The Dark Truth of Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) | What They Don't Tell You

Our Rich Journey – We reached financial independence and have been retired for more than three years. And we talk a lot on our channel about how great FIRE is! But, there are some dark sides to FIRE also - things you don’t hear people discussing. So, to better prepare you on your FIRE journey, and to help you better plan for some of the dark side of FIRE, we decided to make a video for you! In this video, we discuss the dark sides of FIRE (i.e., the lesser-discussed realities of the FIRE movement)!

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[OurRichJourney]

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[NubHubGaming]

I am a 29 year old software engineer, my plan to fire is just continue writing code and software, but changing the motivation. No longer will I write code for money, instead I will work on projects or open source things that I am genuinely interested in. This is one of the biggest advantages to FIRE. If you can keep "working" but working for yourself, instead of working for some other persons goals/visions.

[freeparticle]

No need to call it "retirement"... it's the word itself that brings the idea of anxiety. Call it simply FREEDOM.

[lindadorman]

Another dark truth, especially for singles, is loneliness. Your former work colleagues, family and friends are probably still working so they can't meet up or travel as much as you can. Plus you might have less in common once you retire and your lifestyle changes. You have to find activities, hobbies and projects to keep busy on your own. And you have to be more proactive about reaching out to make new friends.

[future]

I don’t care I want to come to the DARK side 🎉🎉😂😂

[MichelleBunt]

I would think the lack of structure / purpose could be huge for some. Some people who retire at a normal age really struggle with this. So I think it's really important to understand why you want FIRE and what you will do once you retire early. Some people may not actually want FIRE, they may want FIWL (Financial Independence; Work Less) where they keep their skills active and maintain those social relationships from work by working 10 hours a week etc.

[spinz]

I think the drastic change from working 40 -50 hours week to no work is scary for a lot of people. Don't be afraid to cut your work schedule down to 20 hours a week just to get a feel of it and just keep adjusting the amount until you are ready to go full FIRE.

[tonystarkcoins]

I reached fire and indeed it is true. I was available so much that I had too much time to “coach” my kids (drove my kids crazy almost, because everything I do I do serious as a business) and some days I just slept away or the thing to do was figuring out where I was going to eat. Conversation with normal people was difficult because they were always busy with something and I just relaxed every day, which felt awkward to say. At a certain point I started buying up houses that were in bad shape for renovation and renting them out to have something to do again. I must say I enjoy it … working because I want to.

[darylmiller]

One dark side is if you fire early and all your friends are still having to work for another 10 or 20 years. Creates an interesting dynamic.

[Limastudent]

After running my own business for 32 years, which was my whole identity, retirement has been really hard. I have become home bound and so bored. And suddenly I have health concerns after being a ball of fire. Learning to do less without feeling guilty is a daily challenge.

[joshm]

I tapered down my work week to 4 days/wk (approx 3 yrs), then 3 days/wk (2 yrs) before retiring, and this helped tremendeously.

[missgui]

I want to be financially independent not to retire entirely but to have more options.

[loveHislove]

Sunday night anxiety is a serious illness! It has developed into an all day situation for me. 😂

[atomisticpartb]

Thanks guys! Your constant focus on the postive money messaging is pulling me through the darkness of too much negative money messaging!

[danelledautrievesanford]

I can relate to the Sunday ...day before work situation😭🤣

[compoundingloonies]

34 Years old here and retired early!
I can totally relate!!!

[worldnomaderic]

3 years in FIRE, the hardest part for us was finding meaningful relationships. We felt like visitors everywhere or worse, viewed as tourists. I wouldn't give up FIRE, but there's no perfect life!

[MikeNouraei]

Although I was not able to retire early, I am trying to help my son to take the right shots towards financial independence as early in his life as possible.
Surprisingly, this clip explains some of the concerns that he has shared with me while walking the path! You folks are right on!😊
I’m positive that he’ll find this content very close to his heart; and perhaps relax a bit😅

[galatea]

Thank you for mentioning long term care; it's not something people think about enough (FIRE or not).
I work in a hospital and my job assists in discharge planning and placement. We have too many patients who have lived alone but are no longer able to physically stay in their residence, or are not safe to be alone anymore; many don't have any contingency plan for these situations, especially when family is not able/does not want to take them in to care for them. Senior living apartments, assisted living facilities, long term acute care (LTACs) are all VERY expensive, most cannot afford these options out of pocket, and medicaid as well as private insurances typically won't cover an LTAC (no insurances cover a senior apartment or assisted living facilities).

[Bee]

Given these people’s age they are still fit enough to go work just for the joy of it. Working through choice is a different experience and you don’t feel the pressure as you know as soon as the joy goes you are able to walk away.