I’ve already hit 2x my retirement target, but a unique career opportunity is tempting me back – will I regret it?

A Reddit user is retired in his 40s, and he is currently enjoying consulting occasionally and spending time with his young family. He has twice the amount of money that he needs to be retired and comfortably support himself, but despite that, he’s actually considering returning to work. 

The reason: He’s been offered a unique opportunity that he feels would be professionally rewarding.

However, although he is excited about the job prospect, he’s also concerned that it would take away from both the flexibility and the family time that he has been enjoying. It would mean fewer family vacations and a reduced ability to do stuff like take his kids to baseball practice, and he’s not sure if it would be worth it.

So, what should the poster do?

Should you return to work for a great opportunity if you have the money to stay retired?

For some people, early retirement doesn’t work out because it’s not as enjoyable as they thought it would be or because it turns out they don’t have as much money as expected. That is not the case here, as the Redditor said he is happy with what he is doing. 

Since he is happy spending time with his family, he’s going to have to make a choice about whether he’d rather have professional fulfillment or whether he would rather continue on his current path. As one commentator said, when you don’t have to work, then work becomes a hobby. So, the poster will essentially have to decide if his “hobby” of a job that would bring him professional enjoyment is more important than the time he has with his young kids. 

Other posters also said that when they went back to work in similar situations, it stressed them out because they became too invested in the project. However, on the flip side, others said that they chose to do the same, but they had a hard time caring about the work at all since they didn’t need the money and were just doing someone else’s project.

The Redditor should think about the reality of what five years of going to work every day would be like, and really try to determine if it would end up bringing unnecessary worries into his life or leave him feeling resentful when he can’t take that vacation or when his kids are at practice without him.

You get to decide what early retirement looks like

This Reddit poster is lucky because he made smart financial choices and now he gets to shape the life he wants. This is one major benefit of working hard to invest, and it is why those who hope for early retirement should work with a financial advisor to create a path to get there so they can also create a life that’s meaningful for them.

The poster should take the time to carefully weigh the pros and cons, and think about what his day-to-day life would be like with the new job to decide if it actually makes sense. He should also consider talking to those offering the work about his concerns to see if he could find a way to be involved and get some of that professional satisfaction he’s craving without taking away from the family time that’s bringing him such joy.