**A Journey from Law to Early Retirement: Lessons Learned After 14 Years**
In 2011, Alex Trias made a bold decision that would change the course of his life: he walked away from a lucrative six-figure legal career and retired at the relatively young age of 41. On the surface, Trias believed he was well-prepared for this transition—at least financially. Decades of hard work, careful saving, and strategic planning had provided him and his family with a comfortable financial cushion. Yet, as he soon discovered, the emotional and psychological adjustments required for early retirement were far less straightforward.
**The Uncertainty Beyond the Paycheck**
For most of his adult life, Trias had followed a well-established path. After law school, he spent his summers interning as an associate, then steadily climbed the ranks of the legal profession. This trajectory brought with it not just financial security but also a strong sense of purpose and identity. The collapse of his law firm during the 2008 financial crisis forced Trias to reevaluate his career and his future. Suddenly, he was faced with questions he had never considered: Who was he without his career? What would he do with his days if he wasn’t practicing law?
This sense of uncertainty was daunting. Like many who contemplate early retirement, Trias was initially gripped by the fear that, without a job to define his days, he would lose his sense of purpose. The prospect of unstructured time loomed as both a luxury and a challenge. However, what felt overwhelming at first eventually became an opportunity for reinvention.
**Embracing the Explorer Mindset**
When Trias retired, he realized that early retirement was not simply about ceasing to work. Instead, it was about redefining himself and his sense of purpose—without the built-in structure a job provides. Rather than seeing this as a loss, Trias approached it as a chance to become an explorer. This shift in mindset would prove crucial to his eventual happiness and fulfillment.
Driven by curiosity and a desire for new experiences, Trias and his wife made another bold move: they relocated to Portugal. At the time, they did not speak the language, knew no one in their new country, and had little idea what to expect from their day-to-day lives. The disorientation of starting over in a foreign land was initially unsettling, but it soon became a powerful motivation to learn, grow, and build a new life from scratch.
For Trias, the uncertainty that accompanied retirement and expatriation became a source of opportunity rather than anxiety. He now encourages others contemplating retirement to embrace the unknown, arguing that it can open doors to experiences and personal growth that would otherwise remain inaccessible.
**Financial Freedom Reimagined**
One of the great surprises of Trias’s early retirement was the impact it had on his finances. Like many, he and his wife assumed that retirement would mean gradually drawing down their savings, hoping their nest egg would last. Instead, the opposite occurred: their net worth continued to grow, even as they enjoyed a more relaxed lifestyle.
A significant factor in this financial stability was their decision to move to Portugal. Compared to their previous life in Washington, D.C., the cost of living in Portugal was substantially lower. Expenses such as housing, healthcare, food, and entertainment all dropped dramatically. Trias estimates that they save roughly $5,000 each month simply by living abroad—a sum that not only stretches their retirement savings but actually allows their investments to grow.
Trias and his wife adhered to the same financial principles that had served them well during their working years: living below their means, reinvesting the difference, and allowing the magic of compounding to do the rest. The primary difference was that, rather than relying on a salary, their income now came from their investment portfolio. For Trias, retirement did not signify the end of wealth building; rather, it marked the beginning of a more sustainable and intentional approach to financial management.
**Redefining Purpose and Meaning**
While financial considerations are often front and center in retirement planning, Trias discovered that a sense of purpose was equally important. In the initial years of retirement, he and his wife were kept busy by the demands of parenting their young daughter. Participating in school activities, learning Portuguese, and integrating into the local community provided structure and meaning.
However, when their daughter left for college, Trias and his wife once again found themselves facing a surplus of