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For Americans turning 62 this year, the Social Security full retirement age is now 67. The change was set in motion more than four decades ago, but one middle-class saver says the bigger concern is what happens when the age on paper doesn’t match the age when people actually have to stop working.
“The whole 65 to 67 thing started back in 1983 and it finally finished,” the poster recently wrote on Reddit’s r/MiddleClassFinance community. “My mom still says 65 like it’s a fact. It isn’t and hasn’t been for a while.”
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You May Not Get to Choose When You Stop Working
The poster pointed to an uncle who worked in concrete for 30 years and had worn-out knees by 55, compared with someone working at a desk who might comfortably continue into their 70s.
“Nobody I know actually got to pick their retirement date,” they wrote. “It was a layoff at 57, or a parent who needed care, or a back that gave out.”
One commenter responded that their goal was simply to “save enough that I don’t have to care.”
“True retirement age is when I have enough money to retire,” another wrote. “It’s not an age… it’s a number, your number.”
Many people in the discussion were aiming well below 67. Some said 60, while others were shooting for 55, 57 or 58. One person hoping to retire at 60 said they were saving aggressively enough that a layoff could potentially result in an earlier-than-planned retirement.
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Those plans can change quickly. One 48-year-old had planned a “soft retirement” at 55, when the house would be paid off and retirement accounts could continue growing. But their 22-year-old daughter became disabled and may never be able to support herself financially. Now the parent is trying to build enough wealth to provide for her long after they’re gone.
Building a Retirement Plan Around Your Life
That uncertainty is also why relying on Social Security alone can leave people with little room when life changes. A financial advisor can help work backward from the retirement someone actually wants, looking at savings, investments, expected Social Security benefits, health care costs and different retirement dates. Finance Advisors can match you with financial advisors who can help build a plan around those variables.
Building income outside a paycheck can also give you more options. Real estate is one possibility, although buying an entire rental property isn’t realistic for everyone. Arrived‘s mission is to make real estate investing accessible, allowing people to invest anywhere from $100 to $1 million in fractional shares of professionally selected rental properties.
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Arrived handles tenants, maintenance and other day-to-day work while selecting properties with the goal of generating rental income and growing in value over time. Investors can earn monthly dividends without becoming hands-on landlords. You can start investing through Arrived with just a few clicks and let the company handle the rest.
As one commenter put it, “Retirement isn’t dependent on age, it’s dependent on whether your savings can support your lifestyle for the rest of your years.” For many middle-class workers, getting to choose when they stop may ultimately be the retirement goal that matters most.
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Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market
Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That’s why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn’t tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry.
Arrived
Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors canbuy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly.
Frontieras
As electricity demand accelerates alongside AI and domestic energy production becomes a growing priority,Frontieras is developing patented technology that converts coal into fuels, chemicals, and low-emission energy products without combustion. Through its Regulation A offering, investors can gain exposure to an emerging energy infrastructure company focused on modernizing American industrial and power resources.
FarmTogether
Farmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds. For accredited investors,FarmTogether offers direct access to high-quality U.S. farmland starting at $15,000 — fully managed, with no landlord headaches.
Fundrise
Private real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio.Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth.
Qnetic
As electricity demand rises alongside AI, data centers, and renewable energy, long-duration energy storage is becoming increasingly important.Qnetic is developing a kinetic energy storage system designed to provide long-lasting, chemical-free electricity storage, offering investors exposure to the infrastructure supporting a more resilient and reliable power grid.
Mode Mobile
Mode Mobile is changing the way people interact with their phones by letting users earn money from the same apps and activities they already use every day. Instead of platforms keeping all the advertising revenue, Mode Mobile shares a portion back with users who engage with content, play games, and scroll on their devices. Named one of Deloitte’s fastest-growing software companies in North America, the company has built a large beta user base and is scaling a model that turns everyday smartphone usage into a potential income stream.
EquityMultiple
For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000, with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process.
BluSky AI
As artificial intelligence drives unprecedented demand for computing power, the infrastructure behind it is becoming just as important as the software itself. BluSky AI is developing modular, prefabricated data centers designed to bring AI compute capacity online faster than traditional builds, giving investors exposure to a critical layer of the rapidly expanding AI ecosystem through its Regulation A offering.
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This article The Full Retirement Age Quietly Reached 67 This Year. I Don’t Want a Number on Paper Deciding When I Can Afford to Stop Working originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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