Like most of us, chances are years ago you imagined the ideal age you would stop working and start living your dream retirement. A new study reveals that the answer to "what’s the optimal retirement age" depends on the age of the person you ask.
Bankrate.com surveyed Americans of different generations. While each had its own idea of the ideal retirement age, on average those surveyed believe the best age to retire to be 61.
Gen Xers and Millennials chose 61 and 60, respectively, as their ideal ages. Baby boomers (ages 64-72) and the silent generation (age 73+), possibly making a more seasoned estimate of the optimal retirement age, chose age 64 to 65.
Everyone wants to retire comfortably, especially after years of hard work. But age forecasting isn't necessarily the best way to approach this. Just-as-critical questions to ask (if not more so) are: "What income do I want to retire at?" and "What financial resources will I need to enjoy my preferred lifestyle?"
