I Am 44 Now, I Plan To Retire When I Reach 55, Here Is My Retirement Plan (With Numbers)

My own definition of FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) is to retire by the age of 55. I have never planned to work till 65 and beyond, like my parents, who are still working in their 70s!

So, to me, 55 is sweet spot, because I will still be 10 years ahead based on the official retirement age of 65, so I am early but not too early, which could mean that I will have more years of retirement to cover and less years to prepare to get there.

At age 55, I can also withdraw from my CPF OA after already hitting the Full Retirement Sum (FRS) today. I would like to think that I am still physically able to travel and do strenuous activities like hiking, or continuous walking, at that age.

I am 44 this year so I think it is time to start looking seriously at the finish line. Turning 44 means I have exactly 11 years left until my target retirement age of 55.

To bridge the gap between working life and complete financial freedom, I have mapped out a deliberate, multi-layered accumulation and decumulation strategy using Singapore’s unique financial instruments alongside global equities.

Here is the exact blueprint of how I plan to build, hold, and draw down my wealth from age 55 onwards.

Phase 1: The Foundation at Age 55

When the clock strikes age 55, my primary objective is to unlock liquidity from local systems while letting my growth engines run.

• CPF Ordinary Account (OA) Extraction: I estimate my CPF OA balance will reach approximately $220,000 by age 55, which I plan to withdraw to cover my expenses. I am able to do so as I have already hit my FRS in my SA, which would then be converted to RA when I reach 55.
• Singapore Savings Bonds (SSB): I currently hold $150,000 in SSBs, perfectly timed to mature when I turn 53 or 54 (after 10 years of holding) and I intend to make full withdrawal at 55 to provide rock-solid safety and cash flow.
• Global Equity DCA (CNDX): To supercharge my growth leading up to 55, I am executing a monthly Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA) strategy of $1,000 into iShares NASDAQ 100 UCITS ETF USD (CNDX). This acts as my flexible buffer—I will cash out from CNDX slowly starting at 55 only if my CPF OA and SSB streams require top-ups. In 11 years’ time, I should have around $132,000 (11 x 12,000) worth of shares in CNDX (assuming no growth at all).

For my OA amount, I planned to withdraw it an use it like monthly payout over 8 years until my SRS withdrawal at age 63. That works out to about 2.27k per month from age 55 to age 63.

I will also use my 150k SSB redemption as my monthly payout from 55 to 65, which will give me $1.25k per month.

That works out to be around $3.5k per month (from age 55 to 63) which I think is enough considering we do not spend too much ourselves and I am likely to be still generating some income from part-time work or side hustles.

Phase 2: The SRS Accelerator (Age 55 to 63)

Once I cross 55, my Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) takes center stage to optimize tax efficiency and generate mid-retirement income.

• Current Status & Contributions: My SRS sits at $30,300. Over the next 11 years leading to age 55, I plan to contribute the maximum limit of $15,300 annually to maximize personal income tax relief.
• Growth Phase (5% per annum): Through conservative-yet-yielding local investments such as Singapore bank stocks and high-quality REITs (I bought the REIT ETF, CFA), my SRS is projected to hit $269,000 by age 55. Allowing it to compound further, it is expected to reach $397,000 by the time I turn 63, which is the earliest withdrawal age.
• Drawdown Strategy: Starting at age 63, I will withdraw approximately $3,300 per month from my SRS over a 10-year window, taking advantage of favorable tax treatment on SRS withdrawals.

I am looking at around 3.3k monthly supplement from my SRS withdrawal, from 63 to 73.

On the overlapping years with my SSB supplement (63, 64), I will get a bigger returns other than the 3.3k I am getting from SRS withdrawal. It works out to be 4.5k monthly age at 63 and 64.

Phase 3: The Lifetime Anchor (Age 65 Onwards)

By age 65, the final and most robust pillar of Singapore’s retirement framework kicks in to secure my baseline standard of living for the rest of my life.

• CPF LIFE Payouts: At age 65, I will activate my CPF LIFE scheme, securing an estimated $3,000 per month for life.

Together with my SRS payout which I am still redeeming until the age of 72, I will get a combined total of 6k per month.

If at any point in time, if I wish to increase my monthly income sources, I would sell away my CNDX shares.

This is my expected monthly payout from the various sources when I turn 55:

Final Thoughts

Retiring at 55 is entirely a game of sequencing, matching predictable government-backed yields with global equity growth, and managing tax brackets efficiently. By layering my CPF, SSBs, global index funds, SRS, and finally CPF LIFE, I am creating a diversified income floor that ensures I never have to worry about outliving my money.

So at 55, I have many options, such as continue to work in my current job but switched to part-time or look for other part-time work that I am interested in. Or I can just quit my full-time job altogether so I can enjoy my hobbies and earn from my side hustles. To minimize my expenses, I may downgrade my house to full pay for my next home so that I am debt free on housing loan.

So the key thing for me now is not to keep worrying about whether I have enough when I reach 55 because based on the numbers and plan, I think I have more than enough. My focus now is to keep myself healthy, keep my job and that steady stream of income, until I reach 55, to enjoy a fruitful retirement ahead.

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