Are you waiting too long to retire? Here are 3 surprising statistics that may make you want to set a date ASAP

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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.

Here are three surprising statistics that could change the way you look at your golden years and retirement plans.

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: Rich, young Americans are ditching stocks — here are the alternative assets they’re banking on instead

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.

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.

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, consider opening a high-yield savings account. However, some may instead prefer investing in the stock market, alternative assets or a mix of all of the above.

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 particular 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.

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[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.