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The following is my little story of how I "retired" young. I am 34 and "retired" 8 years ago. I still do some consultancy now and then to keep my brain active

The following is my little story of how I "retired" young. I am 34 and "retired" 8 years ago. I still do some consultancy now and then to keep my brain active and up to date with how things are done in the "real world". Money isn't a big factor for me as I have enough for everything I want. I don't have any expensive interests, I don't care about owning a high-end car or a huge house, etc. I live in West London (technically Surrey) which is kind of expensive but I am comfortable. I was lucky more than anything being able to give up work in my mid-twenties though. I got some inheritance, I had a decent job that paid well, I sold my house a few months before the 2008 crash, etc. With some long term investments and a simple lifestyle I realised I didn't need to work not long after I separated from my wife. As I wasn't really enjoying life much after my divorce I ended up quitting my job and living with family for a year while I "found myself". I met my partner and we had a son who turned five a few months ago. My partner still works but doesn't earn a huge salary, we could live with her not working but she enjoys what she does and I suspect we would kill each other if we spent 24 hours a day together so it works out well imho. I have enjoyed almost every minute of being "retired" so far. I usually just say I am a stay at home dad as saying you retired in your twenties is a bit pompous sounding I feel. Now my son is at school I am toying with the idea of doing more consultancy but I also don't want to make a big commitment to a large project plus we are currently looking into moving to France to be closer to my partners family. Out initial calculations show living in France will be about 15% cheaper than where we currently live (mostly due to living in West London). Maybe France will bring some different consultancy options that will take my interest. Not entirely sure why I posted this comment if I am honest. I guess to see if there are other early retirees here who might want to chime in with their experiences to add to mine? Feel free to ask me any questions. I am happy to answer if I can. Also if anyone has any [technical/general] project management questions feel free to drop me a message (username @gmail.com forwards to my personal email).

fhood 9y ago
Did you set out with the goal of early retirement? Or were you just relatively frugal, and at some point realized it was possible? It seems like you owned a house at age 24 which is pretty unusual.
- satysin 9y ago
  Not at all. Never even thought about it, it was just a realisation one day when I sat down and went over all my finances. My full story is quite, interesting, I guess is the right word :) Two weeks before I turned eighteen I became a dad (the mother who became my now-ex-wife). That made me grow up fast. I got a job and worked my ass off to impress and get promotions. We got married at 21 and bought a house as we had a decent-ish joint income and had some savings behind us (plus some family help on the deposit). We bought a little 2 bed house in Hertfordshire for £116k. We separated at 24 and sold the house literally 2 months before the 08 crash. I am not what most would consider frugal though. I still buy things, I just bought a new laptop, phone, I have a nice TV, PS4, etc. I just don't have any expensive hobbies. I don't spend crazy amounts of designer clothes. I run rather than pay for the gym, etc. I also buy things out-right (such as my phone) rather than get an expensive monthly contract. Doing so saves way more than most people realise. So I wouldn't say frugal but I am very aware of what I buy and try to be as sensible as possible with money.
- swarnie_ 9y ago
  Getting into the housing market a few years before the 08 crash and joining the workforce during the crash produce extremely different results. The envy i have for people 5 years older then me are difficult to explain away sometimes.
  - satysin 9y ago
    There are always tradeoffs though. I know many people who got in around the same time as me, did well and had great high paying jobs, a lovely house, car, etc. Then the crash hit, they lost their jobs and couldn't find a new one that paid the same, had cars reposed, etc. Many quickly realised they had committed themselves to way more than they should have. Had the sell the house, etc. Not fun times for everyone.
stellar678 9y ago
I'm curious to know - how did you manage to buy and sell a house by age 24 in the midst of a major housing bubble? Seems the down payment and credit-worthiness in any major metro would have been a pretty huge hurdle for someone only a few years into their career.
- satysin 9y ago
  We were 21 when we bought the house. Two incomes and a few thousand from parents towards the deposit and it wasn't really all that difficult. The mortgage was around £100 less than renting so it made a lot of sense. It was my ex-wifes parents who persuaded us to do it tbh. We didn't think it would be possible but they were convinced it was the better option (which it was). We had to wait until we were 21 though as almost nobody wanted to give us a mortgage at 19 or 20 for some reason. Seems 21 was the magic number for their risk algorithms.

fhood 9y ago

Did you set out with the goal of early retirement? Or were you just relatively frugal, and at some point realized it was possible? It seems like you owned a house at age 24 which is pretty unusual.

satysin 9y ago
Not at all. Never even thought about it, it was just a realisation one day when I sat down and went over all my finances. My full story is quite, interesting, I guess is the right word :) Two weeks before I turned eighteen I became a dad (the mother who became my now-ex-wife). That made me grow up fast. I got a job and worked my ass off to impress and get promotions. We got married at 21 and bought a house as we had a decent-ish joint income and had some savings behind us (plus some family help on the deposit). We bought a little 2 bed house in Hertfordshire for £116k. We separated at 24 and sold the house literally 2 months before the 08 crash. I am not what most would consider frugal though. I still buy things, I just bought a new laptop, phone, I have a nice TV, PS4, etc. I just don't have any expensive hobbies. I don't spend crazy amounts of designer clothes. I run rather than pay for the gym, etc. I also buy things out-right (such as my phone) rather than get an expensive monthly contract. Doing so saves way more than most people realise. So I wouldn't say frugal but I am very aware of what I buy and try to be as sensible as possible with money.
swarnie_ 9y ago
Getting into the housing market a few years before the 08 crash and joining the workforce during the crash produce extremely different results. The envy i have for people 5 years older then me are difficult to explain away sometimes.
- satysin 9y ago
  There are always tradeoffs though. I know many people who got in around the same time as me, did well and had great high paying jobs, a lovely house, car, etc. Then the crash hit, they lost their jobs and couldn't find a new one that paid the same, had cars reposed, etc. Many quickly realised they had committed themselves to way more than they should have. Had the sell the house, etc. Not fun times for everyone.

stellar678 9y ago

I'm curious to know - how did you manage to buy and sell a house by age 24 in the midst of a major housing bubble? Seems the down payment and credit-worthiness in any major metro would have been a pretty huge hurdle for someone only a few years into their career.

satysin 9y ago
We were 21 when we bought the house. Two incomes and a few thousand from parents towards the deposit and it wasn't really all that difficult. The mortgage was around £100 less than renting so it made a lot of sense. It was my ex-wifes parents who persuaded us to do it tbh. We didn't think it would be possible but they were convinced it was the better option (which it was). We had to wait until we were 21 though as almost nobody wanted to give us a mortgage at 19 or 20 for some reason. Seems 21 was the magic number for their risk algorithms.