What happens when you walk away from a career you've spent 25 years building? Nearly two years into early retirement, Laura's answers might surprise you.

She retired at 51 after a career in biomedical research, including 13 years running her own laboratory. Before leaving, she had plenty of questions. Would she miss the work? Her colleagues? The sense of purpose and identity that came with being a scientist? And what would happen when the structure she'd known for decades dropped away?

Now that she's had some time to experience life after work, we're revisiting those questions.

We talk about what Laura misses (and what she doesn't), the unexpected emotional side of giving up a paycheck, finding purpose without a job title, and what it's been like spending more time together than at any other point in our relationship.

We also dig into a piece of conventional retirement advice that Laura chose to ignore: the idea that you need to retire to something. Was that a mistake? Has the retirement honeymoon worn off? And would she ever consider going back to work?

Along the way, we answer questions from our audience about friendships, daily routines, staying healthy, intellectual curiosity, and what a fulfilling retirement actually looks like when you're living it.

If you're approaching financial independence, particularly after a career you've invested decades in building, you'll find plenty to consider in this conversation.

Show notes: https://twosidesoffi.com/laurayear2/

Do you worry about running out of money in retirement? How do you draw down your assets without tanking your portfolio? Eric + Jason talk with FIRE bloggers Karsten Jeske and Fritz Gilbert about the bucket strategy. Is it a reasonable withdrawal plan or nothing more than a gimmick? They discuss alternative approaches, how to generate a retirement paycheck, and the role of cash. Whether you’re interested in FIRE or on a traditional retirement path, you can’t afford to miss this episode!

show notes: https://twosidesoffi.com/bucketstrategy/

Your FIRE plan worked — so why is spending still so hard? In this episode, Jason (year 7) and Eric (year 2) share a candid early retirement update. Both portfolios have grown well above their FIRE numbers despite years of withdrawals, and a fee-only advisor delivered a surprising verdict: spend more. Learn why unwinding the accumulation mindset is harder than the math, how "life support" for adult kids reshapes the budget, and why unstructured time might be the truest form of wealth - and much more.

Show notes: https://twosidesoffi.com/spendmore