My husband was just shy of 54 when he retired. He received a full pension, but if he had worked longer he would have received more money. We made the decision to take the time and leave the money. That was about 26 years ago. There was a period when it seemed things were tight, but we handled that by simply giving less to our kids.

We wouldn't give one day of freedom back. We wish we had more time. There is never enough time.

Good luck. I am very happy for you.