Is "hustle culture" really the answer? Canadian who retired at 37 thinks not

@mediumtalk/TikTok | Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock

How does someone retire at 37 years old?

That’s about 30 years earlier than 65, the standard age of retirement in Canada.

Do they have to become one of the richest people in the world like billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk?

Are they a firm believer in “hustle culture,” always working to get ahead whether it’s climbing that corporate ladder or shouldering the work of their own startup?

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One TikTok has gone viral after a Canadian had an honest and measured answer to this question.

Toronto-based filmmaker Sameer Jafar posted a video of the unnamed person to his TikTok account @mediumtalk where he interviews strangers.

It has racked up over 10 million views since posted on December 5.

“So you’re 37 years old and retired — how did that even work?” Jafar asked.

The interview seems to be taking place at Brookfield Place, an office building in downtown Toronto, based on the architecture in the background.

The person goes through his resume — he studied computer science, started a couple of tech companies, sold one of the companies to Shopify, worked at Shopify for a couple of years, and is now a retired angel investor.

“Got in early, helped build a lot of value, and then when the company went IPO, everyone did well,” he said.

“It’s funny because you have such a different demeanour than the people that I’ve spoken to around here, everybody seems not to have any time at all,” replied Jafar.

The interviewee then goes on to talk about his perspective on hustle culture.

“I think a lot of people, especially in finance, it’s like you’re trying to build your career, you’re trying to get ahead,” he explained. “I’m very much of that mindset that money is a tool to buy time and not the other way around.”

“My goal is not to make as much money as possible. My goal is to be financially independent and wake up and choose how I spend my time. I just think there’s so many more rewarding things to do, to be honest,” he added.

@mediumtalk Money or Time? 🤔 #mediumtalk #streetinterview #toronto #retirement #financialfreedom ♬ original sound – Sameer Jafar

As for the person’s advice for others who want to retire at a young age — he acknowledges that everyone has a different risk tolerance.

He gives the example of how someone who has a family and kids might not have as much room to take risks compared to a young, single person.

“I think like one-size-fits-all advice is not great,” he replied. “If you wake up in the morning and there’s something that you can’t get off your mind and you really want to try it, I think there are times where you can run those experiments and the risk of failure is low.”

He does recommend trying to take those risks when you’re younger.

“I wouldn’t want to have any regrets like ‘Oh, I wish I took that shot,'” he said. “Do it while you’re young.”

@mediumtalk Replying to @Sameer Jafar What’s your Risk tolerance? 🤔 #mediumtalk #streetinterview #toronto #financialfreedom #risktolerance ♬ original sound – Sameer Jafar

What do you think about his perspective? Let us know in the comments.