Not everyone can retire young, but even those with financial means of quitting their jobs often choose to wait.
Why retire young? That’s a more controversial question than you might imagine
Young retirements in pure leisure life may sound like a dream, but for many, it can quickly lose its appeal (don’t worry about the financial stress that comes with early retirement.
Research consistently shows that what maintains long-term happiness is not endless relaxation. Meaning, purpose, and engagement. When people leave their work without clearly feeling what comes next, they often drift away themselves. The loss of structure, identity, and social connections that work offers can lead to boredom, restlessness and even depression.
Rather than aiming to get out of early retirement, a more fulfilling approach is Act 2– Anything that involves meaningful work, creative pursuits, volunteering, or mentoring. People thrive when they feel connected to something bigger than they do. Whether it’s part-time work, passion projects, or giving back to the community, continuing to contribute in any way is often more satisfying than a purely relaxed life. In short, you will retire from work, not for purpose.
Boldin users answer the question: Why retire younger
In a post of Boldin Facebook Groupand hundreds of comments answered the question, “Why are you young when your retirement lasts for so long?” The responses were roughly equally divided into the following eight categories:
Here’s a summary of the answers to why Boldin users strive to retire early:
1. Retire young to gain freedom
“Enjoying wastefulness doesn’t waste time. ” – Bertrand Russell
Retiring young people enjoy the simple pleasure of retiring and having complete control over time, not always about certain modest goals.
In fact, controlling their lives and their sense of freedom was the reason why people wanted to retire young was most frequently mentioned. Whether you have time to sleep, do nothing, or pursue a hobby, golf, woodworking, knitting, etc. (the activities mentioned were varied)
- Joseph said, “That’s the best thing about retirement. You don’t need to make a certain plan. I’ll take it at once.”
- John was even more direct. “I definitely don’t do anything. I won’t start doing it until after noon. I love the freedom to do what I want whenever I want.
- Rosalyn looks forward to the “day I wake up early, not because I want to.”
- Brad had planned his financial freedom and how he would spend his time after retirement. He writes: “I started planning for years before I left, and I retired at all, just as most things didn’t follow my plans. My job wasn’t just my life.
- Michelle pursues fun, swimming, pickle balls, boating, reading, bicycles, banco, travel and more. She put together this young retirement philosophy, saying, “Some people live their lives to work, others work to live,” and retired because there are thousands of other things I want to do. ”
Need inspiration? Here are 120 ideas about what to do in retirement.
2. I want to run away from work
“I would rather eat rice and beans so that I can do what I love, rather than do the job of paying me well.” – Author of Darius Foroux Think straight
Many people feel that their work is soulless and think that even if it means financial sacrifice (although often not) they would choose to quit.
Escape from stressful jobs is the second biggest reason people have quoted for early retirement. Janet put it all together in this comment. “That’s not what you do, you don’t need to do it anymore.
- James said, “If work becomes a metric of your identity and self-worth, you have already failed in your life.”
- “Work wasn’t going to define who I was. Some people stick to the job because they can’t think of what to do without it. My goal in life was not to be seen in the job.
- Being “deep in menopause” caused Stacey and retired young. She said, “I don’t want to put up with all my workplace anymore, or I don’t have to hold back on nonsense anymore.”
Do you like your job and are you planning to retire? That’s okay too
It is important to note that many people actually enjoy their work and find meaning and purpose in their work. And that’s 100% okay too. It is commendable to delay your retirement as you love your work and feel that you are contributing to the world. And you are lucky to have a fulfilling job.
3. trip
“Work fills your pockets, and adventure fills your soul.” -Unknown
There’s something about travel and retirement. Research shows that it is the number one goal for most people and confirms that the answer to this question is true. Whether it’s a camping, RV trip or a full world tour, having time to travel is a big reason why people retire early.
4. family
“Family doesn’t matter, it’s all.” – Michael J. Fox
Love is always the answer to everything.
People retire early and spend time with their spouses, children, grandchildren, and elderly parents.
- Brian wrote a comment from Lanai in Hawaii. He said, “When my wife got cancer (now without cancer), we realized that we shouldn’t let each other get away from most of our waking hours at work… The work was great, I did a lot of good things.
- Wendy prioritized time with her daughter. She said, “I would have traveled 80% as a consultant and missed at least 50% of my daughter’s activities. She wouldn’t have done that much.
- Many said they gave the young retired people time to spend with their parents and help them age. Nancy’s mom had to move with her. She said, “My finances were so much that I didn’t have to work. Spending four and a half years with my mother was an incredible gift. She passed away last summer.”
5. Early retirement has always been a goal and they prepared well.
“All you need is a plan, a roadmap and the courage to push it to your destination.” – Earl Night Engale
Some people know almost for life that they don’t want to work in old age. And while others set goals a little later, they are carefully planning early retirement.
With Facebook groups like Boldin’s, people are actively managing their finances and preparing for the future they want, so they find more people than the average who retire early.
- “We were aggressive savers. We worked in stressful, high-paying jobs. We aimed to retire early and we did that,” Tom D. said.
- Dennis changed his life a lot to allow him to retire. “I moved to Mexico last year and was able to pay cash for my house and car, and now that those tings have been achieved, I am asking myself if it is worth dealing with my daily grind.
- Brad decided to retire in his 30s in his 50s and while achieving his goal, he discovered that he was able to retire even earlier as his finances are in better condition than planned, even with market crashes and inflation.
- David retired five years earlier than he thought. He noted the importance of staying at the pinnacle of his financial situation after resignation.
Do you want to retire young? Make your plan
The Boldin Retirement Planner will help you discover how to retire young. Get started now.
6. Still working, but with a meaningful or purposeful job that feels like retirement
“Happiness is a by-product of function, purpose, and conflict. Those seeking happiness for itself seeking victory without war.” – William S. Burrows
Many people think they have retired themselves, but they work and volunteer in jobs they enjoy, giving meaning to the time spent on the clock.
- “Early retirement gives you the option to switch to a new kind of ‘job’ without worrying about your income level,” Katheryn said. ”
- Laura is really putting in the effort after retiring as a young man. She writes: “I have a farm and I work with one of my kids to turn it into an effort to generate income. The work continues, but it’s a more passionate project.”
7. Accept that they are young and not healthy
“Health is not a fragment of gold and silver, but true wealth.” – Mahatma Ganji
Health – as well as the happiness of loved ones, their own happiness – is a major factor in early retirement. Many people are retiring just as their friends and family struggle and their bodies and minds start to fail. Or their own fears of health made them find a way to turn their retirement into a job, regardless of their financial impact.
- Rob wrote: “My late brother and his wife had planned to retire from Kentucky to the beach in Florida. Two years ago, he had a heart attack (his first, unannounced) at the age of 55.
- “I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer at age 42. Only about 3% of women survive. I was one of them,” Laurie said.
- Also inspired by his family, Tom commented: “My father passed away from heart disease 39. I retired 14 years ago at the age of 54. Life is more than working. I am enjoying it thoroughly now.”
- David intends to sail around the world for three years. He said, “I don’t know if I can physically do that in my 60s. I traveled by boat last year and loved it.
- Jeff said he had lost his wife and mother too soon for cancer. He said, “I spent so much time walking slowly on this journey, seeing the beauty of life, and spending too much time on things that I didn’t enjoy.”
- The choice to retire Young was tough for Brett. He wrote, “If I hadn’t retired at 54, stress and frustration would have killed me.”
8. Retirement is one way to buy time
“You don’t cherish your time until you take care of yourself. You do nothing with it until you cherish your time.” – M. Scott Peck
You can always make more money. But your time is definitely limited. And this trade-off is one of the most important considerations when deciding when to quit.
- Wendy intends to travel at 55 and says, “If it makes sense financially, why don’t you retire early, because no one can guarantee how much time we have?”
- Robi repeated this feeling. “I retired at 58. I know how much money I have, but I don’t know how much time I have.” (She added that she would be proud of her father, who retired early enough to enjoy her 10-year retirement before she passed away at 68.)
Do you want to retire young? You need a plan
Resignation at 60 or 65 is a 30-year prospect and is a very long time when you need to fund without income from your job. If you are retiring, the young people can need another 10-30 years of savings.
Comprehensive financial planning, backup plans to predict what goes wrong, and flexibility to maintain and update overtime on plans reduce the stress of resigning from retirement.
The Boldin Retirement Planner is the most comprehensive and flexible tool for those who want to retire younger (or later).
Updated April 24, 2025
