Like most professionals, 33-year-old Ali Rosli is diligently saving for the future. But unlike previous generations, he has no intention of waiting decades to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
Rosli, an interim finance lead, is part of a growing movement of millennials and Gen Z professionals redefining what it means to "retire." Over the past seven years, he has taken two "mini-retirements"—a two-month hiatus in 2019 and a four-month break in November 2025.
The first break was born out of necessity. While working as an assistant audit manager in Malaysia, Rosli found himself trapped in a grueling cycle of 80-hour workweeks. On the brink of burnout, he decided to hit the brakes.
"I thought, while having a rest and thinking about my career path, why not take a long trip for two months?" Rosli recalls.
At the time, he was earning roughly £14,000 ($18,815) a year but aggressively saving and investing 20% to 40% of his income. He used those funds to finance an overland journey from Beijing through Russia and into Europe—an adventure he calls the "trip of a lifetime."
The risk paid off. Rosli returned energized, clear-headed, and ambitious. Shortly after, he landed a senior manager role at a finance firm in London, boosting his salary nearly six-fold to £85,000 ($114,234) a year.
Pivoting, Not Pausing
After a few years in London, Rosli found himself wanting to pivot his career but hitting a wall. Trusting the process, he opted for a second mini-retirement. He and his wife returned to Malaysia for four months.
Far from stalling his momentum, the space allowed him to network freely. He secured remote finance project work while abroad, eventually returning to London to launch a successful career as an independent finance contractor and wealth content creator.
"From my personal experience, taking intentional breaks will actually supercharge your career rather than pull you back," Rosli says. He plans to continue "previewing" retirement by taking an extended break every four or five years.
Rosli’s Career & Break Timeline:
[2019] 2-Month Break ➔ Overland trip: Beijing to Europe ➔ Result: Landed 6x higher salary in London
[2025] 4-Month Break ➔ Returned to Malaysia ➔ Result: Pivoted to independent contracting & content creation
A Generational Shift in Wealth and Work
Rosli isn’t an outlier; he’s part of a sweeping macroeconomic trend. According to the 2025 HSBC Quality of Life report, millennial and Gen Z affluent investors (those with at least $100,000 in assets) are fundamentally shifting away from the traditional "single retirement at the end of life" model. Instead, they view retirement as a series of planned career breaks interspersed throughout their working years.
However, financial experts urge caution before turning in a resignation letter. Kelly Renner, a financial planner at Life Strategies Financial Partners, notes that while "there is no harm in living life this way," it requires a strict trifecta of:
Flexible career paths
Disciplined budgeting habits
Substantial liquid savings
Without these safeguards, Renner warns, an intentional break can quickly morph into a "financial disaster," noting that unexplained gaps on a resume can still raise red flags for traditional employers.
Key Takeaways: How to Pull Off a Mini-Retirement
View Breaks as a Strategic Reset: A mini-retirement shouldn't be an escape from reality, but a launchpad. For Rosli, his first break provided the clarity to move continents, and his second gave him the runway to launch his own business.
Build the Financial Runway First: Freedom requires funding. Experts emphasize that these breaks only work if you are consistently saving, living within your means, continuing your pension contributions, and maintaining a robust emergency fund that covers several months of zero income.
Drastically Reduce Overhead: To make his second break sustainable, Rosli and his wife gave up their expensive London rental, put their belongings in storage, and spent the break in Malaysia, where the lower cost of living stretched their savings significantly further.