How to Retire Comfortably at 48

Ian Soler, a former electronics engineer, tells his early retirement story in Money, December 2005. He and his wife Brenda decided not to have children so they could keep their expenses to a minimum. They saved Brenda's entire $65,000 salary and 30 percent of his $145,000 salary. They paid down their $200,000 mortgage and built a nest egg worth $2 million. Before retiring they sold their house and its furnishings and moved to an $800 apartment in Florida.

The Soler's frugal life style may not be for everyone but it worked for them.