Early retirement refers to the practice of retiring from work before the age at which one is eligible to receive full retirement benefits. This is typically earlier than the age of 65, which is the age at which most people become eligible for Social Security benefits in the United States.
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Can I retire at 55? It’s a common question for Americans seeking more freedom in their prime. Retiring five to ten years before traditional retirement age can offer big benefits, but it also bri...
It’s easy to think that early retirement will be the answer to all your problems. After all, how could you not be happy when you don’t have to work anymore? I’ve written about why ea...
A challenging aspect of early retirement is the loss of identity you may experience when leaving a career you’ve spent a big chunk of your life building. However, one of the most exciting parts ...
Chad Carson from CoachCarson.comjoins me again on the Financial Independence Podcast to talk about the various strategies you can use to retire early with real estate! Highlights: The best real-estate...
One of the internet’s most-respected retirement researchers and financial planners, Michael Kitces, joins me for an episode of the Financial Independence Podcast! You may remember that my Safe W...
To celebrate the 5-year anniversary of launchingthe Financial Independence Podcast, I've republished the very first interview I recorded back in 2012 with Mr. Money Mustache. In addition to the origin...
Life has completely changed. And because of this major change, I'm even more grateful for the freedom, flexibility, and time that financial independence and early retirement provide. In this short epi...
I'm excited to share with you the first Podcast Takeover episode of the Financial Independence Podcast! Carl and Doug from the Mile High FI podcast take over the Financial Independence Podcast to talk...
On today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I finally got to interview the person who introduced me to the concept of financial independence and early retirement in the first place...
FIRECracker is a world-travelling early retiree. She used to live in one of the most expensive cities in Canada, but ... Read more...
“How do I get my family and friends onboard the FIRE train? We’ve had little success. Some friends are excited in the beginning but lose steam over time. Others aren’t interest at al...
Retiring early with kids sounds perfect, but the reality isn’t always easy. I retired in 2021 at the age of 42 with twin one-year-olds and a three-year-old. There’s more time, more memorie...
Retiring early is still one of the smartest moves I’ve made. But even years later, new challenges keep showing up, ones no one really talks about. In my earlier article “The Negative Reali...
Del Walmsley promises financial freedom through real estate. His company, Lifestyles Unlimited, teaches people how to use leverage, rental income, and mindset to retire early. But does Lifestyles Unli...
When retiring early, married couples can use this little-known (and legitimate) strategy to take a six-figure income every year — tax-free....
Budgeting gets a bad rap. But for me, it was never about restriction—it was about clarity. I retired at 42, and budgets were one of the most useful tools that helped me get there. I’m not ...
I retired at 42. One of the biggest challenges of early retirement is figuring out what to do with your time. Free time is only fun when you know what to do with it. Once the novelty wears off, the ca...
Retiring early has been the plan since I was a teenager. I wanted freedom, control over my time, and the chance to be present for kids I didn’t even have yet. So I built a plan, stuck to it, and...
65F single, retired one year and it's going very well. I enjoy hearing here from all the excited people about to start their retirement or are enjoying early retirement but my curiosity is for those w...
Hey everyone! It’s been 2 months since Mrs. RB40 retired from her career. Unfortunately, she is having a tough transition into early retirement. This is a typical experience for many ... Read mo...
In my 30s and 40s, I didn’t wait to enjoy life—I took planned breaks from work to spend real time with my family. I called it “REO” (Retire Early & Often). The idea was to ...
Get early retirement tips and tricks from people who successfully retired in their 40s and 50s and are thriving now. The post Early Retirement Tips: 28 Strategies, Tricks, and Insider Info from People...
I get asked this all the time: “What percent of my income should I invest if I want to retire early?” But that question misses the point. There’s no golden percentage. No magic numbe...
How to retire early? Find out with real world tips from people who actually retired in their 40s and 50s. You can do it! The post How to Retire Early: 28 Insider Tips from Real People Who Did It and A...
Hey everyone! It’s been 13 years since I retired from my engineering career. Wow, has it really been that long? Hard to believe, but it’s true. Time flies. The big ... Read more The post 1...
Before I retired from finance in 2012, I struggled with chronic back pain, sciatica, and TMJ. The stress was so overwhelming, I even paid a dentist $700 to drill divots into several teeth just so I co...
10 years ago, on May 6, 2015, I published my first blog post (Are You Ready to Retire Early?). At just over 800 words, it was definitely not as long-winded as I tend to be nowadays! ? It wasn’t ...
I retired in December at age 62. Today I learned that my former employer is offering an incentive of $117,000 to anyone over age 59 1/2 to retire early. It was kind of a bummer to hear that, but on re...
Retiring before 59.5? Discover how to make penalty free withdrawals from your retirement accounts to help fund your early retirement. The post Early Retirement Withdrawals: 5 Ways to Take Penalty-Free...
What are the pros and cons if Chip uses the money in his taxable brokerage account for early retirement income? Jack and Sally ask Joe and Big Al to spitball on whether they can retire around age 55 o...
Should this rule be changed? One of the new proposals for fixing the Social Security Trust Funds financial problems involves doing away with this provision. What it does in essence if that it STOP peo...
I’ve been thinking a lot about work optional versus Financial Independence Retire Early (aka FIRE). If you haven’t heard these terms, I’ll explain them shortly after I get through th...
My goal is to retire in 1500 days at age 43. I am writing this on January 1, 2013, so if all goes according to plan, I’ll sail off into the sunset of early retirement in February of 2017, just i...
Are you on track for a fabulous retirement by age 60? Here is what you need to do to prepare for an early retirement....
3 years ago I did sign up for SS but immanently after doing so I called and cancelled. I spoke with an Asian person on the phone who didn’t speak very good English. I was very clear in English a...
How much do you need to retire early is just a math problem. No secret formula. Definitely no social media guru hawking some overpriced “exclusive course.” It’s knowing exactly what ...
Martin and Caterina in Green Bay are in their 40s and haven’t yet saved a million bucks. Are they on track to retire at age 58? Can Piggie and Kermit in California retire today at ages 50 and 57...
Retiring early sounds amazing until you realize everything is getting more expensive. Some people panic, convinced inflation makes early retirement impossible. That thinking is wrong. It’s not i...
Planning ahead for early retirement can help you avoid some common obstacles. But it will also help you cope if you lose your job unexpectedly....
My husband [61] and I [58] plan to retire in 4 yrs when he turns 65. He is not concerned about the money/budget aspect of our early retirement, but I'm panicking we wont have enough to live on long-te...
Early retirement is the dream. But, it can also an unfortunate reality for many. Worried about a forced retirement? Here is a 5 step plan. The post Forced Into Retirement? Here Are 5 Steps to Take as ...
I am retiring at the end of March. It wasn't when I wanted to retire or how I wanted to retire. Effectively my employer is on a staff/cost reduction initiative and I was offered an early retirement. I...
Early retirement is great. I retired three years ago in my 40s. I love it. But you have to prepare for, and in some cases, accept, the negatives. Most people picture early retirement as endless freedo...
For a lot of us, the idea of an early retirement isn’t just escaping the grind. It’s to stop working ... Read more...
Are you dreaming of breaking free from the 9-to-5 grind decades before your peers? Maybe you’re wondering if you’ve saved enough, if your investments will last, or if you’re just pla...
Just FYI You can apply for retirement benefit up to (4) months before you want them to start. However if you are applying for EARLY retirement benefits you must take certain timing into consideration....
When I first read Rich Dad Poor Dad in my teens, it completely changed how I viewed money. The book introduced me to financial freedom, building assets, and escaping the rat race. Kiyosaki made it sou...
If you must retire early due to disability or to care for a loved one, these six steps to make it work financially....
Hello everyone! I'm 64 and about 5 months from retirement. I guess 65 is considered early retirement these days :-) Not by me! My only real concern/apprehension is that I will have a hard time staying...
As someone who literally wrote the book on how to negotiate a severance package, I love severance case studies! The second rule of FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) is simple: never quit your...