If you're dreaming of an early retirement, you're surely in good company. And it's easy to see the appeal of wrapping up your career in your 50s (or sooner) instead of waiting until your 60s or beyond.

But early retirement is something you absolutely have to plan for. Here are two things you must do if you're serious about an early workforce exit.

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It makes sense to max out IRAs and 401(k)s in the course of building retirement savings. These accounts give you benefits like tax-free contributions and tax-deferred gains. But if you want to retire early, you'll need savings outside of an IRA or 401(k) if you want to avoid penalties.

Traditional IRAs and 401(k)s generally impose a 10% penalty on withdrawals taken before age 59 1/2 unless you qualify for an exception. If you're aiming to retire at, say, 52, that could mean facing years of penalties that eat away at your savings.

A better bet? Keep a portion of your retirement nest egg in an accessible, taxable brokerage account. That way, you can access your money at any time without restrictions.

Some people purposely aim to retire at 65 because that's when Medicare eligibility typically begins. If your plan is to end your career much sooner than that, you'll need to put health coverage in place for what could be a lengthy period of time.

That could be an expensive prospect, though. Even if you manage to find a plan with affordable premiums, you may be looking at higher deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums.

If you're intent on retiring early, make sure to research healthcare costs thoroughly to know what you may be in for. And pad your savings as well as possible to make those costs manageable.

You may also want to sock extra money away in a health savings account, or HSA, and reserve it for when you retire. You can use that money to pay for things like deductibles, copays, and other medical expenses you might incur.

Early retirement is a great goal to aim for, but you need to go about it strategically. That means choosing the right home(s) for your savings and making sure you're clear on what health coverage will cost you while bridging that Medicare gap. But as long as you tackle these essential tasks and manage to save well, you may find that you're able to pull off early retirement without too much worry or stress.

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2 Things You Must Do if You Want to Retire Early was originally published by The Motley Fool