However, there is evidence that more recent retirees are older. The government's Retirement Income Review, released in November 2020, found the average retirement age is currently 62 to 65 years, with women tending to retire 1 to 3 years before men.
Retiring at Age 65 or Earlier
An individual's retirement savings, health benefits, and social security commonly dictate the best time to stop working and vary by age.
The average retirement age in Australia is 55
However, the average age people aged 45+ said they expected to retire – 65.5 years – was much later than the average retirement age. And on average, Australians can expect to live to 85 for women and 81 for men (ABS, 2021).
Age 65 has long been considered a typical retirement age, in part because of rules around Social Security benefits.
While the average retirement age is 61, most people can't collect their full Social Security benefits until age 67 (if you were born after 1960).
The finding echoes a few others, the New York Times reports: “An analysis in the United States found about seven years of retirement can be as good for health as reducing the chance of getting a serious disease (like diabetes or heart conditions) by 20 percent.
Retiring Early Actually Mitigates Your Risks
"Negative investment returns in the first few years can derail your plans more substantially than in later years." If you retire at a young age, Keys said, you get to see how those first few years pan out. If things aren't working as planned, all is not lost.
Financially speaking, it's generally far safer and far smarter to retire later. According to a Boston College Center for Retirement Research report, half of today's working families risk a major living standard decline in retirement. The share would drop by roughly 50% if all workers were to retire two years later.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the average retirement income for retirees 65 and older in the United States decreased from $48,866 in 2020 to $47,620 in 2021.
Couples aged around 65 had a yearly spend of about $64,771 and singles $45,962 to live comfortably in retirement, according to ASFA December quarter 2021 figures.
The ASFA Retirement Standard Explainer says a comfortable retirement lifestyle would need $640,000 in super for a couple, or $545,000 for a single person.
According to the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia's Retirement Standard, to have a 'comfortable' retirement, a couple who own their own home will need an income of about $67,000. A single person will need an annual income of more than $47,000.
ASFA estimates people who want a comfortable retirement need $640,000 for a couple, and $545,000 for a single person when they leave work, assuming they also receive a partial age pension from the federal government. For people who are happy to have a modest lifestyle, this figure is $70,000.
Your Social Security benefit is guaranteed to increase by 8% for each year of delayed claiming between your full retirement age and age 70. If you think you can beat that amount through other investments, you could receive more abundant financial rewards by taking Social Security early and investing the proceeds.
A good rule of thumb is that your retirement income should equal about 80% of your pre-retirement income, says Steve Sexton, financial consultant and CEO of Sexton Advisory Group, a retirement-planning company.
Results indicate that complete retirement leads to a 5-16 percent increase in difficulties associated with mobility and daily activities, a 5-6 percent increase in illness conditions, and 6-9 percent decline in mental health, over an average post-retirement period of six years.
Early Retirement Won't Make You Lazy. Some people may think early retirement will lead to laziness, but I don't agree. If you're not lazy before retirement, you'll find plenty of things to do in retirement. Retirement doesn't change who you are.
For some people, 55 is too early to retire—they may have more to give to their job, more to accomplish or, frankly, not enough savings. However, if you've been diligently growing your savings and can manage your living expenses with minimal stress on your budget, retiring at 55 could be a reality.
Cons of retiring early include the strain on savings, due to increased expenses and smaller Social Security benefits, and a depressing effect on mental health. There may be ways to chart a middle course—cutting back on work without fully retiring.
A 2017 study that tracked several essential cognitive functions of nearly 3,500 participants before and after retirement found “all domains of cognition declined over time.” What's more, verbal memory specifically declined 38% faster after retirement than before retirement.
More than two in three (68%) people who have retired early say their happiness improved since leaving work. 44 percent of early retirees say their family relationships improved and 34 percent found their friendships also improved.
You will be subject to the 960-hour limit. with CalPERS' written pre-approval and continue to receive your CalPERS retirement allowance per Government Code section 21232. You will be subject to an earnings limit if approved.