Why I Refuse to Work Until 70 – A Call for Early Retirement and Financial Freedom

A Reddit user is bucking the traditional path, and he’s not sorry about it.

The poster explained that he has been dedicated to working towards financial freedom and is planning early retirement because he doesn’t want to waste his life in a corporate job that feels like a grind. He’s been smart and frugal when it comes to saving and investing, and leaving his job at a young age is the reward for the fruits of that labor, even if others don’t understand. 

And, he said, others definitely don’t understand. In fact, he explained that one coworker looked at him like he “punted a puppy” when he explained his life plans for retiring young. 

So, why is it so unusual to leave work early, and how can you make the dream of financial independence happen for you at an age that’s younger than most?

Retiring early isn’t something many believe is possible– but the poster makes a good case for it

The Reddit poster made clear that working until 70 wasn’t something he was interested in because he doesn’t want to spend so much of his life waiting to enjoy it.

Others chimed in and agreed, with several indicating they also wanted financial independence to avoid money stress and be able to spend their days the way they wanted. Some had already escaped the corporate grind early and were loving the flexibility that it offered and their ability to fulfill their dreams — despite the skepticism of people in their lives.

Since there’s clearly nothing wrong and a lot right with being financially independent at a young age, it’s surprising that the original poster (OP) and so many of the others who quit work young had so many people being critical or questioning their choices. However, as several other posters pointed out, many people live a life where they spend in the now without thinking too much about the future.

The result of this is that they can’t imagine it being possible to stop working sooner, and rather than looking at the mirror at their own spending habits that put it out of reach, they end up being critical of others who can achieve it.

How to achieve financial independence at a young age

If you are on board and agree with the Reddit poster that becoming financially independent needs to happen at a much younger age than 70, you’ll need to make some different lifestyle choices than most of your peers. In fact, most people barely have enough money to retire at the traditional age, or even have to leave work without the money for a comfortable retirement. 

To avoid that happening to you, you need to prioritize saving and investing. You should limit your fixed expenses to make it possible to put money into brokerage accounts, and you should invest as aggressively as possible, saving way more than the basic recommended 10% to 15% of your income. Looking for ways to increase earning power, such as developing new job skills, will also make this process a lot easier.

If early retirement is your goal, working with a financial advisor also becomes important. Your advisor can help you develop a concrete step-by-step plan to achieve your financial goals at your desired age, so you can say goodbye to the working world and live life on your own terms long before your 70th birthday. 

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