[quote=UCGal]That’s not early retirement. That’s financial independence. You need FI in order to ER… but if you still need a job to make it work, you’re still working. What you describe is semi-retirement. Something I’m considering.

Having enough FU money changes your BS level… in other words – once you have enough FU money, you may not tolerate the BS anymore… or it may roll off your back more. It’s interesting how different people discuss it. One of the descriptions I heard was that you carry two buckets – one is the BS at work, and the other is the money you’re saving for retirement. Once the money one is full enough – it’s easier to drop the BS bucket.[/quote]
You can call it semi-retirement or full retirement. To me, it’s 2 of the same. If you still need a job to make it work then you’re right, you’re not retired or even semi-retired. To me, retirement is when I get to do what I love, regardless of its pay. At the same time, if you’re healthy and don’t mind working, I don’t see why you can’t work part time to take advantage of the benefits. Even if you choose full retirement. We’re talking about $6-10k/year. That’s not too much. You just have to make sure your income from your investment at retirement can easily cover that. Also keep in mind that at retirement, you don’t have to drive nearly as much anymore. So, your gas yearly saving might be $3-4k/year. You also don’t have to pay for kids’ activity or schools or food.