A 27-year-old IT professional earning ₹23 lakh annually has shared ambitious plans to retire by age 35 to pursue filmmaking, sparking significant online debate. The Reddit user, who currently takes home around ₹1.5 lakh monthly and saves approximately ₹1.25 lakh, has already saved ₹20 lakh and targets a ₹2.5 crore corpus through systematic investment planning. The user plans to increase SIP contributions by 5% annually while assuming 12% returns, expecting investments to grow to around ₹2.8 crore in eight years after taxes.
Finance commentator Seb's FIRE Journey has ignited significant online debate by questioning assumptions about early retirement being boring. According to reports from Mint, the post quickly attracted thousands of views and numerous replies, with the user comparing early retirement to a typical corporate lifestyle. The commentator wrote, 'You think early retirement will be boring? Try sitting in meetings 6 hours a day about things you don't give a damn about, followed by a 75-minute commute home.'
Several users strongly agreed with the underlying sentiment, with one simply stating they knew what they'd 'rather do' and another confirming they'd definitely choose retirement over lengthy commuting. As reported by Mint, one user called a 75-minute commute 'genuinely wild' and another commented that 'retirement might be boring' hits differently after your sixth meeting of the day. The debate centers around the Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) concept, which requires extreme saving discipline. Under this rule, a ₹2 crore corpus allows for around ₹8 lakh per year in withdrawals, with subsequent adjustments for inflation.
The Reddit user has implemented strict spending rules to achieve their FIRE goal, stating 'No fancy house before 50 unless someone gifts me one' and 'Car only after 30, maximum ₹10-12 lakh'. The user explained that 'I'd ideally want my wife to contribute ₹75,000 per month' to cover household expenses while allowing investments to continue. However, the search for a working spouse has proven challenging, with the user finding only 30 profiles across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka in their target age group and earning range, with zero accepted requests from the remaining 10 profiles.
Some commenters highlighted broader criticisms of corporate work culture, with one user questioning 'pulling 14 hours a day, reaching all the targets, creating wealth, and only getting a meagre bonus'. As reported by Mint, another user referenced author Seth Godin's quote: 'Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don't need to escape from.' The Reddit user's early retirement plan is not about completely stopping work, but leaving corporate employment to pursue filmmaking opportunities, with potential to earn around ₹35,000 monthly through writing contacts in production houses.
