I wanted to retire, but can’t stop hustling for a few million I don’t need. What is wrong?

If you really want to retire early, likely as part of the FIRE (financial independence, retire early) movement, you have to set a goal and try to achieve that goal by any means necessary. This could mean living frugally or saving a good chunk of your income to hit your target number. 

This is the exact scenario one Redditor posting in r/fatFIRE has been hoping to achieve since they were 20. Since that age, the plan has always been to retire at 55, and to that end, he has not only successfully achieved his target number to walk away at 55, but has actually doubled this number. 

The challenge here is that this Redditor is feeling pressure from the people in his office to stay, which should be a good problem, but instead, it’s just causing more angst. 

The Scenario 

What we know about this Redditor is that they are not yet 55, as they talk about continuing to work. However, we know they have already hit a target number, which we unfortunately never find out what it is. 

However, the challenge here isn’t that this Redditor doesn’t have enough money but that they feel pressure at work to stay. Having hit double their number, their once “highly-controlled” spending has now “exploded,” which means they are feeling even more pressure as a result. 

Spending aside for the moment, there is a question of whether or not another after-tax $3 million ($6 million pre-tax) is worth sticking around for, as this is the number the Redditor has been promised. We’d all love to be in a position where $3 million is immaterial, but that’s precisely what this Redditor says about this number. The more significant concern is that by sticking around for this post-tax $3 million, they’ll end up retiring at 57, which they say they don’t want to do. 

Ultimately, this Redditor can’t figure out why it’s so hard to quit. This has been their life goal for almost 35 years, and now, with the opportunity so close, they just can’t seem to walk away. 

One More Year

One of the most popular responses to this Redditor is the answer as to why they can’t walk away, which is something called “one more year syndrome.” This is essentially the tendency to keep working even after someone has reached their financial goal. Sometimes, this is motivated by a desire to hit an even larger savings number, even if the job you are currently doing isn’t something you are passionate about anymore. 

If this is the Redditor’s problem, or there is someone else in your life that you think might be suffering the same situation, there are several things they might say to help clue you in. “Maybe I’ll stick around just one more year,” for example, which is then followed up by some reason as to why, like banking another bonus or having a bigger cushion for emergency expenses. 

There is no question there can be some sound logic to sticking around for another year, but if you’re doing it because you don’t know how to walk away, as might be the case with this Redditor, it’s a very real scenario to worry about. 

Losing Their Identity

Another potential scenario is that the Redditor is subconsciously unaware that they might not know who they are by walking away from their job. For 35 (or close to 35 years), this goal and this line of work is all they have ever known. Walking away from a large income that has afforded such a lavish lifestyle might be like a sense of self, and not knowing who they are without this job can be a real mental game. 

It’s not uncommon, in fact, for people to associate their identity with their job, title, and achievements all around their work. By walking away at 55 or even 57, this Redditor could be worried about having a void in their life that no amount of money, even an additional $3 million, can fill. 

This could also be a concern over what they might do once retired, especially if they are in a current situation where their expenses are out of control. Another fear is that by retiring, there wouldn’t be any checks on their spending as they now have even more free time to spend freely. 

The Thrill Of Earning

Stick with the idea that this goal and earning toward it have been what this Redditor has known for the better part of their life. It could mean giving up a thrill. There could very well be a rush that would be gone if they walked away from additional money. Even if another $3 million won’t dramatically impact their lifestyle, chasing this money might be akin to an adrenaline rush they don’t want to go away. 

Another habit that isn’t uncommon in the FIRE world is chasing a retirement goal, which goes from a desire into an obsession. This Redditor has worked for years to hit this goal, and if they walk away, it might open up a void that needs to be filled with something they haven’t yet discovered. 

Retirement Uncertainty 

I think it’s hopeful that this Redditor, having known for such a long time the age they wanted to walk away, had a vision for what retirement life would look like. However, 35 years is a long time to think about a post-retirement lifestyle, and now that it’s close, there might be a fear that this dream is now turning into a reality, which might be causing some anxiety. 

While the Redditor doesn’t say as much, the pressure on them to stay for another $6 million might be getting to them more than they think. They might be worried about what people will say if they walk away from this money. 

The more significant concern is what they will do on day one when they wake up and don’t have anywhere to be, any meetings to join, or any emails to respond to. This isn’t an easy transition, much as we all look forward to this day. The day-to-day grind fills our life, even if we loathe that it does, but it’s become a necessity to keep going. 

What This Redditor Should Do

It doesn’t sound like the Redditor loves their job anymore, and they clearly have the financial means to walk away. They should as they need to put the pencil down and walk away from everything. 

The next step would be controlling spending, but they must force this on themselves. Either this or they need to accept the reality that they want to earn more, especially if they are concerned about overspending. 

Without the Redditor mentioning family or anything else in their immediate circle to keep them busy or distracted, it sounds like this decision is all theirs to make on their own. This Redditor needed r/fatFIRE to ask them whether they love what they do enough to keep going and earn this extra money, or if they love the idea of retiring more than they love the concept of money. 

The answer to this question is going to determine when they walk away, and with how much. 

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