Courtesy of Lee Broders
- Lee Broders is a 54-year-old in Shropshire, England, who dreamed of retiring at 40.
- He thought he would be perfectly content relaxing on a beach with a beer when he hit retirement.
- When he eventually retired at 52, he felt bored and lost and decided to return to work.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lee Broders. It has been edited for length and clarity.
At 30 years old, after 10 years in the British Armed Forces and four years of starting new businesses, I decided I wanted to be able to retire by 40. I thought to myself that there must be more to life than just working.