who don’t fit the mold - are enjoyable to discuss.

But we say, if you really want to learn about retirement, Go to the Source.

What's Your Number? - How much money do you need to retire?

About the Authors

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli are recognized retirement experts and internationally published authors on topics of finance, medical tourism and world travel. With the wealth of information they share on their award winning website RetireEarlyLifestyle.com, they have been helping people achieve their own retirement dreams since 1991. They wrote the popular books, The Adventurer’s Guide to Early Retirement and Your Retirement Dream IS Possible available on their website bookstore or on Amazon.com.

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Retire Early Lifestyle appeals to a different kind of person – the person who prizes their independence, values their time, and who doesn’t want to mindlessly follow the crowd.

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