A Different Way to Think About Retirement: Coast FI

What Coast Financial Independence actually means, how it works, and why it’s coming up more often in conversations with people in their 30s and 40s.

Hi All,

I’ve been thinking a lot about how we design these middle years in our career lives. Not just saving for retirement as a finish line, but considering the long stretch of years when we’re still working, probably in our peak years, still caring about our futures but also starting to care more about how we can live the fullest right now.

That’s where something called Coast FI comes in. It’s an idea that says, you’ve already saved enough early on so that if you actually stopped contributing to retirement today, your investments could grow all on their own to fund the future. In other words, you’ve reached critical mass and from now on, the focus can shift away from pushing harder for tomorrow to being more intentional about living the life you want today.

Some of you may remember that I was a guest late last year on the How to Money podcast, hosted by Joel and Matt, whose work I really respect. They do a great job breaking down personal finance in a thoughtful, grounded way, especially for people trying to make smart decisions without losing sight of real life.

I was excited when they asked me to write a piece for the How to Money blog, because it gave me a chance to go deeper on Coast Financial Independence — what it actually means, how it works, and why it’s coming up more often in conversations with people in their 30s and 40s.

You can read the full article here:

Rather than simply repost the same article here, I’d really love to hear from you. Does this idea resonate with you? Does it feel practical for where you are in life? Or does it raise more questions than answers?

Write back or comment and tell me what you think. I’m genuinely curious how this lands with you.

Warmly,
Pam

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