In the FIRE community there is this constant need to define your retirement label.

Retired or not retired

Early retired or not early retired

Semi retired

Working or not working

Honestly, who really cares? Why should you care what label other people want to put on you.

People like to label because it helps us make sense of the world.

Labels are so final too. Someone is either something or they aren’t. There is no middle grey area.

That’s not reality though. Life is not as simple as what goes inside a pre defined box.

I get it. All these sub retirement labels are borne out of the inadequacy of the current definition of retirement. The traditional definition doesn’t encompass retirement as it is today.

As such, I have been contemplating what label I would be considered if I go to part time work next year or not. Would I be Coast FIRE? Semi retired? Then I caught the internal dialogue in my head and thought how silly I was being. I honestly don’t care what label I have, so why am I wasting my time thinking about these things?

All I care about is if I am doing everything possible to live my best life given my circumstances. And if the answer is yes, then that is all I need. Whatever label I am given, I am still the same person so why try to put a name on it? My life won’t magically change the moment I declare myself a certain type of FIRE. I am living the same life now whether I had a label or not. I’m not waiting until I meet someone else’s definition of something. I am making decisions based on our circumstances and what will make us happy.

Retirement is a word you need to define for yourself. No one else. But know that however you define it, it is about YOUR happiness. All these other definitions are not your definitions. That is all that matters.

If you need help with your personal retirement planning, then get in touch today.

The information contained on this site is the opinion of the individual author(s) based on their personal opinions, observation, research, and years of experience. The information offered by this website is general education only and is not meant to be taken as individualised financial advice, legal advice, tax advice, or any other kind of advice. You can read more of my disclaimer here