Ask the Readers: When Do You Want to Retire?
Editor's Note: Congratulations to tricia, Gina, and Natalie for winning this week's contest!
For most people, retirement is a goal to work towards. A good number of Americans want to wait until they can receive full social security benefits, but many would prefer to enjoy retirement much sooner. And there are those who want to keep working and don't want to fully retire at all!
When do you want to retire? Are you on track for reaching your retirement goals by then? What do you want to do after you have retired?
Tell us at what age you want to retire and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!
Win 1 of 3 $20 Amazon Gift Cards
We're doing three giveaways — here's how you can win!
Mandatory Entry:
- Post your answer in the comments below. One commenter will be randomly selected to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!
For Extra Entries:
- You can tweet about our giveaway for an extra entry. Also, our Facebook fans can get an extra entry too! Use our Rafflecopter widget for your chance to win one of the other two Amazon Gift Cards:
If you're inspired to write a whole blog post OR you have a photo on flickr to share, please link to it in the comments or tweet it.
Giveaway Rules:
- Contest ends Monday, June 8th at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. Winners will be announced after June 8th on the original post. Winners will also be contacted via email.
- You can enter all three drawings — once by leaving a comment, once by liking our Facebook update, and once by tweeting.
- This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered, or associated with Facebook.
- You must be 18 and US resident to enter. Void where prohibited.
Good Luck!
Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.
Wise Bread is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
I would like to retire in my 50s
My magic number is 63. I'm not one of those people who want to retire early. I want to maximize my benefits as much as I can but not wait too long that I can't enjoy it.
I want to retire when I am 65 years old. I can not wait.
We don't ever want to fully retire. We'd like to at least continue working in a part-time capacity.
I'd like to retire by the time I'm 65 -- that said, I'm aiming for the academic sphere, so I figure I'll hang around for a while.
When my hubby and I are in our mid to late 60's, I think. Who knows if SSecurity will even be around then, so we'll have to make sure we can take care of ourselves.
I want to retire as soon as possible but will probably never be able to retire. I want to do absolutely nothing when I retire - just relax.
My goal was 66 but things became very, very stressful at work. Although I have been looking for another job apparently no one is looking for me. I consider myself retired now.
We will retire in about 5-10 years. DH is almost 57 and I'm 54. DD is still in middle school and it would be more comfortable to retire after she's done with college. However, we're in very good shape right now and a lot depends on the work situation. We will move out of state once we do retire; NJ is very expensive.
I would like to retire by the time I'm 50 (or sooner!) I think I'm on track!
I would love to be retired by age 60 (if not earlier). I definitely want to travel as much as possible in my retirement.
If I continue to save and invest at my current rate, I should be on track. Of course, this assumes nothing crazy happens with the market!
I would love to retire right now if I could lol.
Um, tomorrow? No, realistically I have so long until I retire (I'm 33) that's it's hard for me to imagine. My mom is 64 and probably going to retire this year, so mid-60s seems reasonable. But if I can pay my mortgage off early maybe I could go down to part-time before then.
At the end of this year. I will be 50 this month and lost my husband of 15 years a little over 2 years ago. THAT puts a whole lotta stuff into perspective.
Priorities get aligned very quickly when you are dealt such a hand and I realized that work is very low on my list. We don't need a lot of income but I'm really looking forward to getting rid of stress-related aches and headaches.
57 would be my retirement-age goal
I would like to continue to volunteer.
I would love to take an early retirement to travel to new lands, explore the world and enjoy the life I've built. My goal is 53.
Id like to retire at 60
It's tough for me to come up with a number since I'm only 27 now, but obviously the younger the better! I would love to travel as much as possible in retirement, but by that age I may be more interested in spending time with family/grandkids.
I'll be retired by 50 (in 5 years)
I love my job so I don't want to retire until I am about 60.
Right now I will wait until my full retirement age of 70. But I would love to go sooner if I could so I can travel!
I would love to retire by mid 40's!
I would love to retire when I am 65 or 66 because I like my job and I want to max out my benefits. I am just starting to save for retirement. I want to volunteer when I retire.
What does retirement mean? For me, it's being busier than ever but now I am working without pay doing what I love - volunteering. It took decades and decades of saving and investing early and wisely to be able to live a full life on retirement funds.
I retired a age 50 after my husband died. I did so because grief made it hard to continue working and my employer was in the process of reduction of force. I could have stayed but they made me a very good deal; one that I probably could not pass up. Once retired after three months I got bored. Then reopened my husband's business but changed the focus to being a consultant. Then I took a job part time as well, actually two plus my own business. Then as I began to settle into retirement more I took a cruise, visited relatives, and began to close my business and slowly got out of my part time jobs. Once retired I began to pursue more my hobbies, made new friends as well as kept old ones. Then since I never stopped learning, I wrote a book and had it published. During my retirement I intend to keep growing and learning. Write more. Make time to enjoy life and now I can enjoy the slow down--unlike at age 50. The key has more to do with readiness not age. Retirement can mean anything which makes you happy--even work.
I plan to wait to use my retirement savings as late as possible, after 70. I'll have to take money out of the IRAs so plan on still putting money away for when I'm really old.
I'd like to retire now, but more likely both my husband and I will have to keep working part-time for most of our lives, unfortunately.
We hope to retire at 62. However I plan to continue to work part-time.
55 ...just a few more years
ASAP, of course!
When I'm 62. Hopefully.
I guess when we have enough money and can't stand our jobs anymore?
65
When I become a SAHM I won't go back to work. I consider this retiring and that will happen this fall!!
I would love to be able to retire now (in my 40s) while I am still relatively young and healthy so I could travel much more and enjoy life but, realistically, I will probably work into my 60s.
I want to retire in my mid-60s.
55!!!! But that's not realistic - I'm guessing I'll first transition back to full time work in 5-6 years at 56ish and then will work for another ten years - sigh
I retired less than a year ago
I'm aiming for 67 (I'm 53 now), although my husband wants to retire at 62 (he's a year younger than I am). We don't see ourselves as retiring full-time. We both would probably want part-time jobs to supplement our finances and also so we don't get bored!
I want to retire at 59.
I think semi-retirement (part time, consulting) would be nice to start in the early 60's. We want time to travel and relax together -- but too much of that can be boring and unhealthy! I think we are on track to meet our goals but it can be so hard to know what you will truly need in the future.
I honestly have not even thought about retiring... although I wish I could do it now!
63
40.
I'll be 66 this year and I'm still working in a flexible way as a freelance writer for technology companies. I'm not actively seeking new clients, but I continue to work for long-standing ones. I'll continue in this vein for as long as the work comes in, I'm able to do it, and it interests me. I earn good money for part-time work this way, which has afforded me the opportunity to babysit grandchildren 2 days a week and to take on interesting volunteer work for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. I've also begun tutoring in English and writing on the side as another revenue stream. This year I'll start taking spousal social security benefits, hoping to defer my own benefits until age 70. I haven't had to start taking payouts from my IRA yet--hoping to defer that until 70 as well. The theme of my retirement is to stay meaningfully active with work and life.
Retire at 67. Full SS & Medicare.
I want to retire when I am 60 or sooner. Yes I am an idealist, but I want to enjoy my life.
I retired at age 50. Got bored went back to work and retired again at age 62. I enjoy learning new things.
I'd like to retire at 60. Based on where I'm at now, I should be able to.
52!
Already retired earlier than I expected just before turning 60. Had a great opportunity due to corporate restructuring and took it.
I'd like to retire at 65 and then travel and spend time with family.
I would love to retire now, but I'm thinking maybe 65? I'm worried about getting bored!
Now, at age 60.
OK, I still am working part time from home, but I have just retired from working for anyone else away from home.
Tired, disillusioned, just can't do it anymore. Getting older puts life in a different perspective. I know what matters to me and won't settle for less.
Less money, yes. But not less life.
I would like to retire at age 62. I am 51 and counting the days!
I'll be retiring in 4 months, 26 days, at the age of 60 1/2! I'm excited! This has been years in the planning stage - now it's happening!
For me it just depends on what I am doing and where I am at in my life. If I'm in a career that I'm passionate about and allows flexibility than I may never want to retire.
My house is paid for in 2018 and the kids would graduate college in 2021 so somewhere between 2020 and 2021.
65, if everything goes as planned. 60 if everything goes really, really well.
I don't know if I ever want to completely retire. I want to be able to go freelance by the time I'm 40 (I'm 33 now) and I think that is achievable based on where I'm at right now - maybe even earlier. After that point, I could see working for many, many years as long as I'm my own boss and can take time off when I want. I definitely want to stop "needing" to work around 55.
I work at a computer in a pharmacy, not a hard job, and would like to keep working as long as my eyes and my knees hold out (the perils of commuting to a night job in a very severe winter climate.) But I'll be 67 in September and will probably leave sooner, due to my husband who is older, retired and beginning not to do well when left alone all day.
Sometime in my 40s, i.e. in the next ten years.
Of course, "retired" to me means: have enough $ to live off of writing/art/editing/freelance adventures.
I don't mind working. I like working. I just don't want to do it for someone else.
I would love to retire by 60 and we plan on living down at the Coast. My husband will chrater boats and I will take up photography.
I am shooting for 57. I'm 50 now. I want to travel and relax. I have been at my same job for 28 years.
I'm planning on 65/66. At this point I'm not planning on retiring early because I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I'm sure that will change.
Looking to retire by 62. House will be paid off. Kid will be out of college and hopefully on to a successful career.
I would like to retire right this minute, but alas, I must work for about 10 more years.
I would like to retire as soon as possible, but I will most likely have to wait until age 67
I would like to retire when I'm 65 and maybe work part time.
I am going to retire today. I am 51, have been a teacher for 28 years and was able to purchase the years necessary for a full pension thanks to investing in a 403b at a young age.
I would love to retire by age 60 - only 30 more years to go!
I'd like to retire around age 61-63.
My goal is to retire when I am 60 and my wife is 61. We're generally on track for that, but would certainly like to retire earlier if possible. There's too much life out there to experience beyond work.
Right now I love working and would want to continue at least part-time into my 60s! Of course that might change later on haha.
Around the age 60 would be great
i woul love to retire now!! but realistically in my 50s ;)
I want to retire at 60