At 62 with $1.4 million saved and a beach house on the table, you and your wife are arguing about two fundamentally different retirement strategies, each with real financial consequences that will compound for decades.
One spouse wants liquidity and rest, the other wants security through continued income and asset retention. Both instincts are rational, but they cannot both be right for your specific numbers.
Where You Stand
- Ages: Both 62, with full retirement age of 67 (born 1964 or later)
- Portfolio: $1.4 million in investable assets
- Asset in question: A beach house of undisclosed value
- Core tension: Retire now versus work 8 more years and preserve the property
- What’s at stake: Social Security benefit size, portfolio longevity, healthcare costs, and sequence-of-returns risk across a potentially 30-year retirement
The Social Security Gap Is the Real Decision
The most consequential variable here is when each of you claims Social Security.
According to the Social Security Administration, the maximum monthly benefit for someone retiring at 62 in 2026 is $2,969, while the maximum for someone waiting until 70 is $5,181. That is a difference of over $2,200 per month, per person, for life. For a couple, the combined annual difference between claiming at 62 versus 70 can exceed $50,000 per year.
For those born in 1964 or later, full retirement age is 67. Claiming at 62 permanently reduces benefits by 30%. Waiting past 67 earns delayed retirement credits of 8% per year through age 70. That 8% annual credit is a guaranteed return that no bond or CD currently matches. The Fed funds rate sits at 3.8%, and the 10-year Treasury yields roughly 4.3%.
Can $1.4 Million Support Retirement at 62?
Morningstar’s most recent retirement income research puts the safe starting withdrawal rate for new retirees at 3.9%. Applied to $1.4 million, that generates roughly $54,600 per year before taxes. For a couple carrying a beach house, that may feel tight, especially before Social Security kicks in.
The years between 62 and 65 also mean no Medicare. Private insurance on the ACA marketplace for a 62-year-old couple can run $1,500 to $2,500 per month, depending on coverage, which would consume a large share of that $54,600 annual draw.
Inflation compounds the pressure. CPI has risen steadily over the past year, and core PCE has climbed steadily as well. A retirement starting at 62 may last 30 years, and inflation erodes purchasing power in ways that are easy to underestimate early on.
Beach House: Inflation Hedge or Cash Drag?
Coastal real estate has historically served as an inflation hedge, which is the strongest argument for keeping it. Housing starts have climbed recently, reaching nearly 1,500 thousand units, suggesting a market that supports reasonable valuations for sellers who choose to exit.
The counterargument is the carrying cost. Property taxes, insurance (often elevated in coastal zones), maintenance, and HOA fees add up. Drawing down a $1.4 million portfolio to cover living expenses plus beach house costs accelerates sequence-of-returns risk in the early years, when a portfolio is most vulnerable to permanent damage from withdrawals during downturns.
If the beach house carries no mortgage and generates meaningful rental income, the calculus shifts. If it is purely a lifestyle asset with no income, it is a liability in a cash-flow-constrained early retirement.
A Middle Path Makes More Financial Sense
Working until 67, not necessarily 70, captures the full retirement age benefit without the full 8-year sacrifice. It covers healthcare through employer insurance, eliminates the Medicare gap, and lets the $1.4 million compound rather than draw down during critical early years.
- Run the healthcare numbers first. The cost of private insurance from 62 to 65 is the most underestimated expense in early retirement. Get actual quotes before deciding anything.
- Quantify the beach house’s real cost. Add up annual property taxes, insurance, and maintenance. If that number exceeds $20,000 per year with no rental income, selling becomes the financially rational choice.
- Do not claim Social Security at 62. Even if you retire now, you can defer claiming. The 30% permanent reduction from early claiming is the single most costly mistake couples in this position make.
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