Last Updated on November 25, 2025 at 8:14 am
A reader says, “I am part of a private forum of FIRE (financially independent early retirement) seekers. We share each other’s FIRE journeys from time to time. I recently achieved a 40X corpus (= 40 times annual expenses) and stated that I continue my job as I like what I do”.
“Many members disparaged me, saying I am not financially independent as I am still working. This confused me. Am I financially independent if I have achieved my FIRE corpus but am still working?”
Never take what people say in forums seriously. Most of them have no idea about context, and most will have a fraction of your experience or networth. But they would talk like know-it-alls.
I have seen similar criticism of others who FIREed as well. “His wife is still working, so it does not count as FIRE”, “he still does freelance work, so it is not FIRE”, and the like. The tone here is similar to, “She got financial independence because her salary is high”. “onsite assignments are the reason for his corpus”.
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The only way to tackle this is to anticipate and ignore such comments. I would also recommend ignoring comments that praise us. That way, neither the good nor the bad responses reach our heads (where there is a lot of vacant space).
Financial independence does not always need to result in retirement (early or otherwise). It is a choice whether you choose to exercise it or not. Allow me to present an example.
In 2013, I was about to get my thymus gland removed because it was enlarged (it was a benign tumour). The hope was that the surgery would reverse or at least control my Myasthenia Gravis (an autoimmune disorder).
I was quite scared about the fate of my family in case I did not make it out of the surgery. My son had just turned three, my wife was not working, and my mother had hallucinations because of her Parkinson’s. If I died then, my wife would have had to find work to support the family.
I have had a couple of health scares since then, but the critical difference was my family had become financially independent. So, my wife does not need to work, and we have the resources to take care of my mom and fund my son’s education and dreams.
The world may say I am not financially independent because I still work. That is of little use to me. I know that my retirement corpus offers my family an option. That is worth its weight in anything you deem valuable.
So, ignore social media comments and judgments. Personal finance is personal. As long as you have done the due diligence, considering all factors relevant to your family, your state of mind is right, and your choices are suitable.