How to Retire Young - First You Stop Working

How to retire young should be a question morethey must have to retire.
people raise in today's poor economic climate.It usually goes like this you have to have 20 years of
Instead it seems more people want to continue towhat you spend to retire ( the 4% withdrawal
work, accumulating more money, to make sure theycrowd) or you must have enough assets to provide
won't outlive their resources.75% of what you spent when you worked.
Why not take the approach of retiring young whileThe number one reason you think you need more to
you can enjoy yourself?retire than you really do is...you think you are going to
What are the things that could happen if you dolive in the same neighborhood, doing the same things
retire young?in retirement that you did when you worked.
* You really enjoy being retired, and decide to live onThis mindset is poison when you ask how to retire
less to stay retired.young? The answer is you can't. Let's take a "normal"
* You wonder what took you so long to retireretirement scenario. Realize there is no normal
* You retire, don't modify your spending, have toscenario, yours is unique to you, and you alone. Let's
return to work.say you move to Florida to fish, play golf, enjoy the
* You retire, modify your spending, supplement yourgrand kids.
income with part time work, in order to stay retiredWhat you are not doing now is buying suits and
In any case you have experienced retirement at andresses for work. You won't need a winter coat.
age where you can really enjoy yourself. No one canWith a little planning you won't need 2 cars. You
take the experience away from you. Do you see awon't feel the need to compete with your neighbors.
downside?Whoever thought of: " He who has the most
The alternative, which we have been led to think istoys...wins" was close to the truth for most people. It
the norm, is wait until you are 65. "Normal" retirementis a deadly mindset, that makes retirement seem
age...That's not how to retire young. If you retire atunattainable.
45 vs 65, it is almost a given you will be in betterYou will spend less when you retire if you realize that
health, have more energy, want to travel more, etc.retiring with less is better than working and "waiting"
Why does this fact escape most people? Why notfor a certain number to appear on your statement.
enjoy life while you can? Who can assure us we willBy working you are swapping years for dollars.
be on the right side of the sod at 65, 55, and 75?How to retire young should be an easy question to
The erosion of retirement assets in 2008 wasanswer. Stop working, enjoy yourself while you are
staggering. Anyone close to retirement has openedstill able physically. The longer you wait the closer you
their brokerage statements with fear and trembling.are to your memorial service. The worse thing that
This should make us pause and realize that there arecan happen is returning to work. If you get a taste
really no guarantees in life. The reaction, that is soof retirement, and enjoy it like I know you will. I think
depressing, of most folks is...after 2008, now I can'tyou will exhaust all the options for frugal retirement
retire until I work another 5 or 10 years. Why? Toliving before giving up on retirement.
reach a magic number that their financial planner says