If somebody works minimum wage, they can't save up enough by then. It is just basic math. Sure, some people can get rich off of stock options and so on, but that is not a universal principle. So yes, some people can retire by age 40 but it is an exception, not the rule. Really, to save social security we recently increased the retirement age from 65 to 67 and it will like increase again within the Gen X/Y working life time. I am 28 and do not expect 67 to still be the retirement age all those years down the road.