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Early Retirement: Is It Right for You?
Early retirement, generally defined as retiring before age 62, has become an increasingly popular goal, fueled in part by the FIRE movement, which stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early.
While retiring young offers freedom and flexibility, it introduces financial challenges that require significantly more preparation than a traditional retirement at 65 or 67. The most pressing issues include funding a retirement that could span 40 or more years, bridging the gap to Medicare eligibility at 65, navigating Social Security timing since you cannot claim until 62 at the earliest, and ensuring your investment portfolio can sustain withdrawals over a much longer horizon. Early retirees also need strategies for accessing retirement account funds before age 59.5 without incurring penalties, often through Roth conversion ladders, SEPP distributions, or taxable brokerage accounts. The discipline required to achieve early retirement, typically saving 50% or more of income and living well below your means, also means most early retirees have developed strong financial habits. Whether early retirement is achievable and sustainable depends on your savings rate, investment returns, expenses, and flexibility. Moore Invested helps clients pursuing early retirement build realistic, stress-tested plans.
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