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.
In fact, statistically, around 10% of retirees have $1 million or more in savings. The majority of retirees, however, have far less saved.
Around the U.S., a $1 million nest egg can cover an average of 18.9 years worth of living expenses, GoBankingRates found. But where you retire can have a profound impact on how far your money goes, ranging from as a little as 10 years in Hawaii to more than than 20 years in more than a dozen states.
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.
You can certainly retire comfortably at age 65 on a $1.5 million, but your ability to do so relies on how you want to live in retirement, how much you plan to spend, when you plan to claim Social Security and how your portfolio is structured.
According to data from the Federal Reserve's most recent Survey of Consumer Finances, the average 65 to 74-year-old has a little over $426,000 saved.
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.
In 2023, the top 1% of household net worth in the U.S. started at $13.7 billion. An individual would need to earn an average of $407,500 per year in order to join the top 1%, and a household would need an income of $591,550. The median household income was $74,580 in 2023 and $45,440 for individuals.
Someone who has $1 million in liquid assets, for instance, is usually considered to be a high net worth (HNW) individual. You might need $5 million to $10 million to qualify as having a very high net worth while it may take $30 million or more to be considered ultra-high net worth.
Vanguard, the investment management company, defines $1 million in investments as high net worth. The average American family now reports a net worth of nearly $1.1 million, according to the new Fed survey. That sounds like a lot of money. But the super-rich skew the average.
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.
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.
No two people are exactly alike, and neither are their dreams for retirement. However, there is a common thread that unites them: Most Americans believe they will need $1.27 million to retire comfortably, according to Northwestern Mutual's 2023 Planning & Progress Study.
But that shouldn't be the case. In fact, statistically, just 10% of Americans have saved $1 million or more for retirement. Don't feel like a failure if your nest egg isn't quite up to the seven-figure level. Regardless of your financial position, however, you should strive to save and invest as much as you can.
In 2020, according to Pew Research Center analysis, the median for upper income households was around $220,000 and the median for middle income households was slightly above $90,000.
At its most basic, net worth is everything you own minus everything you owe. To calculate your net worth, tally the value of all or your assets, including bank accounts, investments, and perhaps the value of your home or vacation home.
The Sept. 8 report said the minimum annual income required in 2023 for a family of four to be middle class in California is $69,064. Alabama and Arkansas both required the lowest minimum income to be considered middle class, at $51,798.
According to Schwab's 2023 Modern Wealth Survey, its seventh annual, Americans said it takes an average net worth of $2.2 million to qualify a person as being wealthy. (Net worth is the sum of your assets minus your liabilities.)
In 2023, households earning at least $844,266 per year are considered among California's top 1%. On average, these high earners are taxed at a rate of 26.95%. In the Garden State, you'll need an annual household income of $817,346 to be in the top 1%.
The average monthly retirement income adjusted for inflation in 2023 is $4,381.25, according to a 2022 U.S. Census Bureau report. The average annual income for adults 65 and older in 2023 is $75,254 – or $83,085 when adjusted for inflation.
The average American spends $4,345 per month in retirement, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's $52,141 per year.
As of December 2023, the average check is $1,767.03, according to the Social Security Administration – but that amount can differ drastically depending on the type of recipient.