$400,000 is a big annual household income. You can certainly survive just fine off $400,000 a year. However, based on the above expenses, a $400,000 household income only provides for an upper-middle-class lifestyle for a family of four in a big city.
Combined with Social Security, this would give you $31,000 per year in pre-tax income. This isn't much to live on and it would only last you about 25 years before your portfolio runs out. Starting at age 87, you will need to coast on $16,000 per year in Social Security benefits for the rest of your life.
While retiring on $400,000 is possible and above the average retirement savings, you may need to adjust your lifestyle expectations if this is your final retirement amount. If you want to retire early, $400,000 might be a difficult number to make stretch.
10x your annual salary by 67
To fund an “above average” retirement lifestyle—where you spend 55% of your preretirement income—Fidelity recommends having 12 times your income saved at age 67, which is the normal Social Security retirement age.
Based on the 80% principle, you can expect to need about $96,000 in annual income after you retire, which is $8,000 per month.
The average retirement savings for all families is $333,940 according to the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances. Taken on their own, those numbers aren't incredibly helpful. There are a variety of decent retirement savings benchmarks out there, but how much money other people have isn't one of them.
As we have established, retiring on $500k is entirely feasible. With the addition of Social Security benefits, the possibility of retiring with $500k becomes even more possible. In retirement, Social Security benefits can provide an additional $1,800 per month, on average.
The average American spends $4,345 per month in retirement, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's $52,141 per year.
You could consider buying a rental property, either residential or commercial, or investing in a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns income-generating properties. Real estate can provide a steady stream of income and potentially appreciate in value over time.
Too many people are paid a lot of money to tell investors that yields like that are impossible. But the truth is you can get a 9.5% yield today--and even more. But even at 9.5%, we're talking about a middle-class income of $4,000 per month on an investment of just a touch over $500K.
Your payment should not be more than 28%. of your total gross monthly income. That means you'll need to make 11,500 dollars a month, or 138 k per year. in order to comfortably afford this 400,000 dollar home.
To afford a $400,000 house, borrowers need $55,600 in cash to put 10 percent down. With a 30-year mortgage, your monthly income should be at least $8200 and your monthly payments on existing debt should not exceed $981. (This is an estimated example.)
For example, at current mortgage rates, borrowers with an FHA loan and a 10% down payment would need to earn about $70,000 a year to afford a $400,000 house. Borrowers with a conventional loan and a 20% down payment would need a salary of $100,000 or more.
If you have multiple income streams, a detailed spending plan and keep extra expenses to a minimum, you can retire at 55 on $2 million. However, because each retiree's circumstances are unique, it's essential to define your income and expenses, then run the numbers to ensure retiring at 55 is realistic.
If you delay taking your benefits from your full retirement age up to age 70, your benefit amount will increase. If you start receiving benefits early, your benefits are reduced a small percent for each month before your full retirement age.
If you have more than $1 million saved in retirement accounts, you are in the top 3% of retirees. According to EBRI estimates based on the latest Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, 3.2% of retirees have over $1 million in their retirement accounts, while just 0.1% have $5 million or more.
It's recommended that most couples save at least seven to eight times their combined annual income to retire comfortably.
Some industry experts say the magic savings number for retirement is 10 times your annual salary by the time you're 67. Another strategy is to save 10%-15% of your pre-tax salary throughout your career. Everyone's financial situation is different, so the amount they need to save in their 401(k) is, too.
Using our portfolio of $400,000 and the 4% withdrawal rate, you could withdraw $16,000 annually from your retirement accounts and expect your money to last for at least 30 years. If, say, your Social Security checks are $2,000 monthly, you'd have a combined annual income in retirement of $40,000.
According to the 4% rule, if you retire with $500,000 in assets, you should be able to withdraw $20,000 per year for 30 years or more. Moreover, investing this money in an annuity could provide a guaranteed annual income of $24,688 for those retiring at 55.
If you earned around $50,000 per year before retirement, the odds are good that a $300,000 retirement account and Social Security benefits will allow you to continue enjoying your same lifestyle. By age 55 the median American household has about $120,000 saved for retirement, and about $212,500 in net worth.