SUMMARY

Florence Poirel, a 37-year-old former Google senior program manager, quit her $390K job for a mini retirement in Switzerland, prioritizing a slower life after saving $1.5 million through FIRE principles.

STATEMENTS

Florence Poirel quit her $390K annual job at Google after over a decade of climbing the corporate ladder to embrace a slower pace of life during a mini retirement in Switzerland.
Growing up in a frugal family instilled in Florence a natural habit of saving more than 50% of her income from the start, eventually reaching 80-85% savings rate by the time she left Google.
Realizing her partner is 17 years older prompted Florence to explore the FIRE movement early, optimizing finances to retire sooner rather than waiting for traditional retirement.
By January 2024, Florence had accumulated about $1.5 million in savings and investments, enabling her to sustain a year-and-a-half mini retirement without financial stress.
In Switzerland, Florence and her partner share expenses proportionally—65% from him and 35% from her—maintaining separate finances to preserve independence while renting a spacious apartment for $6,300 monthly, with her share at $2,200.
Florence's daily life in Thalwil involves walking everywhere, enjoying lakeside views, and cooking affordable vegan meals at home, costing about $600 monthly for food, leading to no boredom after 18 months.
Achieving Coast FIRE status allows Florence to consider part-time, flexible employment in the future without needing to aggressively save more for retirement.
Despite initial fears, leaving her high-paying job felt empowering, like being "a woman on fire," as her savings provided long-term security in an expensive country.
Florence extended her planned one-year break to 18 months, finding immense joy in nature, family time, and activities that truly fulfill her, reinforcing that life is too short for excessive work.
Professional "de-ambition" hit Florence when she questioned endless career grinding, deciding it was "enough" to prioritize personal happiness over further climbing.

IDEAS

Quitting a dream job isn't failure but a bold pivot to reclaim time, challenging the myth that career success must eclipse personal fulfillment.
Frugality as "second nature" from childhood can quietly build millionaire status without feeling deprived, turning small habits into financial freedom.
Age gaps in relationships accelerate retirement planning, forcing a reevaluation of waiting decades to enjoy life with loved ones.
Mini retirements offer a low-risk test of post-career bliss, allowing extensions if the slower life proves addictive and sustainable.
Proportional expense-sharing in partnerships preserves independence while fairness, avoiding the pitfalls of merged finances in unequal incomes.
High-cost locations like Switzerland reward savers with unparalleled quality-of-life perks, like lakeside living, balancing expense with daily joy.
Vegan, home-cooked meals using cheap staples like beans can slash food costs dramatically even in pricey countries, enabling luxury elsewhere.
Walking as primary transport not only saves money but enhances mental health and environmental connection in walkable towns.
Coast FIRE shifts retirement from total abstinence to relaxed, flexible work, blending security with freedom without full sacrifice.
Boredom fears in retirement dissolve when daily routines emphasize nature, coffee terraces, and relationships over structured productivity.

INSIGHTS

True wealth lies not in endless accumulation but in recognizing "enough" to pivot from ambition to intentional living, freeing time for what matters most.
Early financial optimization, sparked by personal relationships, can compress decades of waiting into achievable independence sooner than expected.
Independence in finances and lifestyle fosters deeper partnership equity, turning potential stressors into strengths during life transitions.
Structured breaks like mini retirements reveal that joy derives from presence—nature, loved ones—rather than achievement, reshaping work's role in happiness.
High savings rates enable "de-ambition" without regret, proving that security amplifies freedom to extend fulfilling pauses indefinitely.

QUOTES

"I've reached this mindset now of professional 'de-ambition' and, you know, that grind that we somehow keep on doing as soon as we start our career."
"When do you stop? When do you know it's enough? And I have reached the point when it was just enough. Because life is short, right?"
"Quickly, I realized that I could not just wait for retirement to enjoy my time with him."
"By the time I left the company, it was actually very easy because in my mind, I was a woman on fire."
"Life is too short and life is beautiful, and it is too sad to spend most of that time spending it at work when we can spend it in beautiful nature with friends, family, loved ones and doing things that make us truly happy."

HABITS

Saving over 50% of income from the first paycheck, escalating to 80-85% by career end, treating frugality as second nature without deprivation.
Walking everywhere in town to reach destinations, eliminating transport costs while enjoying the environment.
Cooking vegan meals at home daily using affordable staples like beans and lentils, keeping food expenses low at about $300 monthly.
Splitting shared expenses proportionally based on income contributions, maintaining separate bank accounts for financial independence.
Starting mornings with 2-3 hours on the terrace balcony sipping coffee, savoring lake views to ground the day in relaxation.

FACTS

Florence started at Google as a contractor earning $60K annually and rose to $390K as a senior program manager in Zurich over a decade, with promotions every two years.
Her childhood frugality included a family rule where turning off lights "paid for Disneyland," embedding early saving behaviors.
By age 37, Florence had saved $1.5 million, achieved through high savings rates in Switzerland's high-cost, high-wage environment.
Rent for her four-bedroom apartment in Thalwil is $6,300 monthly, reasonable for the lakeside location south of Zurich.
Swiss health insurance averages $450 monthly for Florence, covering standard needs in a country known for comprehensive yet pricey coverage.

REFERENCES

FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement, which Florence explored to optimize finances for earlier retirement.
Coast FIRE concept, allowing sustained lifestyle without further aggressive saving through flexible, part-time work.

HOW TO APPLY

Assess your current savings rate and aim to increase it incrementally by tracking expenses, starting with automating 50% of income into investments.
Evaluate relationships and life stages, like age differences, to accelerate financial planning—calculate how much you need for independence using online FIRE calculators.
Build a buffer of 25-30 times annual expenses in savings before considering a career break, ensuring it covers high-cost living without income.
Adopt proportional sharing in partnerships by discussing income ratios openly, setting up separate accounts to divide bills fairly and maintain autonomy.
Test mini retirement by planning a one-year sabbatical, budgeting strictly but including joys like daily walks and home cooking to simulate post-work life.

ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY

Embrace de-ambition to quit grinding when finances allow, prioritizing life's beauty over endless career climbs.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Explore FIRE principles early in your career to build savings aggressively, targeting 50%+ rates for quicker independence.
Consider mini retirements as sabbaticals to recharge, extending if they reveal truer fulfillment than work.
Maintain separate finances in relationships for equity and freedom, sharing costs based on income proportions.
Integrate daily nature access and walking into routines to cut costs while boosting well-being in any location.
Shift to Coast FIRE mindset for flexible part-time roles post-break, sustaining joy without full retirement commitment.

MEMO

Florence Poirel, a 37-year-old former senior program manager at Google, walked away from a $390,000 salary in Zurich last year, trading corporate hustle for the serene shores of Lake Zurich in Thalwil, Switzerland. After a decade of relentless ladder-climbing—starting as a $60,000 contractor and earning promotions every two years—she hit a wall of professional "de-ambition." "When do you stop? When do you know it's enough?" she asks, echoing a growing millennial chorus questioning the grind. Influenced by her 17-year-older partner and the stark reality of life's brevity, Poirel dove into the Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) movement, amassing $1.5 million in savings by January 2024 through frugal roots—saving over 80% of her income without feeling pinched.

Now midway through an extended 18-month "mini retirement," Poirel splits expenses proportionally with her partner—35% from her share—on their airy four-bedroom rental overlooking the lake, where mornings unfold with hours-long coffee sessions on the terrace. Vegan home cooking with cheap beans keeps their $600 monthly food bill modest, while walking everywhere saves on transport in this walkable idyll. Far from bored, as she feared, Poirel savors the freedom: "Life is too short... to spend most of that time at work." She's achieved "Coast FIRE," meaning her nest egg grows passively, freeing her for part-time gigs if desired, without the old urgency.

This pause, originally planned for one year, underscores a broader shift: high earners in expensive locales like Switzerland can leverage perks—proximity to nature, strong wages—to redefine success. Poirel's story, part of CNBC Make It's Millennial Money series, spotlights how intentional breaks foster clarity, urging others to calculate their "enough" before burnout claims more years. As she puts it, being "a woman on fire" post-quit feels liberating, proving that stepping off the treadmill reveals paths to deeper flourishing.