Interesting comments by some.
Mopardrive - retiring @ 50 cannot be good for anyone - mentally, that is. You are far far too young to do sweet FA @ 50. Every single person I have met who has 'tried' to retire @ 50 has found life "challenging" to say the least. Great for the first 'X' years but they all tell me that after that they are struggling to stay sharp...if that is the right description. Yes of course it's great fun doing very little daily, answering to no-one, tinkering with your hobby, charity, interests but the common thread with all of them is that they miss the daily 'challenges' that work brought, the interaction with other humans on a professional basis, the problems that needed resolving and so on. OF course there is a time to say goodbye to all that, even for filthy rich people, but 50 is ridiculous - you become a nuisance not a nicety.
Willard: With a 7 year old, you are going to be working until you are 65 then???
I guess there is no 'ideal' age to retire. Each to their own, but I would suggest that there is a 'minimum' age to retire and in this modern age of medicine and welfare - 50 is way way too young assuming you have 20+ years of healthy time ahead of you.............
As they say: "One Life - Live It"!
Thud: You seem to have struck gold. We have a roughly similar background but now I am driving a desk in aviation rather than flying one! Enjoy!