Lan reached the financial “peak” that she considered secure at the age of 32. After celebrating her birthday with a trip with friends, Lan decided to retire early. She submitted her resignation letter to the company, completed the work transfer procedures, and Lan was officially free – what she called her new life.
Many friends were really surprised and a little jealous of Lan at that time. It seemed that most young workers dreamed of such a life: waking up at 8am, going to the gym or doing yoga, leisurely eating breakfast, drinking coffee, reading books or taking care of plants, watching fish, then making appointments with a few people to go to a restaurant for lunch or dinner, watching people go about their daily lives… This dream life lasted for 3 years, then one day, Lan reconnected with her job contacts to apply for a job again. “I was so bored with the boring daily routine. I felt isolated from society and useless!” – Lan said.
The concepts of “early retirement” and “financial freedom” are increasingly mentioned by many people. Financial freedom is the state of having enough money to pay for daily living needs such as basic living, entertainment, personal hobbies, etc. Making financial decisions is not influenced by money. In fact, more and more young people under 30 years old achieve financial freedom very early. Their achievements come from their quickness in investing (land, stocks, cryptocurrencies, etc.), financial knowledge and maybe a little luck. According to an expert, to achieve financial freedom, the reference formula is: The amount of money you spend in 1 year x 35 times = The amount of money you need to retire early.
The common scenario for young people who retire early is that they have worked hard for many years, so when they reach their financial peak, they are satisfied and let go of the burden of work. They do all the things they dreamed of before but did not have the conditions to do. However, many people do not imagine that when they are living in a dream, that dream will quickly become a boring reality. Not to mention the case of unpredictable risks, causing the financial peak to fall freely, strongly affecting the plan for a comfortable life in the future.
The concept of “early retirement” should be redefined, that retirement does not mean putting oneself in a state of not working, not working, not creating, but rather it should be a transition from one job to another, where they have the right to choose their time and passion without being pressured by superiors. Once they spend time focusing on exploring their own abilities and passions, they will truly achieve true freedom and promise sublimation for life.
Those who achieve “financial freedom” are all good people. Like Lan, after a few months of reconnecting with work, she became a coordinator of a non-governmental project, mobilizing international funds to treat poor children with motor disabilities in Vietnam. At the same time, Lan invested in the education sector – a field that Lan loves, stemming from her childhood dream of becoming a teacher. Lan said that this kind of life is truly the dream of freedom – a life that is still busy but not too stressful or worrying; making decisions based on interests rather than the burden of money; working, contributing and creating good values for the community.
Illustration: Document
