“My biggest fear is that I die early or never get to do things I want to do due to physical limitations.”
A man reached out on Reddit this week to ask for advice, saying he has about $2 million between his retirement and savings accounts. He has been working for more than 25 years in a job he’s “never really loved,” and he says the last four years in particular have been “depressing.”
He’d love to retire, but here’s the problem: He has two children who haven’t gone to college yet, and his wife — who is working as a teacher — believes he still needs to work, although it could be at a different job than the one he has now.
But the man says he’d rather not.
“Friend just got cancer in early 40s. I don’t want to die at this desk,” he wrote. “I have tried to get consulting or other things going on the side but not much success.”
Suggestions poured in. But many focused on how depressed the original poster was when he wrote about his desperation. He also mentioned that he’s started drinking more, in his original post.
“Address the depression and the drinking before making any big decisions about employment,” one response said. “You have taken the first step, which is recognizing this is a path you don’t want to continue to walk.”
(The man replied and said he is already seeing a therapist.)
But another commenter, “trollmum,” suggested another tactic: “barista FIRE.”
How about taking on “a little part time job to keep you busy and to make sure your wife is not annoyed at you,” she suggested. “Maybe a bit of consulting on the side.”
So, what the heck is “barista FIRE”? It’s a term that might not be known to those who don’t follow the “financial independence/retire early” (FIRE) movement closely.
Basically, it’s internet parlance for retiring from a full-time job, but continuing to work part-time.
The blogger Financial Samurai takes a … blunter approach.
“Barista FIRE is retiring early but making your spouse work,” he wrote. “A lot of men have started to claim they retired early, but are really just stay at home spouses while their wives slave away at a job they hate.”
That said, he admitted he was a “barista” retiree at one time; when he negotiated a severance in 2012 at age 34, his wife continued to work, and he was able to be on her health insurance.
Barista FIRE might be an option for the original poster on Reddit. Some commenters even suggested he may be able to dial back at his current job and work part-time.
But there’s another approach, said a commenter named “eayaz,” who said their parents retired and live modestly.
“They take small trips constantly. They love each other. They enjoy their grandkids,” eayaz wrote.
“If you love building motorcycles, you can do it at any income. If you love yoga, you can do it at any income … You just gotta focus more on enjoying the journey.”
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