Retiring Early Is a Dream for Many. in Reality, Some Regret It.

But first: She retired aged 40 on a Friday. By Monday, she regretted it.

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Dispatch

FIREgret

Retiring early is a dream for many. But when Nupur Dave walked away from corporate life at 40, becoming part of the FIRE (financial independence, retire early) movement, she soon came to regret it.

“Even though people say, ‘I like that I’m on my own terms,’ sometimes being completely untethered is scary,” Dave told BI of her decision to retire. “It felt like doing a space walk.”

Dave’s not the only FIRE fan to have second thoughts. Many of the early retirees who’ve spoken with BI in the past have shared the challenges that come with quitting work altogether.

Some felt having to stretch a sum of money over decades made life less enjoyable. Others said they lost their sense of purpose. Several returned to work.

Of course, there are others who’ve made it work. And there are many more striving to make early retirement a reality.

But Dave’s story is a reminder that a job can be about more than just picking up a paycheck. It can be a place to make friends, to provide structure and purpose.

Google lost its cool

Google used to be Silicon Valley’s cool older sibling. But after 25 years, it appears it’s lost its way. Layoffs, a lower tolerance for risk, and the general sentiment that its products, like search and Gmail, are getting worse is tanking Google’s reputation.

Once considered tech’s most desirable workplace, Google has become the one thing it promised it would never be: boring.

How Google went from vanguard to dinosaur.

Wall Street wants your home

Many American homeowners have recently seen the value of their house increasing — and big Wall Street investors want in on the action.

Some investors are offering homeowners cash in exchange for a share of their home’s future appreciation. Known as a home-equity investment, the deal comes with big risks for homeowners.

Inside home-equity investments.

We’re doing DEI wrong

Steve Pemberton, Walgreens’ former chief diversity officer, says that something has gone wrong with DEI programs. Still, he says, there’s a way to fix them.

Most companies offer reactive programming, responding only after some lasting damage had already been done. Instead, Pemberton says, companies must anchor a DEI program to a business strategy that’s central to the firm’s growth and performance.

How to build effective DEI programs.

Toyota was right about hybrid cars

For years, as the rest of the auto industry funneled money and resources into electric cars, Toyota took a more measured, hybrid-heavy approach.

The Japanese carmaker was regularly criticized as being a laggard, slow to hop on the EV bandwagon. But now, as demand for EVs cools and more consumers look towards hybrids, Toyota is well-positioned to emerge the winner.

How Toyota could come out on top.

This week’s quote

“If you’re going to be successful, first and foremost, you must believe in yourself.”

— Robert L. Johnson, the founder of BET and America’s first Black billionaire, on his best advice for attracting investors.

More of this week‘s top reads

The Insider Today team: Matt Turner, deputy editor-in-chief, in New York. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York.