We adhere to strict standards of editorial integrity to help you make decisions with confidence. Some or all links contained within this article are paid links.
For many, retiring early is a dream. Roughly 59% of American adults surveyed by YouGov in 2024 [1] said they would like to retire before the age of 65.
But if you’re part of the 41% who are still considering a traditional retirement age, there could be plenty of reasons to reconsider.
Trending Now
- Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don’t have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here’s how
- I’m 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don’t panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast)
- Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake — here’s what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP
Here are three surprising statistics that could change the way you look at your golden years and retirement plans.
1. Healthy life expectancy is just 64 years
While the average American lives to about 76.4 years, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) [2], not all of those years are spent in good health. In fact, the healthy life expectancy — the number of years you can expect to live without serious health issues — is just 63.9.
If you plan to retire at age 65, you’ve already crossed this threshold. You might be healthier and in better shape than many of your peers, but your chances of needing medical attention have significantly ticked up at this age.
For those thinking about retiring early, this is an important reality check. While not everyone will deal with significant health issues in their later years, retiring sooner could give you more active, healthy time to travel, pursue passions or spend meaningful time with loved ones — before your health becomes a limiting factor.
This highlights the importance of planning ahead — not just financially, but medically. Investing in long-term care insurance can help protect your retirement savings and ensure you get the care you need without placing a burden on your loved ones.
If you’re concerned that Medicare might not cover your expenses, there are other insurance options you can consider. Long-term care insurance offers coverage for the costs of in-home assistance, nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
When considering long-term care insurance, GoldenCare offers different options based on your needs, including hybrid life or annuity with long-term care benefits, short-term care, extended care, home health care, assisted living and traditional long-term care insurance.
For Americans under 65 — including those with pre-existing conditions — U65 Health Insurance offers a valuable way to strengthen your healthcare coverage. It allows you to easily compare and access a range of health insurance plans tailored to your needs.
Funding affordable health insurance with U65 Health Insurance is quick, simple and free. Just enter your ZIP code, age range and household income, then U65 Health Insurance will search top providers in your area to find the best options for your needs.
You’ll be able to compare plans from trusted names like United Health, Kaiser, Anthem, Cigna, Oscar Health, Aetna, Molina Health, Blue Shield of California, eHealth and Select Quote. Once you review and pick your preferred coverage, you’re good to go.
Read more: Robert Kiyosaki warns of a ‘Greater Depression’ coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 ‘easy-money’ assets will bring in ‘great wealth’. How to get in now
2. Most people spend 90,000 hours at work
According to data scientist Andrew Naber [3], the average American will spend around 90,000 hours working over the course of their career. That’s an enormous chunk of life — time you’ll never get back.
For some, this realization might be the push they need to consider early retirement. If you work a 35-hour week, retiring just five years early could free up about 9,100 hours. This is time you could use however you choose — enough to take three 120-day world cruises or finally pursue the hobbies and dreams you’ve been putting off.
That could be one reason why more people are looking for ways to retire earlier than the traditional age of 65. And one of the most effective ways to do just that? Start investing early and consistently, one option being time-tested safe havens like gold. The precious metal hit a record high of over $3,600 per ounce in September 2025. Meanwhile, JPMorgan is forecasting [4] that gold could surpass the $4,000 benchmark in 2026.
You can take advantage of the long-term market potential of this precious metal by starting a gold IRA with help from Thor Metals .
They offer expert guidance and secure storage of your precious metals assets in partnership with IRS-approved depositories. Plus, you can get $20,000 in free precious metals with a qualifying purchase.
Gold isn’t the only path to early retirement. Another simple and affordable strategy is automatically saving your spare change from everyday purchases.
With Acorns, you can start investing automatically by simply rounding up your everyday purchases and saving your spare change. How it works is simple: Just use a linked credit or debit card to make a purchase and Acorns will take care of the rest. Suppose you grab lunch for $17.25 during a hectic workday. Acorns will round it up to $18 and automatically invests the extra $0.75.
From here, Acorns will put that money towards ETFs tailored to your risk profile. If you want to supercharge your investing you can also set up recurring monthly deposits to give yourself a boost.
And the best part? If you sign up with a regular deposit Acorns will give you a bonus $20 to get things started.
3. Early retirement can reduce depression
The circumstances under which you retire could have a big impact on your mental health. That’s according to a study published in the Global Health Research and Policy journal [5]. Those who retired under favorable circumstances with aspirational reasons reduced their risk of depression. In contrast, those who retired under negative circumstances had worse mental health outcomes.
Retiring by choice while you’re still relatively young and healthy could reduce your risk of depression. But if you wait too long, you increase the chances of being pushed out of the workforce involuntarily, whether that’s due to an issue that might arise with your physical health or something else.
Taking control of your destiny and retiring on your own terms is one way to have a smoother retirement. For some, this means retiring early.
What about the money?
Although 59% of Americans want to retire early, only 40% of them believe they can actually pull it off, according to YouGov. This gap could be the result of economic anxieties and the rising cost of living. After all, no one wants to retire without a robust financial safety net.
However, this fear of running out of money isn’t the case for everyone. Data from the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s Retirement Readiness Rating [6] shows that nearly 60% of those aged 35 to 64 are on track to have the money they need for retirement. Although that’s a heartening figure, it still leaves four-out-of-ten Americans in a tough spot.
Building up your retirement savings remains essential. When it comes to your future, it’s always better to be overprepared than underfunded.
One of the most effective ways to avoid running out of money in retirement is to build your savings — and be strategic about where you keep them. Instead of relying solely on a traditional savings account, which typically offers low interest rates, you could consider opening a high-yield option instead.
With a Wealthfront Cash account, you could earn up to 4.50% APY on your uninvested cash for your first three months (0.50% APY boost on top of the 4.00% base variable APY), provided by program banks. That’s over ten times the national deposit savings rate, according to the FDIC’s September report. This could make a cash account a good home for your money — especially if you prize liquidity.
With no minimum balances or account fees, as well as 24/7 withdrawals and free domestic wire transfers, you can also ensure that your funds remain accessible at all times. Plus, Wealthfront Cash account balances of up to $8 million are insured by the FDIC.
Navigating your finances — whether it’s saving for retirement, investing or planning for major life goals — can be complex and overwhelming. A financial advisor brings expert guidance, helping you make informed decisions, avoid costly mistakes and stay on track with a personalized plan.
That’s probably why over 90% of the wealthiest Americans rely on financial advisors, according to a Bank of America study [7].
But if you’re not sure where to find a qualified advisor, Advisor.com can help match you with an advisor who can meet your specific needs. The platform’s advisors are also fiduciaries, meaning they’re legally obligated to act in your best interests.
From there, you can book a no-obligation call to see if they’re the right fit for you.
What to read next
- Goldman Sachs says this asset class is behaving more like Manhattan real estate than oil — and here’s how ‘opportunistic’ buyers can get in before its price keeps skyrocketing
- The ultrarich monopoly on prime US real estate is over — use these 5 golden keys to unlock passive rental income now (with as little as $10)
- This tiny hot Costco item has skyrocketed 74% in price in under 2 years — but now the retail giant is restricting purchase. Here’s how to buy the coveted asset in bulk
- Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it
Stay in the know. Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise sent straight to your inbox every week for free. Subscribe now.
Article sources
At Moneywise, we consider it our responsibility to produce accurate and trustworthy content people can rely on to inform their financial decisions. We rely on vetted sources such as government data, financial records and expert interviews and highlight credible third-party reporting when appropriate.
We are committed to transparency and accountability, correcting errors openly and adhering to the best practices of the journalism industry. For more details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
[1]. YouGov. “Clocking out: US retirement report 2024”
[2]. World Health Organization. “United States of America: Health data overview for the United States of America”
[3]. Gettysburg College. “One third of your life is spent at work”
[4]. JP Morgan. “Will gold prices break $4,000/oz in 2026?”
[5]. BioMed Central. “Mental health around retirement: evidence of Ashenfelter’s dip”
[6]. Employee Benefit Research Institute. “Changes in Retirement Security From SECURE 1.0 and 2.0: Evidence From EBRI’s Retirement Security Projection Model”
[7]. Bank of America. “2024 Bank of America Private Bank Study of Wealthy Americans”
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Related Posts
