Forget Retirement Age: The Real Goal Is 'Work Optional'

Father and son looking at old photos in photo album

For decades, the idea of retirement has been anchored to arbitrary ages: 60, 65, 70, sometimes later.

It's often determined not by readiness, but by tradition, a pension rule or when a sibling or coworker decided to stop working.

That framing is outdated.

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In today's economy — and in today's lives — retirement is no longer a destination defined by age. It's a financial condition.

A far better goal than "retirement" is becoming work optional.

Work optional means reaching a point at which your financial independence allows you to work because you want to, not because you must.

For advisers, this shift reframes planning conversations around flexibility, control and sustainability rather than arbitrary age-based milestones. You control your time. You control your decisions. Money no longer dictates your lifestyle — it supports it.

This is the real way to win the game of money.

About Adviser Intel

The author of this article is a participant in Kiplinger's Adviser Intel program, a curated network of trusted financial professionals who share expert insights on wealth building and preservation. Contributors, including fiduciary financial planners, wealth managers, CEOs and attorneys, provide actionable advice about retirement planning, estate planning, tax strategies and more. Experts are invited to contribute and do not pay to be included, so you can trust their advice is honest and valuable.

Why retirement thinking falls short

Traditional retirement planning assumes a clean break: Work until a certain age, then stop entirely.

But for many high-achieving professionals, business owners and executives, that model doesn't reflect reality.

People don't want to stop contributing. They want flexibility, optionality and purpose without financial pressure.

More important, retirement-age targets ignore the most important variable in financial planning: your life.

A number without context is meaningless. The question isn't when you retire, it's how soon you can design a life in which money is no longer the limiting factor.

That's what work-optional planning solves.

The seven steps to a work-optional life

Achieving a work optional lifestyle isn't guesswork. It's a structured process. Here are the seven steps that form the foundation.

1. Define your vision clearly and specifically

Every plan starts with clarity.

What does the rest of your life look like?
Where do you live?
How do you spend your time?
How often do you travel?
What brings meaning and fulfillment?

This is not a vague exercise. It requires precision. Ambiguity creates planning errors.

Without a defined vision, financial planning becomes reactive rather than intentional. With one, every decision becomes easier to evaluate.

2. Calculate the cost of that vision

This is the most controllable variable in the entire equation — and often the most overlooked.

What does your lifestyle cost per year? Don't measure it in round numbers, but in detail: housing, travel, health care, insurance, giving, taxes, discretionary spending.

Most people underestimate this step or gloss over it. But accuracy here determines everything that follows.

You can't plan for freedom without knowing its price.

3. Identify your income sources

Work optional doesn't mean zero income — it means diversified, reliable income.

Do you own:

Real estate that generates cash flow?
A business that can operate without your daily involvement?
A pension or deferred compensation plan?

Understanding the durability, predictability and inflation sensitivity of each income source is critical. Not all income is created equal.

4. Determine your 'number'

Now comes the gap analysis.

What assets do you currently have that can generate cash flow? How far are you from fully funding your lifestyle without earned income?

Your "number" is not a net worth target — it's the amount of assets required to sustainably support your life, adjusted for inflation, longevity, and uncertainty.

This step turns abstraction into math. Math brings accountability.

5. Understand the risks that matter

When people stop working — or reduce reliance on earned income — two risks tend to dominate the conversation: volatility risk and inflation risk.

Volatility feels uncomfortable, but it's largely short-term in nature.

Inflation, on the other hand, is permanent.

The greatest threat to long-term financial independence is not market swings — it's the silent erosion of purchasing power. Any strategy that overemphasizes stability at the expense of growth risks failing over time.

The goal isn't to eliminate risk. It's to take the right risk.

6. Build a portfolio aligned with your vision

Once risk tolerance and time horizon are understood, portfolio construction becomes purposeful.

This isn't about chasing returns or hiding in conservative allocations. It's about designing a portfolio that supports your life for decades.

Growth assets matter. Income assets matter. Diversification matters. But alignment matters most.

The portfolio should serve the plan — not the other way around.

7. Master tax management

Investment returns are only half the equation. What you keep is what counts.

Tax management is not an afterthought — it's a core pillar of wealth preservation and growth. Asset location, withdrawal sequencing, capital gains planning, and proactive tax strategies can materially extend the longevity of a portfolio.

Paying unnecessary taxes is one of the easiest ways to delay — or derail — financial independence.

The real goal: Control

Work-optional planning reframes success.

It's not about retiring early or never working again. It's about control — of your time, your choices and your future.

When work becomes optional, everything changes. Negotiations change. Stress changes. Opportunity expands.

Money stops being a source of pressure and becomes a tool.

That is the ultimate win — and it has nothing to do with turning 65.

Disclaimer

This article was written by and presents the views of our contributing adviser, not the Kiplinger editorial staff. You can check adviser records with the SEC or with FINRA.

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Philip G. Palumbo is Founder, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Palumbo Wealth Management. He is a contributor on CNBC, Bloomberg, Reuters, TD Ameritrade Network and Cheddar News, with market insights quoted in The Wall Street Journal and Barron's. He authored Make Work Optional, a book dedicated to helping individuals and families properly plan and invest their money.