Key Takeaways 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. There may be ways to chart a middle course—cutting back on work without fully retiring.
Retiring Between Ages 41 – 45 (The Best Age Range To Retire)
You're likely in your prime earning years, making leaving your job that much harder. But after 20+ years of work, you won't feel as much shame retiring or taking things down a notch. After all, you've been working longer than the time you spent in school.
If you work, and are at full retirement age or older, you may keep all of your benefits, no matter how much you earn. If you're younger than full retirement age, there is a limit to how much you can earn and still receive full Social Security benefits.
If you start collecting your benefits at age 65 you could receive approximately $33,773 per year or $2,814 per month. This is 44.7% of your final year's income of $75,629. This is only an estimate. Actual benefits depend on work history and the complete compensation rules used by Social Security.
You'll Get a Bigger Social Security Check – Guaranteed
Instead, if you wait to take your benefits until after your FRA, Social Security will add an 8% delayed retirement credit (opens in new tab) to your eventual monthly payout each year you hold off, up until age 70.
The finding echoes a few others, the New York Times reports: “An analysis in the United States found about seven years of retirement can be as good for health as reducing the chance of getting a serious disease (like diabetes or heart conditions) by 20 percent.
The average retirement age in Australia is 55
However, the average age people aged 45+ said they expected to retire – 65.5 years – was much later than the average retirement age. And on average, Australians can expect to live to 85 for women and 81 for men (ABS, 2021).
The retirement age will increase from 65 to 67 over a 22-year period, with an 11-year hiatus at which the retirement age will remain at 66. The original Social Security Act of 1935 set the minimum age for receiving full retirement benefits at 65.
A good retirement income is about 80% of your pre-retirement income before leaving the workforce. For example, if your pre-retirement income is $5,000 you should aim to have a $4,000 retirement income.
“Several experts on retirement have given various estimates about how much you need to save: close to $1 million, 80% to 90% of your yearly income before quitting work, and 12 times what you used to make annually.”
If you delay taking your benefits from your full retirement age up to age 70, your benefit amount will increase. If you start receiving benefits early, your benefits are reduced a small percent for each month before your full retirement age.
Continuing to work past the traditional retirement age gives many the opportunity to add more money to their nest egg — and delay Social Security, which will bump up their eventual benefits check.
66-67 – Depending on your year of birth, your Full Retirement Age (FRA) will be between 66 and 67. For example, if you were born in 1955, your FRA is 66 years and 2 months while if your birth year was 1959, your FRA is 66 years and 10 months. For those born in 1960 or later, full retirement age is 67.
Currently, the full benefit age is 66 years and 2 months for people born in 1955, and it will gradually rise to 67 for those born in 1960 or later. Early retirement benefits will continue to be available at age 62, but they will be reduced more.
It's never too late to start saving money for your retirement. Starting at age 35 means you have 30 years to save for retirement, which will have a substantial compounding effect, particularly in tax-sheltered retirement vehicles.
Retiring on $4,000 a month will give the average American plenty of options for a fulfilling retirement—and leave some room to splurge on the grandkids and travel.
Average monthly expenditures for those 65 and older — including rent, groceries and healthcare — stand at around $4,345, according to the latest government data.
Many people start using their super savings as soon as they retire and can access their super, but you don't have to. If you have other income sources or savings to live on, you could leave your savings in your super account. This means your money stays invested and could continue to benefit from investment returns.
Early retirement can affect your Social Security benefits. If you retire at 63, you can start drawing your Social Security benefits even though they will be around 25% to 30% lower than if you wait until after your full retirement year. Retiring later rather than earlier may benefit you in other ways.
The common definition of early retirement is any age before 65—that's when you qualify for Medicare benefits. Currently, men retire at an average age of 64, while for women the average retirement age is 62.
seniors and pensioners who, at the end of the relevant financial year, are 66 years of age or older (for example, to be eligible for the year ending 30 June 2021, a payee must be born on or before 30 June 1955)
If you qualify for the Government Age Pension, you'll receive a payment every two weeks. As at October 2022, that means a maximum of about $980 for a single person or around $1,480 for a couple. Or around $25,670 a year if you're a single person and around $38,700 a year for a couple.
According to the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia's Retirement Standard, to have a 'comfortable' retirement, a couple who own their own home will need an income of about $67,000. A single person will need an annual income of more than $47,000.