Pam Aurbach, 58: A FIRE Retirement

A FIRE retirement. Not exactly what Pam Aurbach was thinking about on her last day of work at age 56, but the philosophy behind the movement—Financially Independent, Retired Early—fits. For Pam, the decision to retire wasn’t just about the numbers; it was about coming face-to-face with the fact that time is precious. After witnessing firsthand how unpredictable life can be, she made the choice to seize a pivotal moment and step into a future where every day was hers to design.

Pam was my first female boss, and I considered her kind of a badass. She was wicked smart, effortlessly cool, and always willing to mentor those around her. Through the voyeurism of social platforms, I watched Pam retire young and start checking off her bucket-list travels. When she hit her millionth sky mile last year, I thought, Yep, still a badass.

The FIRE movement has gained traction among those who seek financial independence before the traditional retirement age, prioritizing saving, investing, and intentional living. Its grassroots origin traces back to as early as 1992 and has evolved over the decades into a movement around exchanging time for money. Some embrace Lean FIRE, choosing a minimalist lifestyle, while others follow Fat FIRE, ensuring their retirement is rich with experiences. Regardless of the approach, there’s no universal timeline for when that journey should begin. 

For Pam, retirement isn’t about stepping away from something—it’s about stepping toward the life of her choosing—the life she worked really hard to achieve. As she puts it, “I’m a firm believer that something amazing should be shared with an old friend, a new friend, or even a new colleague.” With a community of loved ones and her four-legged companion by her side, Pam is embracing her physical ability to travel, connect, and experience life on her own terms while vividly illustrating the meaning behind retirement: Life’s greatest adventures begin the moment you decide to fully live them.

Let’s meet Pam. 

How old are you?
Fifty-eight.

When did you retire? At what age?
I was 56. I always wanted to retire early, but the actual date became a function of when my five-year work visa expired, rather than a specific goal. It felt like the right time to retire, instead of renewing the visa for another five years. So, I took the leap.

I aged you a bit when we spoke, as I really don’t know anyone that fully retired at such a young age. What prompted you to take that leap early? Especially at a time when so many people are trying to change the look and feel of retirement, what attracted you to the traditional “full retirement and travel” lifestyle?
I have been incredibly lucky in my career. I’ve been able to do what I’m good at and travel the world. But no matter how much I’ve loved any professional role, I always enjoyed my time off more! But the real catalyst for retiring early was losing friends. I’ve had countless female friends go through breast cancer, some with far worse consequences than others, and I’ve actually lost six friends since I retired and moved back “home.” We lost my father way too young, and my mother had advanced stage dementia for the last nine years of her life. So, life is precious, and if you can create your best life, I say do it.

I was also a competitive gymnast for 12 years and have vertebral damage, so I may not be able to physically do what I love forever! I wanted to retire and still be active—ski, hike, bike, and travel in good health. Whenever my sister or I would get a new outfit from my mom, she’d say: “Wear it in good health.” We used to roll our eyes; now, I understand….

How have you made full retirement sustainable?
One of the advantages of my career in the financial services industry was the knowledge of and opportunity to save and invest. My father told me when I started my first job at 22: “No matter how much you earn, put $2,000 into an IRA.” I have been diligently saving and investing for 35+ years, and it has paid off.

How many countries have you been to? Have you hit all the states in the U.S. yet?
I have been to 49 of the 50 states and Puerto Rico. I hit my 49th last summer when I toured Alaska. I have been to over 75 countries—but not sure of the exact number because every time I count I get a different result.

The great advantage of working in London and Singapore during my career was access to Europe and Asia. The seven years I spent in London gave me access to all of Europe with a flight that’s shorter than going from Denver to LA. I took three to four ski trips every season throughout Europe and toured numerous countries. Getting to Singapore from Denver took me 23 hours, with a 14-hour time loss. So once I was all the way down there, I decided to tag on a new country. I’ve toured 15 countries in Asia. The more I see, the more I want to see, so my bucket list grows faster than I can knock locations off!

Speaking of locations, what’s up next? Do you have 2025 mapped out?
I just finished sorting my travels for 2025—and I’m doing all of it! I like to do a combination of organized tours and exploring on my own. Two of my favorite organizations to travel with are my alma mater, the University of Virginia, and Backroads Active Travel. UVA’s parent and alumni travel is called Cavalier Travels. They organize about 20 trips a year all over the globe. Each trip includes an educational element, as you travel with UVA professors. I went to Vietnam with them in 2023 and was fascinated by the wealth of knowledge from the 20th century history professor and our native-born Vietnamese tour guide.

This year I will be going to Tanzania with Cavalier Travels—and also hiking Kilimanjaro with a tour company whilst down there. I’ve signed up for: Egypt and Jordan with UVA; a Greek cruise that follows Homer’s journey; and a trip to Cappadocia, Turkey (bucket list item!). I will also do at least one tour with Backroads in 2025. I love their method of “active travel,” which means touring by bike (including e-bikes—my favorite!), hiking, walking and kayaking. I have a cycling trip through Puglia (the only part of Italy I haven’t seen) booked too. I was glad to get all the locations laid out, and I am now ready to go!

What are your top five places and why?
This is the hardest! I feel like I need to cheat and call one “place” Italy. I’ve been to Italy over 20 times—I’ve toured it, wine-tasted through it, hiked it, biked it, skied it, and via ferrata’d it. The more I see, the more I love. Everyone is so friendly, the food is amazing, the culture is welcoming, the architecture is beautiful, the history is fascinating, and it’s full of everything good—ancient metropolises, mountains, lakes, rivers and oceans.

And, of course, my heart is always in England. One of the greatest sources of joy from my career was the ability to live there twice, for a total of seven years. I have become obsessed with English history and how it levered great foundations from Roman times, and how it influences so much in America today. In my time there, I spent at least two weekends a month exploring towns, palaces, historical areas and beaches around the UK. I love it.

If I had to identify other areas that fit in my “tops”, they would be the areas with the greatest historical significance—the foundations of modern culture as we know it from the Mediterranean—Rome, Florence, Marseilles, Sicily, Sardinia, Malta, Turkey, and Athens. I find the archaeological digs and ancient artifacts fascinating. I could spend hours in museums learning how life was lived 2,000 years ago.

Traveling naturally allows you to keep active and connected. How do you incorporate your passions and your people into your lifestyle?
I love to travel with like-minded people. I have a handful of friends who are also retired and have the means to explore with me, and I equally love to travel with UVA and Backroads. I’m a firm believer that something amazing should be shared with an old friend, a new friend, or even a new colleague. But amidst all the great global travel, I also love exploring the U.S. and visiting friends along the way. This summer, I spent 25 days on a road trip with my dog through Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, and Wyoming. I stopped in every town with a national park or attraction but, most importantly, got to spend some quality time with 14 friends and relatives along the way.

What advice would you give to someone that is thinking about retirement? Were there any surprises that you wished you had known about?
Well, my immediate advice would be: “Do it!” If you can afford to live the way you want and can accept making necessary spending habit changes, do it. I’m a huge advocate of finding appropriate financial advice, too; don’t go into anything blind. Seek the right counsel, ensure you’re covered for rainy days, and live your life.

I also think one of the great unknowns when you live in a country where healthcare isn’t free is understanding insurance. I was always covered by work plans in the U.S., and of course it’s free in the UK. So moving back to the U.S. as a retiree, insurance was top of the agenda items to sort. It’s a quagmire out there, so find resources you trust, and do extensive research to ensure you’re adequately covered.

What are your three life non-negotiables (i.e., the things you can’t live without)?
Family: I never had kids, so my sister, niece, and nephew are my closest and dearest people in the world. I want to always stay close to them and make sure they know how much they mean to me. I love the fact that my nephew started coming to visit me when he was 13 to snowboard (they live in the D.C. area). He’s now 26 and a rockstar on a snowboard, and I love that we can share that passion for the mountains. My niece is a natural beauty who shares my passion for fashion and traveling. She came with my sister to visit me in London twice, and I love that I’ve inspired the travel bug in her. I will always cherish them and want them in my life.

Friends: As a single woman, your friends are your community. I have been blessed to have some incredibly inspirational girlfriends in my life and have been able to establish communities of amazing women in Washington, D.C. (where I’m from); in Atlanta, L.A., and London (where I’ve lived); and in Denver and Vail (where I live now). They are my foundation, my support, and my nourishment.

Dogs: I will always have a dog in my life, and they will always be rescues. I had my last black lab mix for 15 years. When he passed, I lasted 10 days before I rescued my next one. They bring joy and happiness to every hour of every day. They are always happy to see you and bring comfort when you’re sad. My current guy is nearly 11, and when he goes, I will rescue another. I’ve also been volunteering at the Denver Dumb Friends League since January, walking dogs. I want to bring that same joy to the animals who live there temporarily until they find their forever homes.

Editor’s Note: Some answers may have been edited and/or condensed for clarity.

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Cover photo: Dalsnibba Viewpoint in Geiranger, Norway. Photo courtesy of Pam Aurbach.