I've struggled with this. Up until recently I figured that ER for me meant not having to work, and perhaps only working part time (grudgingly) to keep from drawing down my nest-egg principal too early. But after a bit more contemplation, I think I'd actually prefer to work at least part time indefinitely. My reasons for this:
- I like my job/employer.
- My employer offers some great benefits, including eligibility to remain in its health care plan (for life) after a certain # of years of service + age, and tuition assistance for my kids' college expenses.
- I'm still not sure what I'd do with 100% leisure time if I stopped working; a balance of, say, 50% spent on a well-paying job I enjoy, and 50% pursuing other interests sounds reasonable to me at the moment. I realize this could change if I develop some new hobbies/passions outside of work.
- I'm concerned that if I back out at the first moment it seems financially feasible, I'll constantly be stressed out about my financial security and whether my portfolio will hold up. Maybe I'm wrong.
A main reason I'm interested in gaining some more free time now is that my kids are only this young once -- in just a few short years they'll be in school most of the day. It's hard to put a price on the extra time that I could be spending with them now. It's time that will soon be gone forever, and I'd hate to live with the regret over choosing to work more rather than spend more time with my kids. Cue "And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon..."