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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.

The Allure of Early Retirement:

Quitting the Rat Race and Embracing Freedom

Jonathan Frieder

 Man and woman walking along a nature path with view of the ocean

For years, the standard life script involved moving through progressive steps: graduate from high school, go to college, get a good job, work your way up through various positions on the corporate ladder, retire around the age of 65, and travel and take it easy for the rest of your life.

Now, that model is getting a serious update – and increasingly, for better quality of life and personal fulfillment, many people are opting to choose to exit the working world early, ending their careers well before age 65.

What’s Driving the Early Retirement Movement?

This movement is driven by a confluence of factors. Some are simply fed up with the rat race, looking for something more meaningful and rewarding in life besides their job. Some want to spend more time travelling, pursuing hobbies and, if possible, spending more time with their family or friends, while they are also still young and in good health to do so.

Some are able to achieve this through technological changes and the growth of the gig economy. Some are realizing that they might be able to retire earlier, given the growing cost of healthcare in their old age, and the uncertain future of social security benefits. The new gig economy has allowed people to leverage their strategy skills in games like poker to keep their minds sharp during retirement and also provides some of the flexibility that a lot of people look for when giving up their day jobs.

Talking about online poker, this is an interesting example of an entertainment industry that helped some people to make a career from their hobby. Like Antonio Esfandiari, a really successful poker player, who started testing his skills by playing games on an online poker site and is now on his way to retiring super early with a net worth of around $18.35 million. There are plenty of other people who have found success using the latest technologies and proved that sometimes the 9-5 lifestyle isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In the same way, people easily find options to make some savings while working on their hobbies: It can be coaching, advising businesses, etc.

Many variables go into the decision to take early retirement – most obviously how much money you have available to you and the degree of indulgence with which you wish to surround yourself. But the glorious thing about this version of early retirement is that it seems to be available to anyone who takes the time to plan.

The Allure of Freedom: Unwinding the Chains of the 9-to-5

Another of the biggest benefits of early retirement is flexibility: when you’re liberated from a job schedule, there’s plenty of time to pursue leisure, hobbies, fitness, travel, volunteering for a cause you care about, or any other activity that resonates with you. You have the freedom to construct your day and life however you want.

This newfound freedom is also an important health boost. As you no longer have the need to impress your boss, the stress associated with the demands of professional life can evaporate. This can have a positive impact on health, both physical and mental: many early retirees report finding themselves with increased energy levels, a stronger immune system and a healthier outlook.

Beyond Freedom: The Unexpected Advantages of Early Retirement

Besides the obvious perks of time and personal freedom that go with early retirement, there are a host of surprising benefits of getting the hell out of there, as it were and starting a new life with a new purpose.

Because of breadwinning pressures that fill working life with obligations and responsibilities, those who retire early from a career can finally expand their intellect beyond the constraints of the workplace. People literally get the chance to take an online course, learn to play an instrument they’d always dreamed of,  attend a seminar, or embark on a research project they’ve longed to do for years. The result: a lifetime of learning and intellectual engagement that most people don’t think they would have the chance to explore after they graduate from college.

Moreover, early retirement affords one the space to become your higher self. No longer bound by the habits and pressures of later life, early retirees have space to learn more about themselves. They nourish their interests, discover their values, and develop new talents. They learn something about themselves that might not have been uncovered by continued work. More fundamentally, this contemplation might allow them to live a more genuine life – and who doesn’t want that?

Embracing New Roles: Grandparents, Entrepreneurs, and More

While it might sound as if early retirement must be a life of personal indulgence, for many this is not the case. New parents no longer must argue over who will have to leave to go to work. Entrepreneurs can at last launch the business they have long thought about. Various forms of volunteering beckon for early retirees. Many will find that they still have important work to do.

Still, the decision to retire early is a personal one. For someone with sufficient financial means and a desire for a different kind of life, the rewards can be great. Freedom, self-discovery and the chance to contribute in new ways – these are just a handful of reasons why the siren call of early retirement is proving hard to resist. 

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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.

contact Billy and Akaisha at theguide@retireearlylifestyle.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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