In planning for retirement, a lot of time and effort and focus is understandably on saving enough money and investing it in the right securities. But a successful retirement plan--especially one that is longer than normal--can depend at least as much on spending.

The rules for planning for retirement are largely still the same rules once you get to your 40s. If you have been diligently saving and investing in 401(k)s and IRAs thus far, don't stop now.

$2 million might not be enough to retire on any longer. With inflation running hot, expenses have gone up for most people.

If you want to retire early, it's best to start thinking about it when you're young. But that's not the only way. There are a number of ways to make early retirement happen, especially if you save consistently.

The good news from ICI is that total household retirement assets are, on average, higher than they have ever been. The bad news is that average household retirement assets are only in the $24,000 range, meaning total household financial assets are only in the $70,000 range.