A 41-year-old Japanese father retired early and stayed at home. His daughter’s words made him reflect on the meaning of life.

[Financial Channel/Comprehensive Report] At the age of 41, he achieved FIRE (early retirement and financial freedom) and had more than 100 million yen (approximately NT$20.01 million) in assets. He was supposed to be the victorious group in life that everyone envied. However, a Japanese father unexpectedly encountered parent-child problems because he stayed at home every day. His daughter's question, "Why is Dad at home every day?" made him speechless for a moment, and he began to think about how he would live his life after not going to work.

Japanese media reported that a 41-year-old man with assets of more than 100 million yen no longer had to work nine to five after successful FIRE. He originally thought he could enjoy a free life, but unexpectedly, a Japanese man got into unexpected trouble because he "didn't go to work."

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Satake (pseudonym) is a father of one daughter. He decided to FIRE about a year ago after accumulating assets of more than 100 million yen. His wife is still an office worker, while he stays at home as a cook and is responsible for housework and childcare. After sending his daughter to school every morning, he cleans, does laundry, prepares dinner, and participates in her daughter's school activities. He also manages assets in his free time.

Moreover, his FIRE life was not as tight as he imagined, and his assets not only did not continue to decrease after retirement, but actually increased.

Unexpectedly, my daughter in the second grade of primary school suddenly asked: "Why is dad at home every day?" It turned out that my daughter's classmates also noticed that dad did not have to go to work every day, and even asked her: "Does your dad not have a job?"

This question made Satake dumbfounded for a moment. He had to explain to his daughter that he would use the computer to work at home, including buying and selling stocks. But his daughter continued to ask, "What kind of job is it?" which made him think about how he should explain FIRE to his children.

Satake admits that he cannot be called a professional investor, but is actually closer to a full-time househusband. Since she lived in the countryside and few people around her adopted this lifestyle, the wife felt equally embarrassed when she explained it to other parents.

What troubles him even more is that both parents don't fully understand FIRE, and even occasionally ask "when will I need to find a job again?" Even though he explained that he currently relies on the use of assets to maintain his life and the family is running very well, the elders still have doubts about "no job".

However, Satake does not regret FIRE. He believes that he now has more time to spend with his daughter and can truly share housework and childcare. It was just his daughter's words that made him think about another question: Parents don't necessarily have to work for money, but do they still need to let their children see themselves devoted to something and responsible for life?

For him, FIRE solves the problem of "not having to work for money." The next problem is: how to live out one's own value after having free time.

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