Tammy Retired Early and Happy at 55. Her Struggles Began [Almost] the Very Next Day.

When the endpoint… becomes a jittery start.

Real-life stories like this… shake me.

We are enthralled by the idea of retirement.

Having to kick back and relax? Brilliant. Not worrying about money? Loving it. Doing what we want as and when we please? God send.

But that is our idea of retirement.

Or early retirement.

Does it measure up to reality?

Tammy’s story on early retirement showed me a dark side that I was not prepared for.

The Happy Early Retiree

The thought of early retirement puts a smile on our faces.

It did for Tammy. She has been working for her retirement since Day 1 of employment. Everything she did and planned for fed into her Big R dreams.

She,

• Dutifully socked away 60% of her income [!],
• Have investments that compounded her wealth,
• Metronomically climbed the corporate ladder and finished her career just before retirement age.

Tammy executed all of that with precision.

And I mean with precision.

Contextually, she,

• Saved 60% of her income even when her parents needed more money for medical bills,
• Held onto her stocks and index funds even when the market crashed,
• Fought for her promotion and 15% pay increment year after year.

This lady is one tough cookie.

She has my admiration.

“You cannot imagine how happy I was when I achieved my life goal of early retirement at 55. I had a modest 6-digit net worth by then. When I was given the Golden Handshake, I gladly took it.”

It was, to Tammy, the best way to end her career and start her retirement.

I know what you are thinking.

I shared the same thoughts.

So I asked.

She laughed.

“Yes, I know! Retiring at 55 is not exactly early retirement. But consider this. My Dad retired at 73. My Uncle, 72. My Aunt, 67. Compared to my elders, I am early.”

I chewed on what she said.

Tammy is right.

Tammy’s World of Happy Early Retirement Swiftly Collapsed.

“Early retirement is a big problem, you know.”

I was quiet. In truth, I did not know what to say. I am not there yet.

“I don’t know, Tammy. What is?”

Her response was swift and filled with undiscovered gems in life.

“Well, the real problem is our rush to the start line. That is everything we know. A start line. Do we know what awaits us behind the start line? No, we don’t. That IS a problem.”

AH~ HUH~

A light bulb went on in my head.

This is REAL talk.

We [simply] don’t know what we don’t.

These are her discovered unknowns 1 year into her early retirement.

In short, Tammy mentioned that it is the dark, hidden world of,

• Blinking light bulbs,
• Online money,
• Backaches.

Let’s start with blinking light bulbs.

“I Never Expected It to Be A Problem.”

Who would?

I won’t.

But it has become one for Tammy. And a prominent one.

“I used to ring my handyman to fix the blinking lights. I paid $70 bucks without thinking. Why would I? It costs me nearly nothing, and I can focus on my work. Now? I try to do it on my own. Save the pennies, you know.”

Nothing spectacular until…

“I tried. The lights continue to blink. I bought many light bulbs. None worked. I gave up. Called the handyman. He charged me $170 because he had to fix the circuitry I frayed while desperately coiling new lightbulbs in. How stupid was I?”

I didn’t answer.

In truth, there is no need for an answer.

Either we learn to fix the light bulb… or spend money to get it done.

“Early retirement can turn an intelligent person into a financial dumbass. We are constantly worried about spending money.”

The Next Thing Tammy Worked on Was Earning Money Online

“Forget about food and transport. Household maintenance weighs heavily on my shoulders. What’s next? Pipes? Sinkholes? Fridge? Chipped walls? I did not plan for any of those.”

Who would?

That said, retirees do get driven nuts by unexpected household expenses. And they have~ to~ spend it.

“You must rescue your own house, right?”

Well. No one thinks otherwise.

But that thought made Tammy uncomfortable.

“I started wondering. Can I make some money? I have enough for food, transport, and daily necessities. But I want additional dollars to cover unexpected expenses.”

And so, she ventured into the deep, dark world of online writing.

She did because… she thought it was easy.

4 months in, she thought it was anything but easy.

“I was typing, typing, and typing without end every day. I went from 2 articles to 3 to 4 daily. I made a measly $10 a month. How painful is that? And I got insulted by an unknown editor for not using Grammarly.”

Well.

I can resonate.

I have been there.

But that is not important.

This is.

“You youngsters are right. Hustle when you are younger. Build additional streams of scalable income. I used to say that we never know when we need the money. I was wrong. I should have started this darn thing 10 years ago.”

Amen.

Uninsured Medical Treatments Freaked Her Out

Not just Tammy.

Me, too.

Tammy suffered from backaches and stiff shoulders more often after retirement. She cursed herself.

“What the f. Why must they come when I am no longer covered by the company’s insurance?!”

She mentioned that she needed a physiotherapy treatment package for maintenance purposes. It cost her $1,000 for all 10 treatments. And she consumed all 10 in 5 months.

“This one thing is a real money killer. The Pacman living in my wallet.”

She got me worried.

I started checking my wallet.

The Close

Tammy shares real-life problems of early retirement few people speak of.

We are racing to the start line, not the finish line.

Unknown unknowns are waiting for us.

And it is up to us to overcome them. Health, money, and unexpected but necessary spending are issues we must grapple with during early retirement.

It is not as rosy as we expect it to be.

And the million-dollar question is this.

Are we prepared for it… when it finally comes?

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Oh, oh, you can buy me a cup of black too! Thank you!