Two Sides of FI

What happens when you walk away from a career you've spent 25 years building? Nearly two years into early retirement, Laura's answers might surprise you. She retired at 51 after a career in biomedical research, including 13 years running her own laboratory. Before leaving, she had plenty of questions. Would she miss the work? Her colleagues? The sense of purpose and identity that came with being a scientist? And what would happen when the structure she'd known for decades dropped away? Now that she's had some time to experience life after work, we're revisiting those questions. We talk about what Laura misses (and what she doesn't), the unexpected emotional side of giving up a paycheck, finding purpose without a job title, and what it's been like spending more time together than at any other point in our relationship. We also dig into a piece of conventional retirement advice that Laura chose to ignore: the idea that you need to retire to something. Was that a mistake? Has the retirement honeymoon worn off? And would she ever consider going back to work? Along the way, we answer questions from our audience about friendships, daily routines, staying healthy, intellectual curiosity, and what a fulfilling retirement actually looks like when you're living it. If you're approaching financial independence, particularly after a career you've invested decades in building, you'll find plenty to consider in this conversation. Show notes: https://twosidesoffi.com/laurayear2/

With markets down at one point nearly 20% in 2025, is this the sequence risk moment we feared? In this episode, we reflect on recent market volatility, how it’s impacted our early retirement finances, and whether our original FIRE strategy can still hold up. We also catch up post-Liberation Day and share how our thinking has evolved after real-world stress testing our withdrawal plan. If you're navigating FIRE in 2025—or just wondering what a 20% portfolio loss feels like—this one's for you. Show notes: https://twosidesoffi.com/chaos

Do some find it hard to retire because they don't know how to stop working? In today's episode, Eric talks with Jason about the challenges he's experienced after achieving FI, finding it hard to ramp down his business. Are we just wired to work hard or is there more to it? We discuss why Eric can't stop working, how it affects his spouse, and what Jason has learned in his five years of RE. Show notes: https://twosidesoffi.com/crisis

What are the critical financial elements to track and review each year pre- and post-FI? In this episode, Eric and Jason share their processes and learnings from their 2024 annual review. Topics covered include tracking net worth and withdrawal rate, portfolio management, taxes, and much more. Show notes: https://twosidesoffi.com/2024review

Worried about finding purpose in retirement? Most people are, but in reality it's easy to address these fears head-on. In this episode, Eric + Jason are joined by Jordan "Doc G" Grumet, a hospice doctor, podcaster, blogger, and author. Topics discussed include how regret can be motivating, putting excuses behind us, the reality of purpose anxiety, and much more. Irrespective of your own retirement journey, you won't want to miss our conversation. Show notes: https://twosidesoffi.com/purposecode Doc G's book, "The Purpose Code": https://amzn.to/3DIcNnk

This is the first of two bonus episodes, pulled from the year one archives of Two Sides of FI. On the path to financial independence, there are ample opportunities for mistakes and missteps. In this episode, we review stories from people who shared their FIRE experiences online in the hopes of educating others. Here we review five of these tales: incurring tragic losses due to trying to beat the market, losing 75% of your portfolio value due to sector investing, regretting aggressively saving at the expense of living your life, and resenting your partner who doesn't have the same degree of FIRE ambitions as you do. Show notes, including the full text of Reddit posts from this episode:https://twosidesoffi.com/how-not-to-fire-1/

How can a hobby turn into a second career and lead to financial independence before 40? In this episode, Jason talks with David Sun, an electrical engineer who stumbled into options trading after hearing about it from a fellow grad student. Only ten years later he launched his first hedge fund. Now in his mid-30s, David shares the keys to his success, as well as his thoughts on the role of options trading in a FIRE portfolio. Be sure to check out the show notes linked below for all the key resources shared in this conversation. Show notes: https://twosidesoffi.com/davidsun