{"id":93601,"date":"2026-04-04T02:22:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T07:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/?p=93601"},"modified":"2026-04-04T02:22:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T07:22:12","slug":"can-you-really-retire-for-60-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/04\/can-you-really-retire-for-60-years.html","title":{"rendered":"Can You Really Retire For 60 years?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/_dOdbKRgXnVg\/TX2cyXjq0FI\/AAAAAAAAAcA\/xRtpv_WiWHw\/s400\/krabi2.jpg?w=993&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"retire for 60 years retire at 40 early retirement\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Sometimes, I wonder if <strong>retiring by 40<\/strong> is really sustainable. Can I really <a href=\"https:\/\/retireby40.org\/my-two-weeks-notice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">quit working full-time at 38<\/a> and sustain a comfortable retirement for 30 to 60 years? Mrs. RB40 is still working, but she plans to retire early at some point as well. Finance is a big consideration, but we also want to keep active, have fun, and enjoy life. Luckily, our net worth has been steadily increasing over the last 10 years and we\u2019re doing well financially. Our son kept me very busy in the first five years of early retirement as a stay-at-home dad. These days, being a SAHD is much easier because he spends most of his time at school. I have more time to work on Retire by 40.<\/p>\n<p>*Originally written in 2014. Updated in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Early retirement has been awesome over the last 10 years, but will it continue to be great in the long run? I have no idea. That\u2019s why I was really glad to learn about Paul and Vicki Terhorst who retired at 35. They have been retired for 40 years and they are still enjoying life as perpetual travelers.<\/p>\n<p>Paul and Vicki lived in Chiang Mai in 2014, but they have since moved on to Queretaro, Mexico.&nbsp;They have been nomadic travelers for years. I would love to do that, but Mrs. RB40 likes having a home to come back to. When she retires, I want to try living in different parts of the world for 6 months per year. Paul and Vicki started out living in Buenos Aires for half a year and traveling for the rest of the year. Eventually, they went for the full-time nomadic lifestyle. Maybe I can convince Mrs. RB40 to become a nomad at some point too. I&#8217;d love to explore different countries and learn more about their cultures. A quick 2-week visit is just too short.<\/p>\n<h3>Early Retirement Secrets<\/h3>\n<p>So what are their secrets to having a long happy retirement?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Make sure you can handle it financially<\/strong>. I guess it\u2019s up to you to define this, but here is a start \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/retireby40.org\/3-ways-define-financial-independence\/\">3 Ways to Define Financial independence<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>It\u2019s not for everybody<\/strong>. If you derive satisfaction from work and love your job, then you probably should continue to work.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Decide what you\u2019ll do with yourself<\/strong>. You need to have a general idea of what you\u2019ll do with the extra time. For me, that\u2019s being a dad and blogging (we\u2019ll come back to this later). Some people want to travel like Paul and Vicki. Some want to find a creative outlet and work on artwork, craft, or just build things. It\u2019s not enough to say you want to enjoy life. You need to have some specific ideas of what you\u2019ll do.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Communicate<\/strong>. If you have a spouse\/partner, talk candidly about how much time you\u2019ll spend together and how much apart. You also need to find out what your partner wants to do in retirement. I know we both want to travel more, but Mrs. RB40 wants to be productive. She&#8217;ll need to find something to do. Maybe she can get a part-time job or a volunteer position.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Work a little bit<\/strong>. Paul stayed sharp by writing editorial pieces for Overseas Retirement Letter. He didn\u2019t state this explicitly, but I think working a little bit is another secret to early retirement. It helps activate your brain and gives you a sense of accomplishment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Paul and Vicki visited over 80 countries over the last 40 years and they thoroughly enjoyed it. They are looking forward to having \u201cvital, exciting lives for the next 30 years.\u201d Their game plan: \u201cWhen our bodies break down, we\u2019ll deal with it.\u201d They might have to settle down somewhere if their health worsens, but for now, they still enjoy traveling and being nomads. They figure they have about 10 years left on the road.<\/p>\n<h3>60 years of retirement?<\/h3>\n<p>Wow, they did it! Isn\u2019t that an amazing story? They have been living the dream for almost 40 years. See, it is possible. Stories like this give me hope for the long term. Anyway, I\u2019d like to share my plan for the next 30 years with you.<\/p>\n<h3>Joe\u2019s ever-changing plan<\/h3>\n<p><strong>SAHD phase<\/strong> (0-5 years after early retirement):&nbsp; Being a full-time SAHD and a part-time blogger. Also part-time stock investor and landlord. How did I ever hold down a full-time job?<\/p>\n<p><strong>RB40Jr&#8217;s School days <\/strong>(6 -15 years after ER):&nbsp; This is where I am right now. RB40Jr goes to school 5 days a week. I have more time to work on my blog and side hustles. In 2022, I stopped doing any side hustles because we <a href=\"_wp_link_placeholder\" data-wplink-edit=\"true\">traveled a lot more than usual<\/a>. My mom has severe dementia and I&#8217;m trying to spend more time with her while I can.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mrs. RB40 retires<\/strong> (2022 to 2029): &nbsp;I don\u2019t see much change if <a href=\"https:\/\/retireby40.org\/spouse-early-retirement-strategy\/\">Mrs. RB40 retires<\/a> before RB40 junior goes off to college. We\u2019ll probably stay in Portland until he finishes high school.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Empty nesters<\/strong> (2029 to 2043): I can\u2019t wait! Life is good now, but I\u2019d like to be able to travel more extensively. As mentioned previously, I\u2019d like to spend 6 months traveling and then maybe 6 months at home, wherever that may be. Actually, we&#8217;d love to move to Santa Barbara. We went to college there and loved it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Slowing down<\/strong> (2043 to ?): Paul\u2019s plan sounds good. Travel before it\u2019s too late. Once I&#8217;m 70, we&#8217;ll probably settle in one location and take it easy.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s tough to plan out 60 years. You never know what life is going to bring tomorrow. Anyway, we can see from this story that retiring for 60 years is possible. <strong>What do you think about my plan?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can catch up with <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/paulvicgroup\/Home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paul and Vicki<\/a> on their page.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/retireby40.org\/can-really-retire-60-years\/\">Can You Really Retire For 60 years?<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/retireby40.org\">Retire by 40<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Source: Retire By 40<\/p>\n<p id=\"kc_opp\"><small>Republished by  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.blogtrafficexchange.com\/\">Blog Post Promoter<\/a><\/small><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sometimes, I wonder if retiring by 40 is really sustainable. Can I really quit working full-time at 38 and sustain a comfortable retirement &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":93602,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[105],"class_list":["post-93601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-head-start","tag-strategy"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/krabi2.jpg?fit=400%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3k0YU-olH","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":92500,"url":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/04\/5-best-money-moves-to-make-in-your-40s.html","url_meta":{"origin":93601,"position":0},"title":"5 Best Money Moves to Make in Your 40s","author":"admin","date":"April 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Wow, what a great 40th birthday cake! Yes, I know the title of the blog is Retire By 40. However, many of our readers are in their 40s and 50s and they are planning to retire soon. You don\u2019t have to be under 40 to read this blog. Maybe I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;A Head Start&quot;","block_context":{"text":"A Head Start","link":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/category\/a-head-start"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/40thbirthdaycake.jpg?fit=500%2C375&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":92924,"url":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/03\/10-years-after-early-retirement.html","url_meta":{"origin":93601,"position":1},"title":"10 Years After Early Retirement","author":"admin","date":"March 21, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Oh wow, it\u2019s been 10 years since I\u00a0retired from my engineering career! I\u2019m happy to report that I\u2019m still retired and life is awesome. Some people said it can\u2019t be done, but I\u2019m doing it. Don\u2019t listen to the critics. You have to live your own life and find your\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;A Head Start&quot;","block_context":{"text":"A Head Start","link":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/category\/a-head-start"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/10-Years-After-Early-Retirement-350.jpg?fit=350%2C525&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":92369,"url":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/03\/retirement-a-blessing-or-a-curse.html","url_meta":{"origin":93601,"position":2},"title":"Retirement \u2013 A Blessing Or A Curse?","author":"admin","date":"March 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Retirement can be a tough transition. People think retirement would be easy, but it can be a blessing or a curse. You could really love it or just loath it. It depends on what you do with your newfound freedom. I\u2019m visiting Thailand for 3 months and it became clear\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;A Head Start&quot;","block_context":{"text":"A Head Start","link":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/category\/a-head-start"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Retirement-A-Blessing-Or-A-Curse-350.jpg?fit=350%2C525&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":93778,"url":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/04\/quick-book-review-designing-your-life.html","url_meta":{"origin":93601,"position":3},"title":"Quick Book Review: Designing Your Life","author":"admin","date":"April 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Hey everyone, we have a quick book review today \u2013 Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans. This book is adapted from their class at Stanford University. The authors teach readers about design thinking. This process can help you figure out what you want for your life and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;A Head Start&quot;","block_context":{"text":"A Head Start","link":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/category\/a-head-start"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/81AE76v5odL-350.jpg?fit=350%2C496&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":93345,"url":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/03\/2022-passive-income-update.html","url_meta":{"origin":93601,"position":4},"title":"2022 Passive Income Update","author":"admin","date":"March 21, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Whew, the first half of 2022 is over. It\u2019s been a tough year for investors. The stock market is officially in a bear market and a recession is looming. Along with the stock market, our net worth decreased by the largest dollar amount ever (15%). However, our passive income is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;A Head Start&quot;","block_context":{"text":"A Head Start","link":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/category\/a-head-start"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-H1-Passive-Income-350.jpg?fit=350%2C525&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":92403,"url":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/03\/retiring-in-a-bear-market.html","url_meta":{"origin":93601,"position":5},"title":"Retiring In A Bear Market","author":"admin","date":"March 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Oh wow, 2022 is turning out to be another crazy year. The stock market is in turmoil due to many factors. The S&P 500 index is already down over 10% and who knows where we will go from here. I suspect 2022 will be the bear year for the US\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;A Head Start&quot;","block_context":{"text":"A Head Start","link":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/category\/a-head-start"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/RetiringBear350.jpg?fit=350%2C525&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93601"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103182,"href":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93601\/revisions\/103182"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}