A man who retired comfortably at 55 says 4 smart choices helped him reach his goal

Fritz Gilbert retired at age 55 and says four smart choices led to a comfortable retirement. He said that saving right out of college at 22, and saving all his raises, prepared him well.  Reading and learning about personal finance helped, too, along with marrying the right person. Want to share your retirement experience with Insider? Email reporter Liz Knueven at lknueven@insider.com. Fritz Gilbert retired at age 55 in 2018 after 33 years in the aluminum industry. But his retirement didn't happen overnight — it's something that took him decades to achieve. Gilbert, who now writes the blog Retirement Manifesto, said he did several things that helped him to build the comfortable retirement he has today. Here are the four moves that set him up for success. 1. He saved his raises every time he got oneInstead of spending more each time he got a raise, he decided to make a strategy to save it.  "Every time we got a raise, we basically just saved it," he told Insider. "So we avoided lifestyle inflation, but we didn't forgo the enjoyment of life as we lived it." Lifestyle inflation, or spending more as you earn more, is something many experts warn against, especially for those who are starting their careers. But Gilbert said that lifestyle inflation is all about balance. By avoiding lifestyle inflation, Gilbert said he was better able to save for retirement while still living well. "I think we struck the right balance," he told Insider. 2. He started saving for retirement right out of collegeGilbert didn't wait to start saving for retirement, and said that decision helped him to retire earlier than the standard age 65. "I was very fortunate. When I first started my job, I was 22 years old out of college, and I signed up for the 401(k) program," he said. "I signed up for at least the amount that you needed for the employer match." Even just contributing enough to get the match allowed him to stay within his budget while still taking advantage of free money from his employer. It's a move that Gilbert said worked incredibly well. Over time, this money was also able to grow with compound interest, where interest accrues in a snowball effect. The earlier you start, the more time compound interest has to work. "You need to have that time for compounding," he said. "Once you've lost that opportunity of starting to save young, you never get it back." 3. He learned everything he could about money and personal finance Gilbert said that he focused on learning everything he could about personal finance, and that helped him to get ahead.  Even with professional help, it's critical to understand some things for yourself. "You can always hire it out and pay professionals to do it for you. There's nothing wrong with that, but don't make that your default," he said.   He encourages everyone to learn it on their own, too. "It's just too important to your life to not have a basic working knowledge of personal finance," he said. "Take the time to get a few periodicals, sign up for a few newsletters," he said. "Work on self-educating because nobody cares about your money as much as you do." 4. He married someone with the same goals Gilbert said that his wife, Jackie, has been integral to his retirement success, and said that her frugality and similar mindset have been critical. "One of the things I'm very fortunate about is I married well, and not meaning financially. I married a person that had similar values to mine in terms of materialism or lack thereof," he said. "Having a solid spouse who has the same core values as you do, I think, is one of the real essentials to having a successful life and a successful retirement." Liz Knueven Personal Finance Reporter Liz is a reporter at Business Insider, primarily covering personal-finance topics.  Before joining Business Insider, she wrote about financial and automotive topics as a freelancer for brands like LendingTree and Credit Karma.  She earned her... Read More