Retirees Who Moved at 62 and Retirees Who Moved at 72 Regret Different Things. Here’s Which Group Regrets More

When should retirees move: at 62, when Social Security first becomes available, or at 72, after benefits grow and home values appreciate? Both groups end up with regrets, but the regrets differ, and that difference determines which group feels them more.

Research on retirement satisfaction points to how people structure their lives more than to how much money they have. A ten-year study summarized in a Harvard Business Review article, Retire Without Regrets, examined daily routines, relationships, activities, and self-identity to separate retirees who loved their post-work lives from those who wished they had done it differently.

Early Movers Pay a Steep Price for Their Head Start

The 62-year-old mover’s regrets center on money. Anyone born in 1960 or later who claims at 62 locks in about 70% of their full benefit for life. A yearly budget of $80,000 must cover housing, food, utilities, taxes, and reserves for a couple. With a combined Social Security check of $3,208 a month, or $38,496 annually, a 30-year horizon requires a portfolio of roughly $1.19 million to fill the gap, assuming a 3.5% withdrawal rate.

Health coverage before Medicare adds cost. The 400% subsidy cliff is back after enhanced ACA subsidies expired in January. A 60-year-old just over that threshold pays $14,900 annually in premiums. For a couple covering three years to 65, that totals about $89,400. Selling the house costs 5.70% in commission, or $22,800 on a $400,000 sale. All in, the early mover needs close to $1.3 million.

Late Movers Win on Paper and Lose Years They Cannot Recover

Claiming at 70 raises the check to roughly 124% of the full benefit. The couple’s Social Security reaches about $68,200 annually. With a 20-year horizon, a 4.5% withdrawal rate means the portfolio only needs about $262,000. Medicare Part B costs $202.90 per person monthly, or $4,870 annually for two. The 2027 COLA tracks toward 3.3%, compounding on a larger base.

Late movers’ regrets appear elsewhere. At 72, finding doctors, making friends, and learning a new place take more effort. Housing has grown more expensive during the wait.

In fact, the Case-Shiller national index is up 1.9% from a year ago at 337.3, the highest recent reading. Late movers most often regret lost time: the decade they could have spent near family or in their ideal place.

Second Move Most Early Movers Never Budget For

Some people who move at 62 move again, and a lifestyle destination chosen for golf or beaches often falls short at 80 on medical care or proximity to adult children. The second move costs another 5.70% commission, or $22,800 on a similar house, and requires rebuilding community at the age the late mover faced. Early movers who get the second move wrong end up with both sets of regrets.

A place meant to age in from the start has a solid regional hospital, children within hours rather than flights, and single-level housing without stairs. It may cost more up front but avoids paying for two moves.

Which Group Regrets More, and the Number That Fixes It

Late movers regret more because their regrets concern time, which no portfolio can recover. Early movers regret money, which preparation can solve. Moving at 62 works for a couple spending $80,000 with about $1.3 million invested, drawing at 3.5%, and holding broad index funds.

One approach places three years of ACA premiums in a Treasury ladder. Couples with more savings can move at 62 and delay claiming, extending the Treasury ladder to 70, then letting the larger check cover most spending for the rest of retirement.

The second move carries the largest planning weight. Choosing a place suitable until the end means moving at 62 requires paying for and rebuilding community only once, while you still have the energy to put down roots.

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