What age people on ER actually retired

[Out of Steam]

The young wife and I retired two weeks apart, when we were 58 and 60, respectively.

My wife and I retired at the same ages, about 9 months apart. Though she worked part time remotely (about 12 hours a week) for another four years.

 

[Out of Steam]

When I was still a teenager, I noticed that the traditional retirement age was 65. I decided to set myself a goal of doing it ten years sooner, and I was lucky enough to make it. 55 and 4 months, which was close enough!

When I was younger, I had hoped to retire at 55 or 56. Becoming a father in my mid-30s made that unlikely, but I managed to do it at 60.

Given the course of my career, 56 would have been the right age to retire. But riding out that workplace storm did have its benefits, including a final year at work that left me with good memories.

 

[CyclingInvestor]

48. Planned 50, but good markets and a suddenly toxic workplace accelerated it.

 

[Out of Steam]

I retired at age 52, but it was from a public safety job that I started at age 22, a week before my 23rd birthday. With some rare exceptions you really do not want 60+ year old firefighters and police officers out there. Those are young people's jobs requiring a higher than normal level of physical fitness.

I take notice of older workers these days, and the high number of older police officers surprises me.

 

[SloHan]

I retired three days after my Birthday age 56. Best present ever!

 

[MC Rider]

Was thinking 65 Medicare age, but quit at 63 due to circumstances beyond my control.
Been 2 years and going good.

 

[ls99]

59.5 exactly.

 

[WhenIsItTime]

I started at mega-corp at 23. Set username to 401k account as 'forty-five'. Retired at 47. Took a bit more than 401k to get to ER, but very blessed.

 

[imjustawarrior]

I retired at 55.

DW retired at 28 to be a SAHM, which is hard work.

At age 44 I was sitting at work trying to figure out what I was going to do. The company was on a slow death spiral. I had seen so many friends and good workers laid off. I knew I needed a plan to be done by 55. I found bogleheads and started my 11 year plan to get out. Fortunately, it was a good market. Also, we got bought out, which proved very lucrative. What a blessing.

 

[Samething]

58 after several one more years. Glad I hung on because it gave me a lot better cushion.

 

[Dalton]

I quit at 53, some life and some death happened in the next year, and decided at the end of that year that I wasn't going back to work because I didn't need or want to.

 

[brett]

Walked away at 58/59.

I could have gone a few years earlier but I was not ready.

I was one of the lucky ones. I had a great job that I loved, a great employer. Albeit stressful, long hours, and a fair amount of travel. Bit of a workaholic.

But...when it is time, it is time. Even though my spouse could hardly believe that I would actually do it!

Never looked back. No remorse whatsoever.

 

[Dash man]

I left for good at 56, one year later than my goal of 55. DW is the same age, but worked three more years because she wanted to. A week after her last day she commented “I should have quit when you did.” She always felt she wouldn’t know what to do with her time. She’s always busy with something.

 

[equakesfan]

I was let go from my Mega-corp job at 44, took a year off, then got a job for the health insurance. Last year I started looking into retirement hoping I could retire at 62. I soon realized that if I included all my goals I still got over 90% success in any retirement calculator I looked at. Did my own research (i.e created a spreadsheet), still found I would be successful. In April at 53.5 worked my last day. Still working on getting the wife to retire too (although she has only worked part time for the last 10 years usually less than 20 hours per week). I may take a fun (coach soccer, referee etc.) or a service job (crossing guard, non-profit) if I get bored when my to do list gets to a manageable length.

 

[doneat54]

2 weeks before my 55th birthday. 7.5 years ago.......

 

[Letj]

52. But I didn't pull the plug as you say. The plug got pulled on me!

Technically though, I was exiled to Paris two years earlier to a pretty much "no show" job ( most here know that story) so maybe it was 49, going on 50.

Not me. Sounds like a great story.

 

[Humbooster]

Fixed by Alan - Thanks!


Curious as to what the most common age people pulled the plug. I see a lot of posts where people mention the "group here is completely different" so wanted to see how different.

Poll says PRIMARY as I know some people do non-profit or some P/T just to stay busy, not (necessarily) for additional income. In any event, you can count that as retired for purposes of this poll.

I left now at 61, but doing some part time work to get out of the house (DW's request )

Flieger

59

 

[Stormy Kromer]

50 years and 5 months. 9 yeaars ago. Wouldn't change a thing.

 

[2017ish]

56 & 57 (effective the same day). We worked a couple of "one more years" to pad the nest egg....

 

[jollystomper]

FireCalc, the Fidelity Retirement planner, and the megacorp - provided personal finance organization all said my numbers were good to retire at age 54. But I chose to keep going - OMY style - to age 60 to built up assets beyond a "good" retirement into an "extravagant" retirement. One of the benefits - which I did not realize until the year I retired - was reaching the 35 year maximum SS taxes paid, so I will get the maximum SS payout. The timing was good for a few other things, such as hitting the maximum growth rate for my pension, and completing college expense payments for our kids.

DW was not sure about retiring, she enjoying teaching high school and college students. But the pandemic, and seeing how much fun I was having , "drove" her to retire at 64.

 

[Drake3287]

54 and I was luckily enough to have a full pension with medical coverage.

 

[c998877]

I retired from all job-related work 3 days after my 55th birthday. I waited until Friday instead of leaving mid week.

 

[Beststash]

52, no earned income for 22 years. Second best move of my life. #1 was marrying my wife - 46 years. ☮

 

[old medic]

I retired at age 52, but it was from a public safety job that I started at age 22, a week before my 23rd birthday. With some rare exceptions you really do not want 60+ year old firefighters and police officers out there. Those are young people's jobs requiring a higher than normal level of physical fitness.

You and I should talk... LOL

 

[FIREd]

I quit working nearly 15 years ago. I was 36.