Retiring on $4,000 a month will give the average American plenty of options for a fulfilling retirement—and leave some room to splurge on the grandkids and travel.
Average Retirement Expenses by Category. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an American household headed by someone aged 65 and older spent an average of $48,791 per year, or $4,065.95 per month, between 2016 and 2020.
Most experts say your retirement income should be about 80% of your final pre-retirement annual income. 1 That means if you make $100,000 annually at retirement, you need at least $80,000 per year to have a comfortable lifestyle after leaving the workforce.
How much will you need to retire at 67? Based on your projected savings and target age, you might have about $1,300 per month of income in retirement. If you save this amount by age 67, you will be able to spend $2,550 per month to support your living expenses in retirement.
Retirement experts have offered various rules of thumb about how much you need to save: somewhere near $1 million, 80% to 90% of your annual pre-retirement income, 12 times your pre-retirement salary.
According to data from the Federal Reserve, the average amount of retirement savings for 65- to 74-year-olds is just north of $426,000. While it's an interesting data point, your specific retirement savings may be different from someone else's.
Social Security offers a monthly benefit check to many kinds of recipients. As of March 2022, the average check is $1,536.94, according to the Social Security Administration – but that amount can differ drastically depending on the type of recipient.
How much you can expect to get from Social Security if you make $75,000 a year. The first monthly Social Security check was cashed in 1940 for a grand total of about $23. Fast forward to 2019, and the average retired worker gets almost $1,500 a month from Social Security.
A rule of thumb for retirement withdrawals is the 4% rule. This rule suggests withdrawing 4% of your retirement investments annually, adjusting each year for inflation, to fund a 30-year retirement. Let's assume you're interested in how to retire at 62 with $500,000 saved and you expect to live 30 years in retirement.
Experts say to have at least seven times your salary saved at age 55. That means if you make $55,000 a year, you should have at least $385,000 saved for retirement. Keep in mind that life is unpredictable–economic factors, medical care, and how long you live will also impact your retirement expenses.
A general rule for retirement savings by age 60 is to aim to have about seven to eight times your current salary saved up. This means someone earning $75,000 a year would ideally have between $525,000 to $600,000 in retirement savings at that age. If you aren't there yet, you're not alone.
According to Fidelity, in Q1 2020, the average defined contribution plan balance was $126,083 and the average IRA balance was $135,700. American savings expectations for a comfortable retirement increased to $1.04 million in 2021, a 10 percent increase from 2020.
That means that even if you're not one of those lucky few who have $1 million or more socked away, you can still retire well, so long as you keep your monthly budget under $3,000 a month.
A: Your Social Security payment is based on your best 35 years of work. And, whether we like it or not, if you don't have 35 years of work, the Social Security Administration (SSA) still uses 35 years and posts zeros for the missing years, says Andy Landis, author of Social Security: The Inside Story, 2016 Edition.
The limit for countable resources is $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple.
According to the SSA's 2021 Annual Statistical Supplement, the monthly benefit amount for retired workers claiming benefits at age 62 earning the average wage was $1,480 per month for the worker alone. The benefit amount for workers with spouses claiming benefits was $2,170 at age 62.
About 40% of older Americans rely exclusively on Social Security for retirement income, according to recent research from the National Institute on Retirement Security.
For example, the AARP calculator estimates that a person born on Jan. 1, 1960, who has averaged a $50,000 annual income would get a monthly benefit of $1,338 if they file for Social Security at 62, $1,911 at full retirement age (in this case, 67), or $2,370 at 70.
How much should I have in my 401(k)? A general rule is to have six to eight times your salary saved by age 60, though more conservative estimates may skew higher. The truth is that your retirement savings plan hinges on your individual goals and financial situation.
The short answer is yes—$500,000 is sufficient for some retirees. The question is how that will work out. With an income source like Social Security, relatively low spending, and a bit of good luck, this is feasible.
But how much do Americans actually have saved? As of the fourth quarter of 2020, Americans between the ages of 50 and 59 have an average 401(k) balance of $203,600, according to data from Fidelity's retirement platform. Employees in this age group contribute an average rate of 10.4% of their salaries.