Age 65 has long been considered a typical retirement age, in part because of rules around Social Security benefits. In 1940, when the Social Security program began, workers could receive unreduced retirement benefits beginning at age 65.
If instead they wait until age 70, they stand to get the largest possible benefits. Research from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College shows that Americans mostly tend to claim retirement benefits either around 62 or their full retirement age as defined by Social Security.
If you want to retire in your 50s, it is perfectly legal. It's important to remember that 55 is not the average age for retirement—Social Security's normal retirement age is 66 and four months — or 67. The higher age means you have to wait until then to start receiving Social Security benefits.
Leaving the workforce before the traditional age of 65 is typically considered early retirement. You can start collecting Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62, but you won't receive your full benefits.
A paper attributed to the aircraft-maker Boeing shows that employees who retire at 55 live to, on average, 83. But those who retire at 65 only last, on average, another 18 months. The "Boeing study" has been quoted by newspapers, magazines and pundits. It's circulated on the internet for years.
At 62, the average retirement age was the highest Gallup reported in its 20 years of tracking retirement trends. Even in pre-pandemic 2019 and in 2020, the average retirement age was 61. At the same time, 2021's expected retirement age of 64 was lower than in previous years: It was 66 in 2020 and 65 in 2019.
Reason #1: Retire Early if You Want to Stay Healthier Longer
But not all work is good for you; sometimes it's detrimental to your health. Retiring at 62 from a backbreaking job or one with a disproportionately high level of stress can help you retain, or regain, your good health and keep it longer.
Retiring early can actually lengthen your life, economists from the University of Amsterdam affirmed in a 2017 study published in the journal of Health and Economics. ... For one, retiring frees you up, allowing you more time to invest in your health.
Pros of retiring early include health benefits, opportunities to travel, or starting a new career or business venture. Cons of retiring early include the strain on savings, due to increased expenses and smaller Social Security benefits, and a depressing effect on mental health.
So can you retire at 55 and collect Social Security? The answer, unfortunately, is no. The earliest age to begin drawing Social Security retirement benefits is 62. ... Once you turn 62, you could claim Social Security retirement benefits but your earnings from consulting work could affect how much you collect.
You can begin collecting your Social Security benefits as early as age 62, but you'll get smaller monthly payments for the rest of your life if you do. Even so, claiming benefits early can be a sensible choice for people in certain circumstances.
The normal retirement age is typically 65 or 66 for most people; this is when you can begin drawing your full Social Security retirement benefit. It could make sense to retire earlier or later, however, depending on your financial situation, needs and goals.
60 may not be too early to retire, but it is too early for Social Security. ... Claiming benefits before full retirement age not only reduces your retirement benefits, but it'll also reduce spousal benefits. If your benefits from your own working record are likely to be roughly equal, this won't matter much.
You can collect Social Security retirement benefits at age 62 and still work. If you earn over a certain amount, however, your benefits will be temporarily reduced until you reach full retirement age.
At age 62: $2,364. At age 65: $2,993. At age 66: $3,240. At age 70: $4,194.
Generally speaking, no. You can only enroll in Medicare at age 62 if you meet one of these criteria: You have been on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for at least two years. You are on SSDI because you suffer from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.
The full retirement age is 66 if you were born from 1943 to 1954. The full retirement age increases gradually if you were born from 1955 to 1960 until it reaches 67. For anyone born 1960 or later, full retirement benefits are payable at age 67.
The Very Beginning or End of the Year
If you lack cash reserves to cover your living expenses for a while following retirement, the best time to retire might be at the very beginning or very end of the year. ... Also, be aware of your age before you start withdrawing money from retirement accounts.
The 4% rule essentially hypothesizes that, based on past U.S. investment returns, a retiree expecting to live 30 years in retirement should be safe (in other words will have money left over at death), if she withdraws approximately 4% of her retirement capital each year, adjusting the income annually for inflation.
The study showed that those in retirement spent less time on things like working, educational activities, and caring for others like their children. They spent more time on things like personal care, eating, household activities, shopping, leisure, civic activities and talking on the phone.
Many financial planners recommend that healthy clients plan as if they will live into their 90s or even to age 100. "We generally have used a target life expectancy of 95 years for financial projection purposes," says Jennifer Morrell, a certified financial planner for Nevils Financial in Wakefield, Massachusetts.
Machinists, musi cians, and printers live from 35 to 40, and clerks, operatives and teachers are the shortest lived of all being, only from 30 to 35.