Last updated Mar. 14, 2023 by Charles Zemub
One of the most exciting aspects of early retirement is that retirees have more time to travel and pursue their interests – spending fewer hours at work gives them new freedom.
It’s no secret that many people dream about retiring early—but how does your dream become a reality?
The trick is finding the proper correction and support network. You need help learning where to cut costs without sacrificing quality living standards or how much money you’ll need at age 45 instead of 65.
Luckily, plenty of resources out there want to learn more about retiring early and living well on less money than they earn today: blogs written by experts who have already done it themselves.
The Frugalwoods
The Frugalwoods is all about living a frugal lifestyle and retiring early. The blog is written by a couple who retired in 2014 at the age of moved to Vermont. They write practical tips and advice on how to save money and share theirs with financial independence.
For example, they talk about the importance of budgeting and automating your finances. Hence, you have more time for other things, avoiding unnecessary spending (like cable TV), prioritizing paying down debt and buying, and ding up an emergency fund before retiring early.
Making Sense of Cents
Making Sense of Cents is a personal finance blog by Centsible Life blogger Nicole. She is a mom of four and a professional accountant who believes you can make more money while spending less.
The website focuses on frugal living tips, home organization, meal prep hacks, and DIY projects.
All the articles are written in an easy-to-follow manner with step-by-step instructions, so you know exactly how to start your project or learn how to make it easier for yourself when working in the kitchen.
Millennial Revolution
If you want to retire early, this blog is for you. Millennial Revolution is written by a husband and wife team who share their experiences on achieving financial independence. The blog covers topics including:
- How to retire early
- How to achieve financial literacy
- Earn and save more money
- Investing
Our Next Life
Our Next Life blog focuses on early retirement, financial independence, and living a life of freedom. The couple behind the blog is Mr. and Mrs. Money Mustache.
They are a married couple who retired in their 30s after making drastic changes to their lives and saving up enough money to live comfortably without working for another 20 years.
The focus of the blog is on helping readers figure out how they can achieve their version of financial independence by using what works for people like Mr. and Mrs. Money Mustache instead of following conventional wisdom from big banks or other sources that are wrong numerous times over many decades now (and not just recently).
Physician on Fire
Physician On Fire is an early retirement blog that covers a wide range of financial, health and wellness, family, and minimalist life topics.
If you’re looking for inspiration to live a more fulfilling life while saving money through passive income and smart savings, this blog is worth checking out.
The blog covers everything from investing to managing debt and life hacks for financial freedom.
1500 Days
The 1500 Days blog stands out from the crowd because of its conversational tone and frequent updates. Rather than feeling like you’re reading an academic paper written by someone who knows way more about early retirement than you do, it’s written in a casual and friendly manner that makes it easy to digest information and apply it to your situation.
The authors—a husband-and-wife duo who retired at 43—regularly post new articles on subjects ranging from financial planning to career advice and travel stories about their adventures worldwide.
Mr. Money Mustache
Mr. Money Mustache is a retired engineer famous for writing on early retirement. He started blogging about money-saving tips in 2006 and retired at age 30 with his wife, Jody. Since then, the blog has gained much popularity, and Mr. Money Mustache has published a book titled “MUSTACHIO: A Guide to Your Financial Freedom.”
The blog is written by an anonymous engineer who calls himself Mr. Money Mustache (MMM). It features posts about financial independence and early retirement through frugality and investing.
The site also links to other resources related to these topics, such as books on personal finance or blogs with similar content.
Financial Samurai
Financial Samurai is a blog that covers all things financial, including personal finance and investing. The author, Sam Dogen, has worked as an independent income advisor for over ten years.
He aims to help people make more money and reach their financial goals by contributing what he learned from his experience with saving and investing.
When it comes to early retirement and financial independence, Sam has some essential things to say:
- “Retirement is not a goal in itself.” Instead, he believes that the real goal of retirement should be freedom—freedom from work so you can do what you want when you want without having to worry about making ends meet.
- “The best way to achieve this [freedom] is through wealth building.” Wealth building allows you the time and flexibility to start living your dream life now rather than later (or never).
Retire By 40
Retire by 40 is a blog you’ll want to follow if you’re nearing the end of your career and looking for tips on getting started with early retirement. The blogger, a financial planner by trade, also has an engineering and accounting background, so he has a unique financial perspective.
He’s been working on his finance for over 20 years now, which means he knows what works best for people in his situation.
In addition to offering expert advice on everything from investing to budgeting, Retiring By 40 also publishes more general posts about topics such as why it’s essential to keep learning after retiring from work or how much money you should have saved before you exit (spoiler alert, it varies depending on how long until retirement).
Go Curry Cracker!
Go Curry Cracker is the blog of Mrs. Money Mustache, aka JL Collins. It focuses on financial independence and the lifestyle that comes with it.
The content is organized into categories such as “Saving Money” and “The Frugal Retirement Lifestyle” to find what you want to read about easily.
You can also listen to her podcast here or buy her book here
Root Of Good
The root of Good is a personal finance blog maintained by J.D. Roth, dedicated to helping readers make informed decisions about their money.
The blog covers topics such as investing and retirement strategies. Still, it’s also extensively focused on the practical side of things—giving tips on taking action with what you learn from reading Roth’s articles.
The blog was launched in 2007 and has been updated twice weekly with new content nearly daily (excluding holidays).
The roots of the excellent blog have become one of the most popular personal finance blogs online. It provides its readers with much helpful information to help them achieve financial freedom.
Early Retirement Dude
If you’re looking for a blog by someone who retired at age 30, Early Retirement Dude is probably your best bet. The blog is about financial independence and early retirement, with many articles about saving money, cutting expenses, and investing.
There are also a lot of articles on how to retire early. A few great examples include:
- How I Retired At Age 32 With $750k In Savings
- 9 Ways To Grow Your Wealth In 2018 (This article has some great tips on investing.)
ESI Money
ESI Money is a blog about early retirement and financial independence. The blog was started in 2011 by ESI Money, who wanted to help others achieve a lifestyle of freedom.
The site covers topics such as investing and budgeting, with plenty of practical advice on how to make your money go further. There’s also great content on lifestyle design: finding happiness along the way rather than waiting until you retire.
The site has over 300 posts (and counting), so there’s plenty for new readers to explore.
Afford Anything
Afford anything is a personal finance blog focusing on early retirement and financial independence. The blog was started by J.D. Roth in 2008, who retired at age 35 after spending several years as a Wall Street executive.
The blog has grown over the years and now attracts millions of monthly readers, many interested in early retirement or simply looking to live their best lives without working as much as they do now.
Your Money Geek
Your Money Geek is a personal finance blog written by a couple, Pete and Bethany, who retired at 30. The couple has been blogging since 2012 and has over 1 million monthly readers.
The blog focuses on helping people achieve financial independence—the idea that you can retire with enough money in the bank to live on without working again.
Your Money Geek covers investing, budgeting, debt reduction, and insurance.
It also includes personal stories from the authors about how they got to where they are today.
Retirement blogs baby boomers
Retirement blogs for baby boomers are popping up all over the internet. There is no shortage of financial advice for people who grew up during the post-World War II era.
Saving money, spending it wisely, and investing are frequently discussed in blog posts written by experienced individuals with something to say about their own lives.
Many bloggers have decided to share their advice with others to help ease the transition into retirement.
Early Retirement Blogs
Early Retirement Blogs are an excellent resource for anyone looking to retire early.
They provide inspiration, motivation, and practical tips for achieving financial independence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do early retirees live longer?
Early retirees are often pictured as healthy, well-dressed people living in a picturesque part of the world.
There’s something to that image—according to some studies, people who retire early are more likely to live longer than others with the same risk factors.
The two most common explanations for this phenomenon are reduced stress (retiring early and being free from work pressures) and increased physical activity.
Some studies have shown that higher-income people tend to live longer because they can afford healthier food and pay for medical services.
However, even after adjusting for income, early retirees still have a significant difference.
Early retirees also enjoy longer lives if their reason for retiring is related to health issues (they became medically unable to continue working).
This effect might be because those who retire due to health issues tend to have better habits than those who quit due to other causes. Several studies have found that healthy habits can help increase lifespan by up to 20 years.
What is an excellent monthly retirement income?
Figuring out how much you should save for retirement can be tricky. Many factors contribute to the excellent retirement income you’ll need, and it’s hard to know which ones to prioritize.
The good news is that plenty of experts have already done the work for you.
For example, Fidelity says you’ll need at least $1 million to maintain your current lifestyle in retirement.
That might sound like a lot, but on the other hand, $1 million isn’t as much as it would be if you think about it in terms of monthly retirement income instead of lump sum savings.
If you want an excellent monthly retirement income of $40,000, Fidelity says you’d need $2.5 million socked away.
One expert I read said that she thinks $3 million is more realistic for someone in their 20s who wants to retire at 65 and comfortably—it would bring your monthly retirement income up to around $30,000 a month.
So if you’re 25 years old and plan on retiring at age 65 with a $30,000 monthly income from your nest egg, you’ll need about $2 million saved up.
What is the healthiest age to retire?
An American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine survey found that the healthiest age to retire is 62. Of course, everyone’s story is different, and there are plenty of exceptions to this rule.
Some people may be better off working longer if they don’t have any savings or other financial resources to spend in their retirement.
What is the best age to retire?
The age at which you should retire is an interesting question to consider.
Experts seem to agree that 70 is the ideal age. But, of course, there’s something to be said for getting out while the getting’s good.
What does the average retiree live on per month?
The average retiree lives on about $1,200—however, the month. The average American household spends about $3,000 a month, meaning the average retiree spends less than half of what people in their prime working years are paying.
How much Social Security will I get if I make $60000 annually?
The basic answer is that you’ll get $1190 each month. This number comes from the average payout for a retired worker who has been paying into Social Security for 35 years.
That’s just the average, though—the actual amount you’ll receive every month will depend on your income, when you started working, and how long you expect to keep working.
Summary
If you’re looking for inspiration or advice, these blogs are some of the best places to start. They cover a wide range of topics from personal fina, friendly, and investing in traveling and lifestyle design.
Most of them are written by people who have successfully achieved their early retirement goals.
Some are still working while others have already retired, but they all share one thing in common: they’ve learned something along their journey that can help someone else reach their early retirement dream.
We hope that this list of blogs has been helpful to you. There are a lot of great resources out there, and we tried to include some variety in the content they offer.
