If you were born in  early 1960s, you’re enough to remember the  Apollo lunar landings.  You may remember  the first departure of astronauts Neil Armstrong  and Buzz Aldrin, who  walked on the moon and  into history.

These events scrawled  across the pages of late 20th-and early 21st-century history mark your life in ways few others alive today can  comprehend. Thinking of all that you have seen may  amaze you at times. But now you’re six months shy  of your 60th birthday. You are 59½, to be exact.  So what is the importance of age 59 1/2?

That age marks a turning point of sorts in your  life—on a number of fronts. In particular, the  Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows you to make  withdrawals from your retirement account without  incurring a penalty. It has also been nearly a decade  since you were granted the right to make “catch-up  contributions” to your IRA.1

In roughly 30 months, you’ll be eligible to claim  Social Security benefits. You’re about 66 months  away from Medicare eligibility.

In this report, we explore your retirement choices,  your healthcare concerns, and how to move vibrantly  into those golden years. We also turn back the clock  to take a quick look at how history may have shaped  your outlook.

Some research suggests you should have at least $1 million in retirement savings to get you  comfortably through a 30-year retirement.

Some retirement savers say there’s a 45% chance  they expect to run out of money sometime during  their retirement. In fact, 22% of baby boomers (those  born between 1946 and 1964) report having less than $25,000 in retirement savings.

If your retirement savings are not quite up to par, the  IRS provides a catch-up clause that applies to people  over the age of 50.