# Did anyone successfully navigate retiring before age 65 (as an American), and if so how did you do it **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 4, 2026, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-successfully-navigate-retiring-before-age-65-as-an-american-and-if-so-how-did-you-do-it/1033580 "2026-10-04T21:34:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-successfully-navigate-retiring-before-age-65-as-an-american-and-if-so-how-did-you-do-it/1033580/81 "2026-10-08T18:54:42Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > Stock market returns change all the time. Mortgage rates only change if it’s an adjustable rate mortgage (which someone would be insane to take when rates were in the 3% range). But once a mortgage is taken, the rate is fixed for the life of the loan. That makes the interest rate arbitrage much simpler to manage. my point was the fixed rate mortgage rates in 2018 are different than 1987. you can refinance when rates are low, but the extra low rates we are used to may have been temporary and not something we will see again, unless there is another economic collapse and 10 year treasury yields drop to near zero. [![](https://econbrowser.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/gs10longpix1.png) ](https://econbrowser.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/gs10longpix1.png) ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-successfully-navigate-retiring-before-age-65-as-an-american-and-if-so-how-did-you-do-it/1033580/82 "2026-10-08T19:26:13Z")
I did pretty well by saving 9% with a partial employer match making it effectively 14% over 38 years. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-successfully-navigate-retiring-before-age-65-as-an-american-and-if-so-how-did-you-do-it/1033580/83 "2026-10-26T05:43:36Z")
I worked as a teacher for 30 years, while my wife worked part time as an RN for about 28 years. Even though our combined income wasn’t great, we are somewhat frugal, and I started investing on my own at age 35. Additionally I chose to use the optional IRA program offered by my school district in addition to the mandatory state retirement program. My wife also had a modest IRA and social security. I hoped that my investment goal of 85% (of my last years employment) post work retirement income would be possible using these financial retirement monetary sources would meet that goal…and they did, quite handily. I reluctantly retired at age 59 at my wife’s request, and have enjoyed my retirement immensely! ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-successfully-navigate-retiring-before-age-65-as-an-american-and-if-so-how-did-you-do-it/1033580/84 "2026-11-02T22:48:52Z")
I’m a retired fed, and even though I have a pension, I maxed my 401(k). And I’m glad I did. But I had a very good, diverse selection of low-fee, well-run funds to choose from. I have friends whose retirement accounts got wiped out in 2009 because their employers only offered them lousy, possibly shady investment funds. So I can understand the sentiment that sometimes, defined-contribution plans are not a good replacement for defined benefit planes. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-successfully-navigate-retiring-before-age-65-as-an-american-and-if-so-how-did-you-do-it/1033580/85 "2026-11-03T23:15:47Z")
Want to know what’s worse? My buddy who worked for Countrywide in 2008 and it was all in company stock. Oops ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2026, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-successfully-navigate-retiring-before-age-65-as-an-american-and-if-so-how-did-you-do-it/1033580/86 "2026-11-04T02:52:09Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Retirement is by far the best job I’ve ever had. I agree, but my Boss is a real asshole! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2026, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-successfully-navigate-retiring-before-age-65-as-an-american-and-if-so-how-did-you-do-it/1033580/87 "2026-11-04T17:08:45Z")
Divorce her. [/s] A common refrain about being self-employed is that you’ll have the worst boss of your life. Been there, done that, have the t-shirt. A couple in fact. OTOH, my retirement has had a pretty easy boss. So far. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-successfully-navigate-retiring-before-age-65-as-an-american-and-if-so-how-did-you-do-it/1033580.md?page=4)