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Former Investment Bank MD Says Achieving FIRE Isn’t Worth It

Posted on January 14, 2025




  • Eric Sim retired from his 20-year banking profession in 2017 after reaching monetary freedom.
  • However the former funding financial institution managing director says he is not a fan of the FIRE life-style.
  • Sim turned knowledgeable speaker and govt coach after he left banking in 2017.

This as-told-to essay relies on a dialog with Eric Sim, 54, a former banker who turned a revealed writer, skilled speaker, and profession coach. The next has been edited for size and readability. Enterprise Insider beforehand revealed an essay about Sim’s banking profession.

Once I began my profession in banking, I did not give a lot thought to retiring early.

I figured I might retire at age 65 and have interaction in typical retirement actions like occurring cruises and hanging out with outdated pals.

However issues modified after I turned a managing director at UBS. After working for a number of years there, the place I managed to earn a number of annual bonuses, I noticed that I used to be really financially free.

That bought me considering: If I did not must work for another person, what would I do?

I knew that I could not simply stop my job and not using a plan. I wanted to discover a significant undertaking to which I may dedicate my energies.

After a lot thought and reflection, I made a decision to depart banking to run my very own coaching institute for younger professionals. I began the Institute of Life in 2015 with the mission of serving to younger individuals obtain success at work and in life.

FIRE is not as nice as you assume it’s


Eric Sim giving a speech to CFA Society members.

Since leaving banking, Sim has turn into knowledgeable speaker and govt coach. In 2021, he coauthored a guide on profession steerage known as “Small Actions.”

Eric Sim



Although I’ve achieved monetary freedom, I am not a fan of the Monetary Independence Retire Early, or FIRE, motion.

To realize FIRE, it’s essential to save loads of your revenue throughout your working years. However the reality is, individuals typically haven’t got a transparent concept of what retiring will appear like for them or if they will get pleasure from it — particularly in the event that they’re within the weeds and dealing towards it.

In fact, if you first retire, you are able to do no matter you need. You’ll be able to journey abroad, hit the spa, or play golf.

After working for 10 to twenty years, being free from the grind for the primary three months feels good. However you will get bored in a short time.

When you find yourself working, you do not have to plan for what you need to do. Your day job gives you greater than sufficient issues to do.

However if you’re financially impartial, however and not using a common schedule to stick to, it is advisable to discover tasks to occupy your time. For those who do not do this, then your days are wasted.

A very good retirement is not nearly having cash within the financial institution

To have retirement, you’ll need three kinds of capital. Moreover monetary capital, you want human and social capital if you wish to benefit from your time.

Human capital refers back to the information you possess. You’ll be able to construct this up by your profession or by your facet hustles and hobbies. By creating your pursuits and abilities, you’ll know what actions you need to do if you go into retirement mode.

Social capital refers back to the goodwill you accumulate with others. The small assist that you just supply to others can come again in a giant method if you retire.

In the end, it is advisable to know what you need to do after leaving your day job. If there’s something that you just all the time wished to do, and is significant, I might say go for it.

However you probably have nothing to sit up for and haven’t got a mission but, simply keep in your day job. You’ll be able to nonetheless pursue your personal pursuits on the facet with out quitting your job.





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