4 Obstacles to Early Retirement and How to Overcome Them Do you dream of retiring early? You'd better get started now.

Many of us dream of leaving the workplace while in our 40s or 50s instead of sticking it out until age 65. In fact, the 2011 Employee Benefit Research Institute's Retirement Confidence Survey found that 16 percent of retirees left the work force before age 55, and another 15 percent did so before turning 60. Early retirement is a tempting goal, but it can be tough to achieve.

"Retirement is ultimately a mathematical equation involving current income, current expenses, savings rate and future expenses," says Robert Brokamp, a certified financial planner and senior advisor for The Motley Fool newsletter Rule Your Retirement. "The more you can make now, and the more of that money you save, the sooner you can retire."