Retired early, I was 62, in 2005. My wife is younger than I and was a partner in her company and we thought we were in good shape with 401k's and money in the bank and the home almost paid for. Then "The great recession" changed a lot of that. Not crying the blues but things are not as planned now. I get to spend more time with my models, something that I hardly ever got to do much of when I was working. It is almost a full time job with the house upkeep both inside and the yard. I also take care of the mother-in-laws yard and home repairs. I think we will look for a smaller home a little further out of town next year so my wife can retire and we can live comfortably.