Is Early Retirement Worth It? Redditors Weigh In On FIRE Strategy

There is a growing trend of securing financial freedom and retiring earlier than usual. Known as FIRE—short for Financial Independence, Retire Early—the movement emphasises aggressive saving and investing strategies with the goal of retiring by around age 45.

On Reddit platform, the r/FIRE community frequently discusses this trend, with mostly youngsters sharing their financial independence goals. In a post on the community last week, a user asked if people would be happy retiring by the age of 55.

Many fellow Redditors responded saying they were actually making progress on their early retirement goals, which ranged from 45 to 55 years. “I'm aiming for 55-58, but would be happy to retire as soon as possible,” a comment read.

Another user said, “My target is 50. Honestly, I'll have the assets to do it at 43, but want my kids to get something after I'm gone. I am 33 now.” Similar sentiments were shared by most people who plan to retire earlier than usual.

Another post from June focused on those who had retired reflecting on whether they would have chosen to stop working sooner. In it, a 45‑year‑old shared that he already had enough financial resources to retire, but was weighing whether continuing to work—and further growing his wealth—might be better, seeking advice on whether early retirement would truly be worth it.

“I am in the tech industry. Work isn't particularly stressful, but not something I particularly enjoy as well. Going with family history — I don't think I will last beyond 75 (all adult males on both sides of the family lived till that time)— even though I don't have any medical conditions now. I think I have maybe 30 years of life left and I want to open myself to finding the possibility of peace and contentment of a retired life while I am on this planet. So back to the question: If you had the opportunity to get out earlier: would you have?” the post read.

On this, a comment read, “I retired just before 59 and at the time I wasn’t really ready for it. I liked my job and I liked the interaction with people in a professional environment. But it was when Covid-19 hit, so it seemed like a good time to go.”

One user suggested that before retiring, it’s important to start exploring new interests. “Like they say, you should retire to something, not away from something,” the comment read.

Another user said that he was happy with the decision to retire at the age of 52.

“If I knew I likely only had 30 summers left, I would leave my job tomorrow,” reacted another Redditor.