Early Retirement - Financial Freedom (Investing, Tax Planning, Retirement Strategy, Personal Finance)

4 Massive Reasons You'll Wish You Retired Earlier

• Ari Taublieb, CFP®, MBA • Episode 272

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Early retirement is about more than money

Science shows there are compelling reasons to retire sooner than most people think. The UK’s Whitehall 2 study found that retiring at 60 lowers the risk of chronic disease by 32 percent compared to working longer. Harvard research reveals that close relationships, not wealth or titles, are the strongest predictor of long-term health and happiness. Early retirement creates the “time freedom” to invest in those connections.

I share with clients the three phases of retirement: the go-go years (55–70), slow-go years (70–85), and no-go years (85+). Waiting too long can mean missing your most active years for savings you may never use. Studies from France also show that leaving high-stress jobs earlier can preserve brain health and lower dementia risk.

The key is balance. Retiring too early without a plan can cause financial strain or loss of purpose. The sweet spot is stepping away from stress while moving toward meaningful pursuits that keep you energized.

If you want to explore your own early retirement possibilities, visit earlyretirementpodcast.com to run a personalized plan and see what could be possible for your future.

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Advisory services are offered through Root Financial Partners, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Viewing this content does not create an advisory relationship. We do not provide tax preparation or legal services. Always consult an investment, tax or legal professional regarding your specific situation.

The strategies, case studies, and examples discussed may not be suitable for everyone. They are hypothetical and for illustrative and educational purposes only. They do not reflect actual client results and are not guarantees of future performance. All investments involve risk, including the potential loss of principal.

Comments reflect the views of individual users and do not necessarily represent the views of Root Financial. They are not verified, may not be accurate, and should not be considered testimonials or endorsements

Participation in the Retirement Planning Academy or Early Retirement Academy does not create an advisory relationship with Root Financial. These programs are educational in nature and are not a substitute for personalized financial advice. Advisory services are offered only under a written agreement with Root Financial.

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Ari Taublieb, CFP ®, MBA is the Chief Growth Officer of Root Financial Partners and a Fiduciary Financial Planner specializing in helping clients retire early with confidence.


Speaker 1:

There are four massive reasons you should consider retiring early Now. Many of you know the common ones, which is, yes, I want to spend time with family and yes, I want to travel more and I want to enjoy my life to the fullest. We call that retiring to. Then there's retiring from I can't wait to retire from my boss, from commuting, from deadlines, and I want to ask you, to ask yourself honestly where are you on that line right now? Are you currently in the space of hey, I really just want to retire from X, y, z and I can't wait to be done with that, then I'll figure out my retire to. Or are you like I really just want to retire to travel, I just can't wait? That's what I'm trying to get to. Or are you both? You're allowed to be, both, you're allowed to be. In fact, that's healthy if you're saying I can't wait to retire from commuting so I can spend more time traveling, but a lot of you, I find, are just on one, which is odd. I didn't think that would be the case, but I ask my clients that and I'll often get the answer of I don't even have time to think about what I'll spend my time doing. I'm so busy working and I'll also get the answer of I just financially need to make sure I can get to a position when I can do all these things. I'm not worried about retiring from anything. So if you don't mind, if you're watching this on YouTube, please comment below and let me know where you are. If you're listening on the podcast app, send me a note. You can go to my website, earlyretirementpodcastcom and submit that, or just send me an email. Now here are the four things I'm going to go over today, and please know my name is Ari Taublieb. I'm a certified financial planner, host of the Early Retirement Podcast this podcast and I'm the chief growth officer here at Root. So if you're watching on YouTube, you can see I'm pointing to my Root shirt at the moment.

Speaker 1:

Number one is retiring early obviously can significantly improve your health, especially if you retire to something. And here's what the stats say. A large study from UK Whitehall 2 found retiring at 60 led to a 32% lower risk of chronic diseases compared to working longer. Due to reduced stress and more time for healthy habits, retirees who use the time for walking, exercise, meal planning. They see improvements in blood pressure and inflammation markers. Now the caveat is you retire early without a purpose. That increases depression. So planning meaningful activities is key.

Speaker 1:

A quick story on this. I've shared it many times. I had a woman who reached out who said she was so upset she had $3 million. I said listen, lady, I don't want to be mean here, I don't hear that all the time why are you upset that you have 3 million? I know people who would love to have 3 million. She went on to say because I found out I didn't need 3 million. If I had two to two and a quarter, I could have done everything I wanted and more. I said tell me more. She went on to say I now want to hike and travel more than I thought and I don't have the health to do so, and that's in large part because I have sciatica. That really got, you know, uncomfortable for the years I was sitting at work the last four or five, six years to get to that three million mark when it was just unnecessary.

Speaker 1:

So make sure if you are retiring, you're thinking about your health in a major way. Number two we call this time freedom. Time freedom allows you to invest in relationships, which boosts your longevity. There was a Harvard study of adult development that found close relationships are the strongest predictor of health and happiness in later life, literally number one. Retiring early Allows for time with grandkids, family, community, which all lowers mortality risk. So don't do it for the scientific benefits, do it because you want to do it, but know that there is a benefit that comes along with it. It shows social connection reduces cognitive decline by 30 to 50%. That is the article of good genes are nice, but joy is better, in the Harvard Gazette.

Speaker 1:

Finally, statistic number three, not finally the next statistic is retiring early lets you use your health while you have it. I talk about the go-go years, the slow-go years and the no-go years. The go-go years are age 55 to 70. The slow-go are 70 to 85, and then 85 plus are the no-go years. So these go-go years, that's where you typically have your healthiest window for travel, adventure, active pursuits 70 to 75, activity levels often decline due to physical limitations, even in healthy people. And then by retiring early, you maximize your quality years, not the quantity but the quality of years for the bucket list, experiences, exploration, memory making, all. According to a JP Morgan retirement guide from last year. Number four cognitive decline is linked to work stress and sleep deprivation, chronic work, stress, poor sleep and limited downtime accelerates cognitive decline markers. Retiring early can improve sleep quality, lower your cortisol, reduce your burnout and preserve cognitive function. There was a French study that found those who retired at 60 had a lower risk of dementia, particularly in high-stress jobs. So these are the four massive reasons to consider it.

Speaker 1:

Here's one not to consider in early retirement, which might sound weird coming from the early retirement host. So the reason when you should not retire early is if financially, you're just not in a position to do it yet. Don't retire just because you're so done with your work, your boss, your deadlines, commuting, whatever it is, because you will regret retiring going well, yeah, I did it, but I can't really do what I want to do. That's number one. Number two don't retire until you've at least thought through something. One thing that's really going to let you up. That is allowed to be. I want to sleep in. I want to be able to drink wine on a Sunday night, not worry with those Sunday scaries. For Monday it could be whatever you want, but I've talked to a few people who go. I really just don't know what I'm going to do. So I'm continuing to work just because I don't know what I would do otherwise. Don't retire until you have something you're excited about or you will become more depressed. Number three, which I would argue is potentially the biggest one don't retire until not just financially, you know you can make it happen, but that you have a strategy for how you're going to tackle creating income. So that's tax strategy, that's withdrawal strategy, that's all the things related to income creation. Are you ready to be able to implement a strategy that's going to give you the confidence to spend money without running the risk of running out? Those are the three main reasons when I would just say definitely don't retire early. What I encourage you all to do.

Speaker 1:

As you've seen in previous episodes, I've been talking about six statistics from wealthy retirees. I've been talking about average 401k balances. Just go find out. That's what the tool is designed for that I talk about so often, because it's amazing. You can go build your own plan in literally less than five minutes and you can see what it actually will mean for you if you can retire early, meaning how much you can spend your projected tax payments.

Speaker 1:

And then what if scenarios? What if you want to downsize? What if you go? Long-term care was way more than I expected, or I wanted to work part-time, or it turns out I want to do a home remodel. You can see the impact. So I had an example of a case where someone wanted to do a home remodel about $35,000. And they found that if they did a home remodel of about 70,000 double they could do everything they wanted, and more still, in retirement.

Speaker 1:

So the risk is that they do the first home remodel and it's not to the degree they want, and so now they're looking back at life, going why didn't we build that pool or whatever that may be, if they're in a fine position to do so? You want to make sure you're looking at the finances realistically, because if not, the risk is you regret not doing something when you were in a fine spot to do so. On the flip side, there's the risk of overdoing it and therefore run the risk of running out of money, which you don't want either. Of course, there's a fine balance there. So why do we exist here at Root? So that we can help clients optimize everything they've worked so hard for. We are their true partner.

Speaker 1:

So if this resonated with you, please like this video on YouTube. Please comment below which was most interesting to you. Which of these are you most excited to start really tackling? What are you going to retire to? I love getting to hear it from you guys. That's it for this episode. I'll see you guys next time.

Speaker 1:

Thank you all, as always, for listening to the Early Retirement Podcast. I love getting to host these shows and make different content for you guys every single week. I've not missed a single week in years and that is because I love getting to do this. Now, please be smart about this. Before you actually execute any strategy that you see me talk about or hear me talk about, should I say Please talk to your financial advisor, your tax preparer, your estate attorney. Please be smart about this. None of this should be construed as financial advice. This is for fun, educational, informational purposes only. Once again, just quick disclaimer here. Guys, please be smart about this. Appreciate you listening, as always, and you can, of course, submit a question on my website, earlyretirementpodcastcom, if you, of course, want me to address a specific case study or topic. I will not promise I can get to it, but I respond to every single person and if I find it will be helpful for a lot of people, I will absolutely make an episode on it. At the very least give you some insight. That's it, thanks, guys.