If Your Company Says "We Are Family," Should You Be Planning Your Escape Right Now?

Right now, my head is a total mess.

Is this really my passion? Will I get bored and quit, like I did with writing after a year of no success? Will the excitement run out? Can you imagine the pressure of taking the NISM XA exam knowing there's a 50% chance of failure?

You probably have the same questions I do:

• How do you re-engineer your life when your primary pursuit changes completely?

• Will people mock you for changing directions after 15 years?

• Will you actually hit your corpus target and retire at 48, or—as I secretly wish—at 45?

• What about your kids' education? Will the corpus be enough after withdrawing for that?

The fear is real, but the excitement? That’s pure adrenaline pumping. This is the price of taking control of your life.

Why I'm Running: The Corporate Brutality (The Real Debate)

If you picture early retirement as sipping Mai Tais, you’re partially right. My intention to wave the white flag started with that sweet escape fantasy, but it was fueled by years of pain and a controversial truth:

• Endless Microsoft presentations and pointless townhalls.

• The crushing lie of calling colleagues “We are family.”

• The Final Straw: Back-to-back news about layoffs, forced exits, and moonlighting proved one thing: You are just a number.

It doesn't get more brutal than having your ID locked on a video call. It also proved this: Your 40s are the new 60s in the corporate world. Management will make the retirement decision for you, and it won't be out of generosity.

I decided: I will not wait for someone else to make that call. You need to diversify your skills, think beyond the circus, and build a corpus big enough to buy your time back.

The Pivot: From Corporate Finance to Freedom Finance

After 15+ years in Corporate Finance and IT, my happiness had already dropped. The disruption and unethical layoffs were the final boost I needed to seriously plan my exit.

What's the point of constantly upskilling and getting certified if you can still be replaced instantly? I was working 10 hours a day, plus a 2-hour commute. Where was the time for family?

I realized I didn't want to retire retire. I wanted to leave the corporate race but do things I genuinely enjoyed: teaching, writing, and reading.

The turning point? Two years into my financial planning:

1. I had achieved 15% of my target corpus.

2. I had clear clarity on my investments and expenses.

3. I realized I enjoyed researching personal finance more than anything else.

Tracking my net worth gave me the adrenaline I used to chase a promotion. Yes, a plan can go wrong in 100 ways, but having a plan is the only way to stop your management from deciding your fate.

Your freedom isn't tied to an arbitrary age; it’s linked directly to the cash flow from your portfolio.

Common Myths We Need to Kill

When you talk about non-traditional retirement, you hear a lot of noise designed to keep you on the corporate treadmill until 60. Let’s tackle the biggest myths, because they mess with your head and slow your progress:

• Myth 1: You’ll get bored and lose purpose. You’re not retiring from life; you're retiring to something. Boredom is a problem for people with no hobbies. My "Second Innings" is built around teaching, advising, writing, and choosing what fills the day.

• Myth 2: It only works if you’re a millionaire. Absolutely false. The math hinges on your expenses, not just your corpus size. If you can control your lifestyle, your required corpus drops dramatically.

• Myth 3: You have to quit working entirely. I’m not quitting work; I’m quitting unhappy work. My plan includes earning a minimum income. This keeps the brain sharp and reduces pressure on the main corpus. It’s about control, not total idleness.

The Conclusion: The Mindset Shift is Everything

All those messy questions in my head—Will I get bored? Will the money last?—Those are just noise. The fear is real, but it’s the price of taking control. You can't let the anxiety about what might fail stop the action that is necessary to secure your freedom.

The traditional Indian retirement age of 60 isn't a financial target; it’s cultural conditioning mixed with decades of insufficient planning. We are programmed to work until the company makes the call.

But this journey demands a massive mindset shift:

1. Stop seeing your salary as a safety net.

2. Start seeing your savings rate as your real boss.

My goal is not a fixed retirement. It’s Financial Independence (FI), which is a non-traditional second career. FI means trading the corporate pressure cooker for a life where I choose my focus: dedicating time to my son, finally taking those un-postponed travel vacations, and building my own practice to serve people like me. I get to write, teach, and advise—a lifestyle fueled by passion, not fear.

The biggest risk is not failing the exam or missing the corpus by a few lakhs. The biggest risk is staying. This pivot is already underway, and the only way out of the corporate circus is through the work itself. I’m trading years of artificial security for a lifetime of genuine control.

Your Takeaway

You don’t need an overseas posting or an ESOP windfall to control your financial fate. You need a plan and the courage to act.

What part of your career are you most looking forward to leaving behind?