It's all relative, I guess. Thanks to 9/11, I discovered I became semi-retired in 2001 at age 57. I finally went back to work - kinda - by taking a job as a bench carpenter in a commercial shop. It was a small percentage of what I had made in my desk job, but it also was like being paid to learn more about woodworking. Bobbie and I had managed our finances such that we were debt free. When I got to age 62, it was a decision between how much will I get versus what would I get if I waited. Our decision was to have me take my SS at 62 and we have never regretted it. For others, I can understand why it's good to wait - individual situation.