What qualifies as being out of the "rat race"? Your opinions.

[Cam Jimmy]

What qualifies as being out of the "rat race"? 

No consumer debt?

Financial freedom?

In your opinion, tell me what being out of the "rat race" means to you. I'm just curious :)

[JD Martin]

I define it the way @@Steve Vaughan defines it - when you don't *have* to schlep off to something you really don't want to do any more. To me, the key to that is to find things you like to do. Personally, I think a lot of people come by BP wanting to jettison a job they hate, and somehow think that they'll get a bunch of rentals and spend all day skiing. Nope. Holding rental property is also a "job", even if the job is nothing more than managing the managers. In reality, you're going to work your *** off for 2-10 years, depending on where you start and how much you need to live, before you're going to jettison that W2. And you're going to go find your own health insurance, make provisions for your own retirement, and still have to find some kind of meaning in your life. 

I consider myself out of the "race" because, although I'm close to early retirement, if my Board suddenly decided they didn't want my services any more, I would just be retired a little earlier than I thought. That's what real estate/rental property has done for me. I like what I do, and since I don't depend on the money to survive I don't have to be too concerned about stupid ********, which is what I think most people really envision when they say they want out of the rat race.