Mark Seed: “I just did a thing: I retired in my early 50s”

I can’t speak for others … but I’m sure there is a moment people imagine what their retirement day is and what that will feel like: a clean break, a celebratory toast, maybe even a sense of instant relaxation.

For me, while you could say stepping away from the workforce in my early 50s wasn’t a single moment – although April 23 was a special moment for me – it was actually the slow-progress and realization that I had crossed an invisible line into a completely new way of living.

And to be honest, even a few days after I handed in my laptop and badge, the feeling remains quite surreal about what just happened.

via GIPHY

I just did a thing – I retired in my early 50s

For most of my life, work shaped pretty much everything.

Work dictated my schedule (including requests for time-off and vacations), my priorities for the week, and even a big part of my own identity. These are not terrible things whatsoever but rather work involves trade-offs of my life energy, provided to an important cause, with financial compensation in return.

For more than 25 years while working at my former employer, a great one at that, conversations with others often began with:

“So, what do you do?”

“How is work?”

“What’s new with your job since we talked last time?”

And, I always had an answer.

For 25+ years.

Half of my life. 

Now, that answer is … well ….less straightforward.

While I enjoyed my job, the people I supported, my new identity is no longer defined by a job title whether that was going to the office physically or virtually from home.

Working for others is now my (very recent) former-self.

And certainly taking a leap-of-faith as I have told others, in my early 50s, to join my wife in Early Retirement was hardly accidental.

Early retirement was born out of many, many years of deliberate choices in life:

• Consistent savings.
• Keeping our investing costs low.
• Investing in equities (stocks that paid dividends, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) that paid distributions).
• Getting out of debt.
• And on and on …

What I am saying is there were both choices and important trade-offs made along the way. Early Retirement doesn’t happen overnight. It doesn’t happen in a year or so. It’s not something you just wake up and do.

While some folks around me took the flashy options, I often choose the less obvious road.

Maybe I missed out on things in doing so. Maybe I should have spent more money on things or experiences: although after already visiting many countries around the world to date I’m not quite convinced I’m that hard done by …

So, to be honest, instead of feeling like I really missed out over the years I see my lifestyle choices much differently this weekend: they bought me time.

And time, I believe, is the real currency of any retirement: My Own Advisor.

I just did a thing: I retired in my early 50s. So, now what?

My journey beforehand, including what I wrote about on this site, was mostly financial and not too personal.

I suspect moving forward it’s going to be a better balance.

Financially, it’s more about the shift from saving to spending.

Some say there is a dark side to Early ‘retirement. I’m only a couple of days in so I haven’t found those yet! But I do anticipate there are changes and challenges I will need to navigate: including going back to 2021 and amending those perspectives below.

Time will offer me many things, I hope, and that’s the point.

I have time and space to try, to learn, and to adapt.

Retiring in my early 50s was a goal in my life not because I did not enjoy working nor working hard, but it was a means to achieve what I value the most when it comes to success: my own fulfillment. My fulfillment from work was never about promotions, the need to “move up,” gain constant validation as part of scaling higher in the organization ladder: I recognized that decades ago. It was always far more important to be in service to others and helping others achieve larger, broader goals. That was always success to me. Success over time when it comes to personal finance and investing is about full autonomy.

Autonomy to focus on health. Focus on relationships. Waking up and deciding how I want to spend my day: and then actually doing it.

Would I recommend retiring early? It depends. I’m just so new to this stuff I cannot say whether or not it will all work out to be honest.

But for me, right now, it feels like I’ve stepped into a quieter, very intentional chapter. One where time stretches a little further, mornings feel a little slower, and the question “what should I do today?” is no longer constrained by necessity.

I don’t have all the answers yet. Maybe that’s the point.

Retirement is hardly the end. In fact, it’s the beginning of something bigger than before.

It’s about figuring out what comes next: on entirely my own terms.

A sincere thank you to all work colleagues who read my site for their generous gifts, very thoughtful sendoff and most importantly for your support and friendship over the years. I remain very moved by all of that…

Mark

Mark Seed is a passionate DIY investor who lives in Ottawa.  He invests in Canadian and U.S. dividend paying stocks and low-cost Exchange Traded Funds on his quest to own a $1 million portfolio for an early retirement. You can follow Mark’s insights and perspectives on investing, and much more, by visiting My Own Advisor. This blog originally appeared on his site on April 25, 2026 and is republished on Findependence Hub with his permission.