This is not a post on ‘advantages of retiring early’ – that would be a different post. This is just that what are the reasons why you could or should retire early….

#1 You Can Afford it: 

This is a necessary, but NOT sufficient condition for retiring. If you cannot afford to retire, you cannot afford to retire. You earned well, lived frugally, saved well and invested wisely. So now you have a nice big round number which is sufficient to meet all your expenses, goals, retirement needs, etc. Of course, you can continue working long after you’ve achieved financial independence. It’s your life. I tend to enjoy my vacation weeks JUST AS MUCH AS my work weeks, but that’s just me. So retire early, because you can!

#2 Take Care of Your Health:

Years of neglect of your health (well mostly) means when you go to a gym, you are asked to do strength training and flexibility training. Assuming you wish to go to the gym, run, cycle, swim and do yoga, do you have enough time? All these activities may take about 14 hours a week – and that too at specific hours. You may not be able to find time to do all this, do some travel, unwind – and hold a senior position in a corporate job. Now throw in some things like preparing for a half ironman, or a full marathon, you may just not be able to do it. Sure you can do it at 60, but your body is more likely to take it at 45 years instead of 60 years. Living healthier can extend your living years and therefore your healthy years. Retiring early will give you so much more time to enjoy them before you’re too arthritic or suffering from even more scarier ailments. If your job is the greatest source of stress in your life (it is NOT for me), eliminating that stress can help you and your mental health. 

#3 Me Time

All of us need some time for ourselves. Sure, you will have it when you retire, and also think of travel, attending family functions, and generally doing things that you love to do, but never found time. I know of one person who is grown his ‘carpentary business, I know somebody who has taken to music,  – all this happens only when you have ‘MY TIME’. Time to spend with the family, know what is happening in their lives. Attending to family function in the immediate and next round of relatives, – all this is possible only in there is YOU TIME. Having breakfast and dinner with family say 5 times a week – does your current job let you do that? that too at say 7.30pm? Many of these things cannot happen with our current job styles.

#4 Reduce your Risk

If you are a surgeon, you risk a malpractice suit. If you are a pilot you risk your life. If you are a……get the drift? Some of these can just drag on. So a surgeon who stops doing surgery and does only consulting, now reduces risk. A player who becomes a coach reduces risk. Some of these malpractice lawsuits can just last too long, and ruin your life. Have you heard of a dentist who got AIDS treating a patient who had Aids? So by reducing some such work, you can reduce risks.

#5 Your hobby is pulling you

You want to climb the Everest. This is going to take 4 years of training and effort. And of course Rs. 4 million of cash. You have it, Go man Go!