Retirement is a number you build toward, not an age you reach, with 2 real exceptions where age actually has rules attached: Social Security and Medicare.
Social Security (62 to 70) and Medicare (65) are the only 2 places age actually carries rules. Here's how to plan around them, and what people who hit their number actually do next. Start here before anything else on this page.
The 4% rule is a starting point, not a guarantee. The bigger risk is bad returns in the first few years of withdrawals.
Taxable brokerage, then tax-deferred, then Roth, as a general rule, and why the order affects how long your money actually lasts.
Claiming early cuts your benefit for good. Waiting grows it. The break-even ages that make this a calculation, not a guess.
Move money from a traditional account to a Roth and pay the tax now. It tends to make the most sense in low-income years before Social Security starts.
COBRA, marketplace plans, and what to actually budget for if you plan to stop working before Medicare eligibility kicks in.
Medicare starts at 65, with a 7-month window to sign up. Miss it without other coverage, and the penalty is permanent.
Sequence-of-returns risk, and why the portfolio that gets you to your number isn't the one that should protect it once you're there.
See what your number looks like from here. Adjust your savings rate, return, and years to retirement.
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