Many Americans want to stop working at 60 and live to 100. Can they afford it?

A significant swath of Americans now expect to spend almost 40 years in retirement, with about 1 in 8 workers planning to stop working before they turn 61. At the same time, most workers say they want to live until they're 100. 

That means some workers are eyeballing a four-decade retirement, an ambitious goal that comes with serious downsides. Among them: How to fund almost 40 years of retirement at a time when most workers are far from reaching their savings goals. 

The findings, from a recent survey from financial services firm Corebridge Financial, underscore the gap between Americans' lofty dreams for their golden years versus their financial realities. The median retirement savings balance for people who are between 55 to 64 — just years from potentially stepping back from work — is $185,000, according to NerdWallet.