Their version of ridiculous might be another's "okay". I think most people would consider $500k/yr to be ridiculous but it ain't enough to retire in the bay - even if you saved all $2.8m you netted over 10 years. It's not enough - you will pay off your mortgage and maybe afford the property tax for the rest of your life but it won't pay for anything else...

Or you move to a more reasonable place where that money sets you for a long time.

OP is likely completely invested in the region. It's easy to say "move somewhere else" but I've done enough traveling and investigations in the rest of the USA to know that moving somewhere else would mean a huge setback in terms of career. (Which, go figure, many people here prioritize)

Isn’t the idea to remove somewhere else on retirement? At that point career is irrelevant.

If they were going to completely give up anything related to their career then yes but that wasn't what was described in the post - nor do I think retirement these days tends to mean "stop working". I think we're mostly past that notion since quite a few people live so long and desire fulfillment through jobs. (And jobs don't break your body as frequently as they used to)

After interacting with some people with FU money, they don't tend to give up on career very easily. They don't want to be stuck at home - they want to keep doing stuff. So, inevitably, they keep working, doing startups, taking on executive roles at big companies after they realize they suck at startups (like most people - obviously)... because that's what they know best and feel most useful for. From the people I know, once someone whose identity relies on being a provider suddenly no longer has to work to provide... they tend to have a bit low of satisfaction unless they keep working. So they work even though they don't need to because it gives them a bit more purpose/happiness/whatever.

If you’re not able to think creatively enough to find a place in the US or the world to live off a $1-2M starting point, then early retirement probably isn’t for you.

Meant with no disrespect: some people are naturally better suited to be employee types imo. Everyone fantasizes about life on their own, but most aren’t willing to make the tradeoffs to do so.

Source: retired by 33, while making tradeoffs and living places that most of my peers would find unacceptable. To each his own.

I don't think the "think creatively enough" is the issue. It's more of a lifestyle difference. Some people are happy with living off the $50k/yr they'd get from a 4% slice of $2m for the rest of their life. Some aren't. I'm in the "some aren't" group. The things I enjoy and the places I like being in require a lot more money.

So - it's not just a matter of if early retirement is for someone but also if they can enjoy the lifestyle they want with the savings they have. And, unless I had like $10m+ saved - I doubt I could fully enjoy the life I'd like to lead. And since I don't think $10m is just gonna land in my lap anytime soon - I'll continue to work to get to the lifestyle I enjoy.

Interesting, I'm curious what kind of tradeoffs do you have to make and what places worked for you but your peers thought unacceptable?