Semi-Retirement Interview: Burrow Is Coasting to FI

Today I have something special for you: An interview with someone who has been semi-retired for over a decade and enjoys every minute of it.

A while ago, I published an article on Coast FI. One of the readers who posted a comment on the article is Burrow. He mentioned that he had been “Coasting (on the Coast)” for ten years. I was intrigued and reached out to him to see if he wanted to be part of our Semi-Retirement interview series. He agreed, and you can read all about his story in the interview below.

Burrow was able to semi-retire in his 30s and has enjoyed an enviable lifestyle on the NSW South Coast ever since. Like many, Burrow started off with a plan to retire early. But when he got close to Financial Independence, his desire to stop working altogether disappeared. Instead, he decided to semi-retire and coasted to FI. His nest egg will provide an income if and when he decides to stop working (which he says he might never do).

The funny thing is that Burrow did all of this before FIRE became a thing. There are lots of blogs about people on their way to FI with plans to either fully retire or semi-retire (Money Flamingo included). However, there are not many accounts of people who have actually achieved this goal, so talking to Burrow was a great opportunity, and I really enjoyed learning more about his story. He has been living what many of us would consider a dream lifestyle, and I think we can all use his story as motivation.

Let’s get into the interview!

Burrow, tell us a little about yourself!

I’m 53, going on 33 (although my body begs to differ), and I live on the beautiful South Coast of NSW. I moved here about 12 years ago with two kids in tow to be closer to family.

I’m a self-employed health professional, work part-time and suffer from a permanent case of OMY (One-More-Year Syndrome). Actually, I love my work (because it is part-time) and never really plan to retire. I rather see it as a piece in the mosaic of a varied and balanced life that gives meaning and structure. The financial rewards are really not a consideration because I’ve been FI for quite a few years now.

Outside of work, I try to be active every day, do some reading every day, hang out with my boys, manage my SMSF and non-super portfolios, catch up with friends and just enjoy my space.

What does a normal day look like for you?

A normal day combines a bit of work time, a bit of kid time and a bit of me time. I don’t have a significant other at the moment, so the equation might change a little down the track.

You have been semi-retired for a long time. When and why did you make the decision to slow down?

I’ve been semi-retired for over ten years. I was very lucky to earn a solid income right out of uni and become financially educated from an early age. I worked hard, owned my own business and then a few more with employees. They set me up for life. The combination of a high savings rate and time has meant I have been able to take a few sabbaticals along the way and then cut back to part-time in my 30s.

The irony is that I planned to be FI and RE from an early age (well before FIRE was even a term), but the reality of FI is you get the freedom to choose from multiple work/life options. At the pace I was working in my 20’s, early retirement was a dream. Now that I’ve cut back significantly, work is way more enjoyable, and I have no desire to give it away.

It sounds like you “accidentally” semi-retired on your way to FI. What was your initial motivation to pursue FIRE?

My initial motivation was that I have always enjoyed so many different things in life and didn’t want to be ‘stuck’ doing any one of them for 40 hours a week, 48 weeks a year, for 40 years. Freedom is probably the best word to do what I want when I want without financial compulsion.

How far along the path to Financial Independence were you when you decided to cut back? 

That is a tricky question to answer because, as a single guy, I had periods where I worked full-time, long hours and then took months off and went backpacking. That was especially possible when I had the businesses spitting out a passive income… I could travel full-time and still make more than I was spending. When I got married and had kids, the FI equation changed somewhat, and I ramped up the hours again, but only for a few years. I had discovered that a ‘middle way’ works better for me than ‘all or nothing’.

How long did it take you to coast to FI after you semi-retired?

In the end, I think I stumbled into FI, only realising I was there in hindsight, but that would have been less than five years after semi-retiring.

You used to own businesses and have investments as well. How has your strategy changed over time?

Yes, I used to own three businesses that spat out passive income for further investing. Once my portfolio reached a level where it could sustain me, I sold the businesses (to employees) and now work as a solopreneur.

What advice would you give someone on the path to FI?

Advice to a budding FIREy? Know your why. To paraphrase Victor Frankl, with a big enough WHY you can bear almost any HOW. But I would add that without a why, the how doesn’t matter. We need something to retire TO. And in some cases, like mine, complete retirement might not even be ideal.

I hope you enjoyed reading this interview!
In the comments: What would you like to ask Burrow?