Personal Finance

I retired last year but now I'm going back to work because the pay is too good to pass up - will I regret this?

Christy Bieber

Published: March 14, 2025 3:51 pm

Last Updated: March 14, 2025 11:07 pm

A Reddit user who retired early with just enough money is now planning to return to work but is wondering if she’ll regret her decision. She initially quit her job because she had an awful manager, but she said that the period she’s been off work has been wonderful for her family. 

Now, however, she’s found a job working for a friend, the job has a reasonable scope, and it’s going to pay her around $450,000 per year. She hopes to stick it out for another three years but isn’t sure if she’s going to regret going back. 

Having good reasons for returning to work means taking the job may be worthwhile

While the Redditor was not thrilled about taking the job, and commented that she hoped it didn’t eat her alive and that she was going in knowing she could always quit, she also listed off some really good reasons for returning to the workforce.

Specifically, she thinks it’s worth returning to work so she can build a bigger buffer in her retirement budget, so she can potentially purchase a nicer house, and so she can make it possible for her husband to also retire early. Her husband is planning to work for at least five more years in order to qualify for his pension, but with her taking on this new job, he will be able to quit after that. 

She also said that she had felt unexpected money worries after quitting, partly because once she had more free time at home, she found expensive projects that she wanted to do.  Plus, she was used to having a high household income and being able to spend whatever she wanted when she was working, and she didn’t like the feeling of being constrained by a budget.

By going back to work, she can make sure her retirement nest egg is large enough when she does quit in a few years that she can do the things that she wants without worrying about running short of funds. 

Since these are all solid reasons for resuming her job, it makes good sense for her to take the new position — especially since she believes it is going to be a low-stress job that pays her a lot of money. 

A work break can help you determine if you’re really ready to retire early

The time that this Reddit user took off work ended up teaching her some valuable lessons and showing her that she wasn’t really in the position to retire yet — even though she did enjoy the time at home and the ability to travel. 

For those who are considering early retirement, there’s nothing wrong with giving it a test run and then, like this Redditor, making adjustments if things don’t work out as planned. 

If you find that the money is too tight, or you discover that you want to do different things in retirement than expected, you shouldn’t be afraid to change course and, if necessary, resume part-time or even full-time work so you can eventually make your dream retirement happen.  You may also want to work with a financial advisor in this situation, as your advisor can help you to determine if you do need to make a shift based on what you’ve decided you want to do with your time once your job ends. 

One of the benefits of becoming financially independent at a pretty young age is that you can create the life you want. This may look different than anticipated, and that’s OK.  The important thing is that you make sure your finances are sound and that you make the decisions that will increase your happiness over the long years to come.