If you want to retire early, it's best to start thinking about it when you're young. But that's not the only way. There are a number of ways to make early retirement happen, especially if you save consistently.

The good news from ICI is that total household retirement assets are, on average, higher than they have ever been. The bad news is that average household retirement assets are only in the $24,000 range, meaning total household financial assets are only in the $70,000 range.

Use our Retirement Age Calculator to help you figure when you can retire without outliving your money.

Free online retirement estimators and calculators should be thought of as a starting point, not an ending point, when planning for retirement--especially an early retirement.

Did you know you can save money by paying an additional amount along with your existing mortgage payment? Use our early mortgage payoff calculator below to see how much interest you can save by putting a little more towards your mortgage each month.