Does getting an MBA increase one's likelihood of retiring early?

Answer 1

As you phrased the question- the answer is yes on a couple fronts. The first, MBA programs tend to introduce people to some financial concepts that help them manage their personal finances better, at the very least by forcing them through a finance course. Some programs offer securities analysis and portfolio management courses. The simple exposure to this gets people thinking more about taking care of retirement and savings while helping them avoid some of the thoughtless things we often do with money.
The primary reason folks get an MBA is to increase their income. I found it was much like a club membership where others with an MBA's became more chummy with me once discovering I too had the paper. MBA in a number of firms act as a proxy for intelligence/motivation in addition to other tangible accomplioshments. Whether you buy into the idea that people with MBA's are smarter or hard worker's or not, this is what they are used to represent.
I believe Business Week has done salary comparisons for undergrad, grad and PhD's where they break down the extra income for MBA's over simple grad degrees. As I recall, it was something like 20%+. My MBA helped me, but was really helpful once I left the firm that I worked at while I went to school. This is consistent with what some other MBA graduates find, where your pre MBA employer still tends to treat you as they always have.

Bottom line, MBA's offer applicants and people who want to work themselves upwards the distinctive edge that college degrees used to offer 30 years ago, before the universities and colleges watered the undergraduate degrees down to allow everyone to get through their programs.

So, they find jobs easier, make more money when they do find the job, and are more likely to save and invest that money more productively.
Therefore, are more likeley to retire comfortably or early, should they choose so....

Good luck to you if you're thinking about getting an MBA.

Answer 2

Most definitely, simply because you have an endless earning potential meaning that you have way much more money to invest at an earlier age and have plenty of money to retire early. An uncle of mine had his MBA and retired at 44 with a couple of millions in the banks.

Answer 3

Retirement has more to do with your financial situation, not you education level. Some people with just a HS education that saved all their lives and made sound investment choices are in a far better position to retire early than some people with MBA's that made twice as much but spent everything they earned and made poor investment choices. Early retirement is all about saving and investing, not about education.

Answer 4

I don't believe so. The world is now full of MBAs - honestly, they're a dime a dozen these days. What will increase your liklihood of retiring early is to being the best at whatever you decide to do with your life.

Answer 5

i don't think that guarantees you early retirement, but it could help. just depends on what you do with yourself