r/FranceFIRE

J'ai l'occasion de choper une villa dans le sud pour 350k, 200m2+ piscine avec pool house et 3000m2 de terrain bref tout ce qu'il faut.

L'atout majeur pour moi c'est la possibilité de vivre dans une moitié de la villa tout en louant l'autre moitié qui peut loger jusqu'à 10 personnes, c'était mon plan pour prendre une sorte de retraite anticipée en pouvant garder un œil sur les locataires, et proposer une chambre bonus dans ma moitié si besoin ou inversement profiter de la Villa sans stress même s'il y a des jours dans demandes.

Le problème c'est qu'il est trop tôt pour moi, je devrais abandonner mon travail et ma vie à Paris sans aucun matelas de sécurité, je me retrouverais potentiellement dans la merde s'il y a des imprévus. Dans 4 ou 5 ans ça aurait été parfait mais là j'ai un gros doute car et je dois décider très rapidement. Des avis ?

Fire projection

Hi everyone,

I’m 51 and seriously considering stopping full-time work within the next 2–3 years.

I’ve spent most of my career in banking/financial services, and I’m increasingly wondering whether continuing to work simply to accumulate more money is worth trading several more years of freedom for.

My situation is roughly:

Around €670k in savings/investments

Some rental income

Future pension rights in Monaco and France, starting later in life

Currently earning around €120k/year

Married, with a 15-year-old son, so I still have some significant family expenses ahead, particularly his education

I’m not looking for a luxurious FIRE lifestyle. The idea would be to use part of my capital as a bridge between my early/mid-50s and the point when my pensions kick in, while keeping enough invested for the long term.

Financially, I know that working until 60 would obviously make me much wealthier and provide a bigger safety margin. But that’s exactly what I’m questioning: at what point is “enough” actually enough?

Giving up a good salary in your early 50s is psychologically difficult, even if the numbers suggest you can afford it. There’s always the temptation to work “just another year” for extra security.

I’d especially love to hear from people who actually stopped working around 50–55.

Did you regret leaving the workforce that early? Did you find that you needed less money than expected, or more? How did you deal with the transition from a demanding career to having complete control over your time?

And if you were in my position, would you seriously consider FIRE in 2–3 years, or keep going longer?