My forum visits have dropped after FIRE

[hopeisnotaplan]

Before I retired, I probably visited this forum 4 or 5 times a day (a lot of those from w*rk). I was obsessed with it and with FIRE in general.

I pulled the plug last month and now I’m probably checking in less than twice a week. It’s not that I don’t have time. It seems more like a goal was reached and I don’t obsess over it anymore. Maybe it’s temporary as I get used to the new pace.

Just curious...anyone else find this to the case?

 

[flyingaway]

We will be happy to hear about your post-FIRE stories from time to time.

 

[Helen]

Yes, I was here a lot before retiring then dropped off the website for several years after retiring. I think I was burnt out on obsessing/ planning for retirement. Once I actually retired I hit the trails and lived the dream I had been planning for.

After five years I've started to pay attention to my finances again and have been enjoying the forum more often.

 

[Which Roger]

Makes sense. When I was chained to a desk and bored at w*rk, I gravitated to the forum. Also, that was my pre-FIRE learning period. Since I pulled the trigger, I'm not bored anymore, and although I still need to learn, it's not to the same degree as pre-FIRE.

 

[Aerides]

Probably happens a lot. I know in my OMY I would come here almost as an escape, to help pass the time.

Those that don't drop off probably gravitate to different topics. More in the "life after" section. There are really two distinct camps here, those that are planning to RE, and those that have done it, so it's natural they'd have different habits.

 

[Ronstar]

Same case with me. I was on this board several times a day prior to retirement, reading almost every thread. I learned a lot about retirement here during those 7 years. I had learned enough to keep my retirement ship afloat, so I didn't feel as if I needed as much advice after I retired. Now I just glance at thread titles to see if something piques my interest. So now I probably spend only 10% of the time here compared to the pre-retirememt days.

 

[Lawrencewendall]

I'm still in the "check for new posts every 15 minutes" camp. Only 3 years, 6 months and 3 weeks away, but who's counting!

 

[Dtail]

Actually the opposite for me. I didn't discover this forum until my year of retirement and this forum was instrumental to my retirement decision.
Still have a lot to learn about investing, WR strategies, etc, so continue to read this forum on a daily basis unless on vacation.

 

[HFWR]

Less since FIRE, but still some most days...

 

[RAE]

Those that don't drop off probably gravitate to different topics. More in the "life after" section. There are really two distinct camps here, those that are planning to RE, and those that have done it, so it's natural they'd have different habits.

Yes, I would put myself in that category. The financial stuff does not really interest me that much anymore, after 8+ years of retirement with no major financial issues. What does interest me most are health-related topics, so I tend to read and post in that category most often these days. I also read several other health/diet/nutrition/fitness blogs.

 

[Car-Guy]

I think the amount of time I spent on this forum was about the same a year or so before I retired until just recently. (after more than 5 years of retirement) It just seems to me that very few "really new" topics are introduced. It's sort of like, "hey this is where I came in". Funny thing is, I just lurked for years and I didn't start posting until after I retired. Maybe I'm just starting to lurk more.

 

[MBAustin]

I didn't read the forum at w*rk because my megacorp tracked what we looked at pretty strictly and I didn't want to raise any red flags. But it was my sanity check every night for awhile. It was the good folks here who gave me the confidence to "just do it" so I've continued to participate as a way of giving back to the community. Plus, even though more of my friends are now retired, there are things we can discuss here that don't make sense to folks without our general mindset. And I still learn things here!

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I am in the same camp as "not on as much". I think it's all about time...

Since I retired, it seems like my days go by much, MUCH faster...and accordingly, I don't have nearly as much time to fart around on the interwebs. Speaking of which...I start a nice, long camping trip tomorrow, so I need to start getting stuff ready to go!

 

[kcowan]

Been retired 15 years. I still check in once a day for anything new unless I am travelling. Mostly to offer nuggets of wisdom. Too many people obsess about money here but I have learned how to avoid those threads.

 

[marko]

I was already RE'd when I discovered this site but I'm here a lot more often then I was at the start.

I usually check in early mornings and early afternoon; mostly because I'm online for something else (stock work, pay a bill, buy something on Amazon) so it's just a click away.

Just like to see what my friends are up to.

 

[Alan]

I never logged on from work until the last 3 months when I was in hand-over mode and getting excited about the future. I probably would have dropped back to infrequent posts as we immediately started doing loads of travel. However, I received an invitation to become a Moderator the month I retired. I couldn’t miss the chance to help out after all the help I’d received over the years.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

I retired last Fall, then went back to work last month. I find myself checking in about the same as when I was retired. Maybe that will go up as I work longer. Hopefully I can retire from this job in 3 years or so.

 

[CoolRich59]

I definitely visit less than when I was still chained to a desk.

But, I've noticed that the topics I read have changed. These days I spend most of my time in the "recreational" threads.

 

[Hermit]

About the same for me as before I retired. But, then again, as a Hermit, this forum is my only interaction with others on the majority of days.

 

[pacergal]

Check in and read almost daily with my morning coffee, unless I am out of town. I have learned so much here and continue to do so.

 

[Cobra9777]

I found this forum about a year before I pulled the trigger. At that time, I was mainly interested in answering the question, "Do I have enough?" So I read a lot of the "Hi, I am..." topics going way back in time. On average, I read up to 2 or 3 hours a day for a year.

Shortly before I retired, I realized that I wasn't really very well versed in the finer points of withdrawal strategies, asset allocation, tax efficiency, Roth conversions, and so on. So I continued to read the "FIRE and Money" subforum regularly. I learned a lot and made many changes for a couple years after retirement.

I'm now 5 years in and everything is on auto-pilot. I still read the Roth and SS topics since those are decisions still pending. But I also like topics such as cord-cutting, travel, repairs, and health-related. I now only visit 2 or 3 times a week. And I only hang around if there's a topic that interests me. Sometimes I'll go a month or more without checking in, but I always gravitate back as the topics are generally quite relevant to my life right now.

 

[Live And Learn]

Same case with me. I was on this board several times a day prior to retirement, reading almost every thread. I learned a lot about retirement here during those 7 years. I had learned enough to keep my retirement ship afloat, so I didn't feel as if I needed as much advice after I retired. Now I just glance at thread titles to see if something piques my interest. So now I probably spend only 10% of the time here compared to the pre-retirememt days.

Exactly the same for me.

 

[Elbata]

I'm here at least once per day. My favorite forum.

I just enjoy reading ideas of so many like-minded people. We're in a stage in our lives where we're generally free of financial constraints, educated, thoughtful with a wealth of experience. Plus, it's not about being PC, but at the same time being respectful of others.

And maybe in another 10 years, I might actually get enough of the best SWR

 

[Focus]

Just curious...anyone else find this to the case?

Same with me. Once I FIRE'd, I became more focused on the present than the future. I had built the house. Now it was time to live in it, not obsess over the blueprints.

 

[gcgang]

You were checking this website from work? I'm shocked! Don't let 'em find out, they'll dock your pension.