THE DECISION TO RETIRE EARLY - A REVIEW AND CONCEPTUALIZATION

This article explores three interconnected decisions related to early retirement-the decision whether to leave a long-term job prior to age 65, the decision whether to accept bridge employment, and the decision whether to obtain bridge employment in the same industry or occupation as the last job-and the relationships among these three decisions and adjustment to retirement. In addition, this article examines the key variables that influence these three decisions, integrating previous research on individual-level, family-level, job- and career-related, organization-level, and environmental-level factors. The article concludes with an examination of methodological issues in the study of early retirement decisions and provides directions for future theory development.