Semi Retirement vs FIRE: Why Our Family Chose Freedom Now

When Marc and I first discovered the FIRE movement (Financial Independence Retire Early) back in 2020, we were instantly hooked by the idea. Saving and investing aggressively to retire decades earlier sounded great. We went all in. For three years.

But the more time passed, the more we realized something important.

Working long hours while living really bare-bones and raising our first and then second baby — just so we could earn, save and invest as much as possible — started to feel less appealing as our family grew.

So we asked the semi retirement vs FIRE question — and decided to change our plan.

Our Starting Point: Choosing Freedom Now

It wasn’t an easy decision to let go of early retirement at first.

But we absolutely didn’t want to hustle for a decade just to reach early retirement while raising our growing family — which includes three little kids today. It was pushing us beyond our limits, and I started to face multiple health issues.

We felt the urge to find a path to financial independence that also gave us more time freedom along the way instead of “stick it out” until early retirement.

A Peek Into Our Financial Situation & Real Numbers

Over the past six years, we’ve paid down more than 160,000 of our mortgage (over 210,000 in total during around 7-8 years of home ownership) and built a stock portfolio worth almost 170,000 as of March 2026.

Our net worth has grown to almost 600,000 today, compared to less than 60,000 when we first bought our home.

Except for one year — when our savings rate dropped to around 30% — we consistently maintained a savings rate between 55% and 65%.

We count our mortgage payments as investments because we plan to either rent the property out one day or sell it. For us, this home has turned out to be an amazing investment — its value has already increased by about one third in less than ten years since we bought it.

Honestly, we couldn’t be happier with our progress.

So how did we change our family’s goals from early retirement to semi retirement?

Semi Retirement vs FIRE: What’s the Difference for Our Family?

Early retirement isn’t actually our goal. What we really wanted wasn’t to stop working completely. We just wanted more control over our time and the kind of work we do. Actually, we love continuing to work for a decent income because we find deep fulfillment in it.

That’s when we started exploring semi-retirement: a way to gain time freedom earlier while our investments continue growing toward full financial independence in the background.

Once that became clear, the whole semi retirement vs FIRE question looked different. If the traditional FIRE path didn’t match the lifestyle we wanted, maybe the solution was to choose a different path to financial independence.

Finding the Fastest Path to Freedom: Financial Freedom Pathfinder

If you want to explore the different paths to financial independence yourself, you can visit our Start Here page, where our brand-new Financial Freedom Pathfinder helps you compare traditional FIRE with Semi-FIRE strategies side-by-side to find your fastest path to time freedom.

How Semi-Retirement Works

At its core, the semi retirement vs FIRE question comes down to what work means to you.

Traditional FIRE focuses on reaching a point where you can stop working for an income completely because your investments cover all expenses.

Semi-retirement works differently.

Instead of waiting until full financial independence, the goal is to reach a point where you can reduce work earlier while continuing to build wealth.

For many people, including Marc and me, semi retirement means:

• Investing until you’ve built a strong investment portfolio
• Continuing to work part-time or in flexible work while stopping investing
• Compound interest continues to grow investments toward full financial independence at a slower pace (as you stop contributing or even start withdrawing)

This approach allows people to experience more time freedom earlier, without needing to fully retire.

Why Many People Choose FIRE First

The traditional FIRE movement has inspired us, like many millions of people, to rethink our relationship with work and money.

For many, the appeal goes far beyond just retiring early. People are often drawn to FIRE because they want to:

• escape the rat race and constant career pressure
• regain control over their time and daily schedule
• reduce burnout from demanding corporate careers
• spend more time with family, hobbies, and meaningful projects
• stop depending on a 9-to-5 job for income

Why Semi-Retirement Fits Our Growing Family Better

Having three children has changed how we think about both time and money.

Waiting until full financial independence, when our kids are teens or even about to move out, to then enjoy more time freedom didn’t feel appealing anymore.

When we compared semi retirement vs FIRE, semi-retirement offered something that traditional FIRE often doesn’t: earlier flexibility.

Semi-retirement allows us to:

• reduce working hours earlier
• spend more time with our children now
• continue meaningful work
• keep investments growing toward financial independence

Instead of eliminating work entirely, the goal becomes working by choice. For our family, that made the semi retirement vs FIRE choice much clearer.

A Different Definition of Financial Independence

Traditional FIRE focuses on reaching full financial independence early in life. And we still want to reach that point and become fully financially independent. But our definition of financial independence has evolved.

Instead of asking: “When can we stop working forever?”

We now ask: “When can we start working less while still having the option to stop working entirely, one day?”

In FIRE, financial independence means reaching a point where you no longer need to work. In semi-retirement, you reach partial financial independence first — enough to reduce your work — while your investments continue growing toward full financial independence.

It’s about Freedom Now, Not Someday

Thinking about semi retirement vs FIRE truly helped us realize that, for us, it’s about time freedom — as soon as humanly possible. Freedom to:

• spend more time with our kids, our spouse, and ourselves
• choose meaningful work over titles
• design a lifestyle that truly feels balanced and sustainable

This semi retirement vs FIRE question opened up a path where financial independence and family life can grow together in a healthy way. And that feels like the right path for our family.

Next in Our Journey

If you’re wondering whether financial independence is still possible once you have children or your savings rate drops below 50%, you’re not alone. And if you feel the urge to change something about your FIRE journey — especially the constant hustle — I completely understand. We’ve asked ourselves the same questions.

That’s why in the next article we’ll share our realistic plan for reaching financial independence with three kids — and how we’re working toward semi retirement between ages 45 and 50.

The semi retirement vs FIRE question ultimately comes down to one thing:

Designing a life you don’t want to retire from, today.