Not financial advice — just one Texan figuring it out
a texan's honest retirement field notebook

Can I Retire Early
in Texas?

March 2026 — Entry #1

I'm 55, live in Texas, and I'm figuring out whether early retirement is actually possible. This site documents the journey — the real numbers, the tools I'm using, and everything I learn along the way. Not financial advice. Just one Texan being honest about it.

Run My Numbers Read the journal ↓
Texas Retirement Project
Field Notes · Starting Age 55
– Texas has zero state income tax
– Property taxes freeze at age 65
– Avg TX retirement cost: ~$3,362/mo
→ Medicare gap: 60 to 65 = 5 yrs
→ SS at 62 = 30% less. Wait til 67.
    4% rule: $400K = $1,333/mo
→ $500/mo side income changes everything
    "The gap years" — biggest challenge
— still figuring it out
Age 55 · Texas
Not a financial advisor

About This Journal

I'm a 55-year-old Texan who doesn't want to work for someone else forever. I want mornings with coffee, time with my wife and dogs, and projects I actually care about. This site is where I document what I learn about retiring early in Texas.

55
My Age
$0
TX Income Tax
60
Goal Age

what this site is about

This site exists to answer one question:

“How can a normal person in Texas retire earlier and live more calmly?”

Below you'll find practical guides, retirement calculators, Texas-specific benefits breakdowns, and flexible income ideas — all built while I figure this out myself.

Latest Guides Calculators Texas Benefits Flexible Income Ideas
reading list — updated as I publish

Latest Guides

These aren't generic retirement articles. Each one is a question I've personally wrestled with — run through real Texas numbers, written plainly. No paywalls, no sponsored rankings.

A note on these guides

I write each one after I've actually researched and run the numbers myself. They're my best attempt at plain-English clarity — not legal or financial advice. If something here helps you ask better questions of a real advisor, that's the goal.

Most read right now

The Social Security timing piece. More people are closer to 62 than they realize, and the lifetime math surprised me when I actually ran it.

practical tools — not financial software

The Retirement Notebook Tools

Three simple calculators. Put your numbers in, get a clear picture. That's it.

A note on these tools

These are estimates based on general math, not personalized financial advice. Use them to understand the ballpark — then talk to a real advisor about the details.

01
Early Retirement Gap Calculator
How much do you need to cover the years before Social Security starts?
▼
62 = reduced · 67 = full · 70 = max
$
$
$
$
Monthly gap during bridge years
—
enter your numbers above
Gap years (retire → SS)—
Monthly from savings (4%)—
Side income during gap—
Total savings needed at retirement —
Projected savings at retirement —
Click "Calculate My Gap" to see your personal retirement gap analysis.
02
Texas Retirement Monthly Budget
Build your real Texas retirement budget — category by category.
▼
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
Your monthly retirement spending
$3,870
per month · $46,440/yr
03
Social Security Timing Comparison
Should you claim at 62, 67, or 70? See the real monthly and lifetime difference.
▼
$
Find yours free at ssa.gov/myaccount
US avg: ~80 men, ~83 women. Use your best guess.
A note on this

I'm planning to delay SS to 67 so I don't take the 30% permanent cut. That means I need to cover expenses from age 60–67 from savings alone.

Monthly benefit by claim age
62
Early · reduced
$1,540
per month (−30%)
67
Full retirement age
$2,200
per month (100%)
70
Maximum benefit
$2,904
per month (+32%)
Lifetime totals: Click "Compare My Options" to see which claiming age gives you the most over your lifetime.
Enter your benefit and life expectancy above to get a personalized recommendation.
free — no signup, no tracking

Retirement Tools

Every calculator here is one I built for myself first. Put your numbers in and see where things stand. The math is visible — no black boxes, no upsells.

How to use these

Start with the Gap Calculator. It's the single most clarifying exercise I've done in this process — takes about 3 minutes and tells you exactly how much ground you need to cover between today and your target retirement age.

No data collected

Everything runs in your browser. None of your numbers are stored or sent anywhere. I built these for my own use and made them public — that's the whole product.

plain language — no legal jargon

Texas Benefits Explained

Texas has real retirement advantages that most articles mention in passing but never actually explain. Here's what I've learned — in plain English, with real numbers where I have them.

Why Texas specifically

No state income tax is the headline, but the property tax freeze at 65 and the homestead exemption on school taxes are where I found the most surprising savings. Combined, these can be worth $4,000–$8,000 a year depending on where you live in Texas.

Healthcare is the real question

If you retire before 65, healthcare is the thing that derails most early retirement plans. I've written the most thorough guide I can on navigating the ACA during the gap years.

semi-retirement — not hustle culture

Flexible Income Ideas

Even $500–$800 a month from something you control changes the entire early retirement equation. These are options I've looked into seriously — not passive income fantasy, not a second career.

  • 🧑‍💼
    Consulting After a Career
    Turn 30 years of expertise into part-time project work. No boss, no commute — just the parts of work you were actually good at.
    $800–$3,000/mo · Flexible hours
  • 💻
    Remote Work for Adults 55+
    Customer experience, virtual assistance, bookkeeping, writing — companies actively hire experienced adults for remote roles.
    $500–$1,800/mo · Part-time options
  • 📄
    Selling Digital Products
    Templates, guides, courses — something you make once and sell repeatedly. Lower ceiling than consulting, but the hours drop to near zero once set up.
    $200–$1,500/mo · Mostly passive
  • 🔧
    Small Local Service Businesses
    Lawn care, handyman work, bookkeeping for small businesses, pet sitting. Boring and reliable. Texas has no shortage of customers.
    $400–$1,200/mo · Your own hours
  • ⏱
    Part-Time Work Before Full Retirement
    Phasing down — going part-time before fully stopping — is the bridge most people miss. Even 20 hours a week dramatically extends how long your savings last.
    Variable · Bridge strategy
The $600 insight

I ran the numbers: if I bring in $600/month from something I control, my required nest egg drops by roughly $180,000 using the 4% rule. That's not a rounding error — that's the difference between retiring at 60 or waiting until 65.

This site is my experiment

This website is my own attempt at building digital income before I fully retire. If it works, I'll write about it honestly — including the numbers. If it doesn't, I'll write about that too.

why this site exists

My Early Retirement
Journey

I'm 55 years old. I live in Texas. And I've spent a long time doing work that paid the bills but wasn't what I'd choose if money wasn't the reason.

I want mornings with coffee. Time with my wife and our dogs. Long walks. Reading the news without rushing. Building something I actually care about.

The question I kept hitting was: can I actually afford to stop? Not "retire to a beach" retire — just stop trading time for a paycheck, and live simply and well in Texas.

So I started researching. I dug into Social Security timing, the Medicare gap, the 4% rule, Texas property tax law, side income options. I built spreadsheets. I ran numbers.

This site is my public notebook. Every article is something I'm genuinely working through. The calculators are tools I actually use. If you're in a similar spot — 50s, Texas, wondering if early retirement is realistic — pull up a chair. Let's figure it out.

My Retirement Field Notebook
Age 55 · Started March 2026
→ Goal: retire by 60. Maybe 62.
→ Current savings: figuring it out
→ Monthly expenses: honest ~$3,400
– Texas = no state income tax
– Property taxes freeze at 65
→ The gap years: biggest challenge
→ ACA healthcare 60–65: ~$500/mo
→ Delay SS to 67 = 30% more
– Side income of $500/mo = big deal
→ This site IS the side income plan
— still figuring it out, honestly
Not a financial advisor
Just a Texan with a notebook

Ready to run your own numbers?

The calculators are free, no signup required. Start with the Gap Calculator — it answers the question most people are most afraid to ask.

Start With the Gap Calculator