How much should I have saved to retire? (2023)

FAQs

How much should I have saved to retire? ›

By age 50, you would be considered on track if you have three to six times your preretirement gross income saved. And by age 60, you should have 5.5 to 11 times your salary saved in order to be considered on track for retirement.

By age 40, you should have three times your annual salary already saved. By age 50, you should have six times your salary in an account. By age 60, you should have eight times your salary working for you. By age 67, your total savings total goal is 10 times the amount of your current annual salary.

The quick answer is “yes”! With some planning, you can retire at 60 with $500k. Remember, however, that your lifestyle will significantly affect how long your savings will last.

How much do I need to save to retire? A good rule of thumb is that your retirement income should equal about 80% of your pre-retirement income, says Steve Sexton, financial consultant and CEO of Sexton Advisory Group, a retirement-planning company.

Many experts recommend saving at least $1 million for retirement, but that doesn't take your individual goals, needs or spending habits into account. In turn, you may not need anywhere near $1 million to retire comfortably. For instance, if you have $500,000 in your nest egg, that could be plenty for your situation.

Yes, for some people, $2 million should be more than enough to retire. For others, $2 million may not even scratch the surface. The answer depends on your personal situation and there are lot of challenges you'll face. As of 2023, it seems the number of obstacles to a successful retirement continues to grow.

However, not a huge percentage of retirees end up having that much money. In fact, statistically, around 10% of retirees have $1 million or more in savings.

Will $1 million still be enough to have a comfortable retirement then? It's definitely possible, but there are several factors to consider—including cost of living, the taxes you'll owe on your withdrawals, and how you want to live in retirement—when thinking about how much money you'll need to retire in the future.

Retiring at age 45 with $3 million is quite feasible if you already have the money and your post-retirement income needs are not excessive. Accumulating that much money in time for such an early retirement will likely be challenging.

How far will 1 million dollars go in retirement? ›

A recent analysis determined that a $1 million retirement nest egg may only last about 20 years depending on what state you live in. Based on this, if you retire at age 65 and live until you turn 84, $1 million will probably be enough retirement savings for you.

A retirement account with $2 million should be enough to make most people comfortable. With an average income, you can expect it to last 35 years or more. However, everyone's retirement expectations and needs are different.

The good news: As long as you plan carefully, $3 million should be a comfortable amount to retire on at 55. If you're ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Retiring at 45 with $2 million takes diligent saving and detailed planning, but it is possible. However, you'll have between 20 and 25 years to save, so you must save nearly $3,000 each to hit your goal.

If you retire at age 65 and expect to live to the average life expectancy of 79 years, your three million would need to last for about 14 years. However, if you retire at 55 and expect to live to the average life expectancy, your nest egg would need to last for about 24 years.

Once you have $1 million in assets, you can look seriously at living entirely off the returns of a portfolio. After all, the S&P 500 alone averages 10% returns per year. Setting aside taxes and down-year investment portfolio management, a $1 million index fund could provide $100,000 annually.

1,821,745 Households in the United States Have Investment Portfolios Worth $3,000,000 or More.

Additionally, statistics show that the top 2% of the United States population has a net worth of about $2.4 million. On the other hand, the top 5% wealthiest Americans have a net worth of just over $1 million. Therefore, about 2% of the population possesses enough wealth to meet the current definition of being rich.

For many years, a common objective for individuals was to save a nest egg of at least $1 million in order to live comfortably in retirement. Reaching that sum would, in theory, allow the individual to sustain themselves on their retirement investment income generated annually.

The Federal Reserve's most recent data reveals that the average American has $65,000 in retirement savings. By their retirement age, the average is estimated to be $255,200.

How many Americans have $5 million in savings? ›

How many $4 or $5 millionaires are there in the US? Somewhere around 4,473,836 households have $4 million or more in wealth, while around 3,592,054 have at least $5 million. Respectively, that is 3.48% and 2.79% of all households in America.

While the cost of living varies from place to place, a nest egg this size would likely give more than enough money for decades of comfortable living. Even if you live another 50 years, $5 million in savings would allow you to live on $100,000 per year.

At a 6% return, their conservatively invested $3 million portfolio will generate $180,000 annually if all goes according to plan. This conservative spending and investing approach makes it likely the couple's retirement nest egg will last indefinitely.

The Bottom Line

Retiring at 50 is a great goal to have. If you have $3 million saved, it's likely that you'll be able to retire comfortably. You'll need to factor in your living expenses, inflation and the expected rate of return on your investments.

More than ever, Americans who desire a “comfortable” retirement must squirrel away money in a retirement account. Yet nearly half of private-sector employees, 57 million Americans, have no option to save for retirement at work.

Overall, you should max out your contributions every year if you can do so while getting the maximum matching benefit from your employer.

Average Social Security retirement benefits in 2023

Average payments for all retirees enrolled in the Social Security program increased to approximately $1,827, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Yes, you can retire at 60 with $1.5 million. At age 60, an annuity will provide a guaranteed income of $91,500 annually, starting immediately for the rest of the insured's lifetime. The income will stay the same and never decrease.

Can You Retire With $1.5 Million at 55? If you have $1.5 million saved up and want to retire at 55, this may be enough for you. The reality is that it all depends on your withdrawal rate — the amount of money you consistently take out of your accounts to support yourself — and how long you live.

A $3 million portfolio will likely be enough to allow a retired couple to spend reasonably and invest with moderate caution without any worries of running out of money. However, if expenses rise too high, it's entirely possible to drain a $3 million portfolio in well under 30 years.

Do most retirees have a million dollars? ›

Putting that much aside could make it easier to live your preferred lifestyle when you retire, without having to worry about running short of money. However, not a huge percentage of retirees end up having that much money. In fact, statistically, around 10% of retirees have $1 million or more in savings.

The number of 401(k) millionaires in Fidelity-managed plans is relatively small, just shy of 1.4 percent out of 21.5 million accounts. That segment peaked in 2021, at 442,000, with a median balance of $1.3 million, according to Mike Shamrell, vice president for workplace thought leadership for Fidelity.

The rule of thumb is that using a 4% withdrawal rate, the money should last 25 years. However, it's important to note that this is a rough estimate, and actual results may vary based on your investments' performance, inflation changes, and other factors.

You can start receiving your Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62. However, you are entitled to full benefits when you reach your full retirement age. If you delay taking your benefits from your full retirement age up to age 70, your benefit amount will increase.

To acquire the full amount, you need to maximize your working life and begin collecting your check until age 70. Another way to maximize your check is by asking for a raise every two or three years. Moving companies throughout your career is another way to prove your worth, and generate more money.

We base your retirement benefit on your highest 35 years of earnings and the age you start receiving benefits.

The 4% rule is easy to follow. In the first year of retirement, you can withdraw up to 4% of your portfolio's value. If you have $1 million saved for retirement, for example, you could spend $40,000 in the first year of retirement following the 4% rule.

Mathematically, 10% Just Isn't Enough

By saving 10%, your money would need to grow at a rate of 6.7% a year for you to retire 40 years from when you start. In order to retire early, after 30 years of contributing, you would need an unrealistically high rate of return of 10.3%.

Ecuador. If you're looking for a country where you can retire outside the US comfortably with $800 per month and experience one of the most ecologically diverse places in the world, then Ecuador might be for you. The go-to city for US retirees in Ecuador is Cuenca, which also happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage site.

With $5 million to invest, a retiree willing to invest in the stock market could collect $500,000 per year in average returns before even touching the principal in their portfolio.

Is $5 million enough for a couple to retire? ›

The Bottom Line

With $5 million you can plan on retiring early almost anywhere. While you should be more careful with your money in extremely high-cost areas, this size nest egg can generate more than $100,000 per year of income. That should be more than enough to live comfortably on starting at age 55.

Retiring at age 40 is entirely feasible if you have accumulated $5 million by that age. If the long-term future is much like the long-term past, you will be able to withdraw $200,000 the first year for living expenses and adjust that number up for inflation every year more or less forever without running out of money.

Regardless of how much you save, your goal is to save enough to support a lifestyle that suits you. Can a couple retire with $2 million? It's certainly possible, though it really comes down to creating a retirement savings plan that's tailored to you and your partner.

Can you live off of $2 million in assets? The answer is yes, if you manage your investment portfolio smartly. One common option is to invest $2 million in an index fund.

Can A Couple Retire On 2 Million Dollars? Yes, $2 million should be enough to retire. Annuities provide an income option to pay a guaranteed monthly amount for two lives.

Yes, for some people, $2 million should be more than enough to retire. For others, $2 million may not even scratch the surface. The answer depends on your personal situation and there are lot of challenges you'll face. As of 2023, it seems the number of obstacles to a successful retirement continues to grow.

If you retire at 62, you can reasonably expect to live to 82 if you're a man or almost to 85 if you're a woman, according to data from the Social Security Administration. That means your $1.5 million portfolio needs to last at least 20 years, but it can also grow.

As for what it would take to step back from the workforce without financial worries, a new study from the Bloomberg MLIV Pulse may have an answer: More than 7 in 10 investors said they would need between $3 million and $5 million to retire comfortably.

The bottom line is that you can retire at 70 with $500k if you are comfortable with the resulting lifestyle. Your savings will provide you with approximately $20k per year, and the average Social Security benefit will add another $18k or so.

Yes, you can! The average monthly Social Security Income in 2021 is $1,543 per person. In the tables below, we'll use an annuity with a lifetime income rider coupled with SSI to give you a better idea of the income you could receive from $500,000 in savings.

Can you retire $1.5 million comfortably? ›

The 4% rule suggests that a $1.5 million portfolio will provide for at least 30 years approximately $60,000 a year before taxes for you to live on in retirement. If you take more than this from your nest egg, it may run short; if you take less or your investments earn more, it may provide somewhat more income.

Yes, you can retire at 50 with 2 million dollars. At age 50, an annuity will provide a guaranteed income of $125,000 annually, starting immediately for the rest of the insured's lifetime. The income will stay the same and never decrease.

$1 million doesn't go nearly as far in retirement as it once did. In fact, a recent survey found that investors believe they'll need at least $3 million to retire comfortably. But retiring with $1 million is still possible, even as early as age 55, if you're smart about it.

The answer to this question is a resounding yes! You can retire on five million dollars. You could retire quite comfortably on that amount of money.