https://www.quora.com/Do-extremely-weal ... -young-age
Some answers:Do extremely wealthy people ever think about retiring at a young age?
Most extremely wealthy people do not really retire. They may take time off to venture around but do not retire completely. Many entrepreneurs are serial entrepreneurs and they keep coming back. Elon Musk could have easily retired after Paypal but he created Tesla, SpaceX, and Solarcity. Jeff Bezos could have a nice life but instead went on to create Amazon. Bill Gates could have just rested on Microsoft but went onto create one of the world’s most efficient charity. Many mining CEOs could have retired after selling their companies or assets but keep coming back everytime there is a commodities cycle.
In sum, most extremely wealthy people do not retire because they are not in for the money but because they want to make things better or exploit a great opportunity.
I am not extremely wealthy but I am independently wealthy via the two tech startup exits that I was involved in within a three year period. In one I was the sole founder, in the other I was an equity holder and advisor. I was 42 when the first one sold.
Yes, I thought about retiring. But, I had an earn-out, meaning I had to stick around with the acquiring company for a while and babysit the acquisition.
So, I started dreaming of retiring. Of having unlimited time to pursue my own passions, hobbies and travel. After six months of babysitting the acquisition and dreaming in my spare time, my wife and I decided that I would retire at the end of the first 12 months of my earn-out period.
I was 43 when I gave my final notice. Two weeks later I moved my family (wife and 2 kids) onto a 42′ sailboat and headed to the islands. We unplugged from the world, rebuilt our family bonds, and smelled the fresh mangos each morning.
I lived the retired life for several years and kept my days busy with personal improvement projects. But then I started doing some advising in my old field, started building up small professional commitments and, eventually, I had some real responsibilities. All of a sudden I found myself un-retired. Or, semi-retired, to be more accurate and grammatical. I love building things and improving the world and I couldn’t resist dipping my toe back into technology and entrepreneurship at 47.
But, I’ve been careful to still not overcommit myself. I have plenty of time for more personal projects and hobbies. It’s the perfect life, to be honest.
I don't think the point is that everyone has the same opinion but I do find it kind of interesting. Basically, many of these people have achieved precisely because of these personality traits; the same traits that supported climbing the ladder also support staying in the game, long beyond the point of minimum financial independence (MMM).
Yes of course, but it’s not as fun as you might think.
I made some money in the UK property market and after selling out I did nothing for quite a while - my god it was boring!
After you’ve travelled a bit, spent time with friends family, mooched around, and engaged in hobbies until you’re bored, what is left to do in life?
I started back to work and immediately became much happier.
Some people have to work in order to make money to survive but I found out I actually enjoy working. Maybe if I was forced to work down a tin mine, or clearing drains, I wouldn’t enjoy it quite so much. When you’ve found something you really love doing it’s not really work. I think this is why Warren Buffett says he ‘tap-dances to work’; it’s just good fun.
I can’t now imagine ever retiring as such; I’ll certainly keep taking holidays and travel the world, but not as a permanent state of things. I love investing, whether in property or stocks. What is the point of stopping just because you’ve passed a certain level of wealth?