Yes, $500k Might Be Enough With an income source like Social Security, relatively low spending, and a bit of good luck, this is feasible. And when you have two people in your household receiving Social Security or pension income, it's even easier. Clearly, more money provides more security and more options.
On average, you'll need to have saved $1,051,814 to retire at 55 years old. This is based on the median earnings of Americans according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' October 2023 Current Population Survey in weekly earnings.
How Much to Retire at 55? Fidelity estimated that those saving for retirement should have a minimum of seven times their salary by age 55. That means that if your annual salary is currently $70,000, you will want to plan on saving at least $490,000 saved.
If you cut expenses by $4,000 per year or $11 per day, the numbers work to retire at age 60 with $500,000. “If you choose to live on $45,000 per year, you could claim Social Security at age 62 and fully fund your retirement until age 90.”
Deciding to retire at age 55 with $800,000 in savings is a significant choice that requires careful financial planning. The traditional advice for retirement savings is to have seven times your annual salary by age 55, which is geared toward retiring at 67.
If you retire at age 55, you probably won't be eligible to receive Social Security retirement benefits for several years or be able to withdraw money from your retirement accounts without paying a 10% early withdrawal penalty. Additionally, for most people, Medicare won't kick in for another 10 years.
However, you unfortunately cannot begin receiving Social Security retirement benefits at 55. The earliest age you can begin drawing Social Security retirement benefits is 62. But there's a catch. Taking Social Security benefits prior to reaching your full retirement age results in a reduction of your benefit amount.
This income is distributed monthly, meaning you could receive around $2,188 each month from your annuity. If you retire at 65 and invest the $500k, you can expect to receive $2,396 per month, and if you purchase the annuity at 70, your monthly income would be about $2,605.
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.
If you retire with no money, you'll have to consider ways to create income to pay your living expenses. That might include applying for Social Security retirement benefits, getting a reverse mortgage if you own a home, or starting a side hustle or part-time job to generate a steady paycheck.
The rule of 55 allows penalty-free withdrawals from a 401(k) and 403(b) if you leave a job during or after the calendar year you turn age 55. This is an exception to the IRS rule that levies a 10% penalty on withdrawals from employer-sponsored retirement plans before age 59½.
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.
Following the 4% rule, $600k could provide for at least 25 years in retirement, with an annual spending of around $24,000. However, the actual duration will be influenced by your age at retirement and your monthly spending plans.
You expect to withdraw 4% each year, starting with a $24,000 withdrawal in Year One. Your money earns a 5% annual rate of return while inflation stays at 2.9%. Based on those numbers, $600,000 would be enough to last you 30 years in retirement. In fact, by age 92 you'd still have over $116,000 in savings.
This brings us to the question -- can a retired person live on $4,000 a month? The answer is yes, almost 1 in 3 retirees today are spending between $2,000 and $3,999 per month, implying that $4,000 is a good monthly income for a retiree.
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.
How long will it take to turn 500k into $1 million? The time it takes to invest half turn 500k into $1 million depends on the investment return and the amount of time invested. If invested with an average annual return of 7%, it would take around 15 years to turn 500k into $1 million.
One example is the $1,000/month rule. Created by Wes Moss, a Certified Financial Planner, this strategy helps individuals visualize how much savings they should have in retirement. According to Moss, you should plan to have $240,000 saved for every $1,000 of disposable income in retirement.
Half a million dollars might sound like a lot of money, but if you're approaching retirement, is it enough? If you have $500,000 in a pre-tax IRA and expect $2,000 per month from Social Security, you may have enough money to retire at age 67.
$900k can last you for over 25 years in retirement if your annual spending remains around $50,000, following the 4% rule. However, it will depend on your age at retirement and spending needs as a retiree.
What is the rule of 55? The IRS rule of 55 recognizes you might leave or lose your job before you reach age 59½. If that happens, you might need to begin taking distributions from your 401(k). Unfortunately, there's usually a 10% penalty—on top of the taxes you owe—when you withdraw money early.
Whether or not to take an early retirement package depends on what's included in the offer and how it will impact your retirement income, taxes and expenses. It's important to consider the terms of a specific offer, alongside your retirement goals, before you decide.
If you've worked and paid Social Security taxes for 10 years or more, you'll get a monthly benefit based on that work.