What comes after financial freedom?

Financial freedom isn’t an endpoint – it’s a new beginning. Here’s what no-one talks about.
June 4, 2025
1 min read

There’s no shortage of personal finance content out there. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, all packed to the brim with advice on how to budget, invest, pay off debt and get to that glorious promised land: financial freedom. 

But here’s what’s interesting: once you’ve crossed the proverbial Rubicon and the passive income covers the bills, the content … stops. There’s a vacuum. A lot of “how to get there”, very little on “what to do once you arrive”. Which is odd, because isn’t that the interesting part? 

Let’s say you’ve done it. No more anxiety about the next invoice or whether the market’s going to give you a headache today. What then? 

If you know me, you’ll know I won’t be found sipping cocktails on a beach or rehearsing for some early-retirement soft-focus ad. That’s not how I’m wired. For people like me, financial freedom is not an endpoint. It’s a platform. A different starting line. 

Because retirement is not a choice. Not in the way people imagine it. I love what I do. I love researching companies, having conversations about ideas, spotting patterns in the chaos and, most of all, helping people make better decisions with their money. Why would I give that up? 

Sure, I might do it from different locations. (Yes, I will finally cycle the Pyrenees. Yes, I’ll have longer lunches.) But I’ll still be on earnings calls. Still pitching investment ideas. Still reading footnotes in annual reports because, don’t laugh, that’s fun for me. 

In fact, I believe the conversation surrounding financial freedom needs to evolve. It’s not about escape. It’s about leverage. The freedom to say “no” to things you hate and “yes” to things you love. The freedom to do work that matters, with people you respect, without needing the pay cheque to survive. 

So, what happens after financial freedom? 

Ideally, more of what lights you up. With less fear. Less noise. And zero obligation to pretend you’ve “retired”. 

As Berkshire Hathaway’s Charlie Munger once put it: “The secret to a happy life is to work hard at work worth doing.” 

That doesn’t end at a net worth number. In fact, it might just be where the real game begins. 

Sign up to Currency’s weekly newsletters to receive your own bulletin of weekday news and weekend treats. Register here

Bright Khumalo

Bright Khumalo is a portfolio manager at Vestact, which he joined in December 2015. An accountant by training, he previously worked at Nestlé. He goes by the moniker “Dividend Papi” on X, and is a devoted student of the markets. He features on investment and business programmes, both as host and guest. He’s committed to community development and serves as a mentor to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Latest from Opinion

Oh goody! More talking!

There’s apparently no hurry to get Ramaphosa’s ‘national dialogue’ off the ground. We’ll likely have to wait a year for any programme of action…

Don't Miss