6 Secrets of Early Retirees

There are some people who want to work well into their 70s. Then, there are the rest of us. Those of us who can't wait to get rid of the boss lady, hit the golf course and just plain chill out for a few decades — maybe with a smattering of part-time or volunteer work and some new hobbies thrown in. If you're in this camp, a new study reveals how you can make it happen.

The Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies released a study showing what those who realistically plan to retire before age 65 are doing to reach their goals. "These aren't trust fund babies," says Catherine Collinson, president of the center. "These are everyday people with extraordinary habits."

Below are the defining success factors of these soon-to-be "early retirees." They are more likely than the average person to:

1. Save for retirement outside of just their workplace plan: 69% of early retirees do this vs. 60% of those who plan to retire after 65 and 49% of those who say they'll never retire.

2. Defer a high percentage of their salary into a retirement plan: Early retirees defer a median of 10% vs. 6% for those who plan to retire after 65 or don't plan to retire.

3. Start saving at a younger age: The median age early retirees begin saving is 25 vs. 30 for those who will retire after 65 and 31 for those who never plan to retire.

4. Have a thought-out retirement savings strategy: 71% of early retirees have either a written plan (16%) or a non-written plan (55%), while just over half of those who plan to retire after 65 do and just one-third of those who will never retire do.

5. Be very involved in managing and monitoring their retirement accounts: 71% of early retirees say they are very involved vs. 58% of those who will retire after 65 and just 45% of those who say they will never retire.

6. Have saved the same amount or more since the recession began: 71% of early retirees are doing this compared to 61% of those who will retire after 65 and just over half of those who never plan to retire.