I want to give an honest account of the FIRE lifestyle after reaching it at 44, because the achievement posts tend to emphasize the positive.

The financial freedom is exactly as good as advertised. I work on projects I care about, decline work I don't, and my stress level has dropped measurably. I highly recommend having the financial cushion that FIRE provides regardless of whether you actually stop working.

What's harder than expected: identity. After two decades of defining myself partly through my career, the absence of that structure required more adjustment than I anticipated. The social aspect of work — the easy daily human connection — also doesn't replace itself automatically.

The financial planning is the easy part. The life planning is the harder part. I wish the FIRE community talked about the latter as much as the former.