What Is a Solid 401(k) Balance for a 30-Year-Old Person? Fidelity reports that individuals between the ages of 20 and 29 have an average 401(k) balance of $10,500. Those in their 30s have $38,400 on average.22 It recommends that by age 30, you should have an account balance equal to 1x your annual salary.
By age 30, Fidelity recommends having the equivalent of one year's salary stashed in your workplace retirement plan. So, if you make $50,000, your 401(k) balance should be $50,000 by the time you hit 30.
Recent data from Northwestern Mutual shows that the average 30-something has $67,400 saved for retirement. So if you're sitting on a $100,000 savings balance at age 30, it means you're ahead of the game.
The younger you are, the more aggressive your investments should be. If you are 30, put 30% of your money in low-risk, low-interest investments like money market accounts and government securities, and 70% in stocks, or stock funds, that offer a higher rate of return.
If you have $400,000 in the bank you can retire early at age 62, but it will be tight. The good news is that if you can keep working for just five more years, you are on track for a potentially quite comfortable retirement by full retirement age.
To retire with at least $1 million by age 62, the amount you'll need to save each month will depend largely on how many years you have left to save. The earlier you get started, the easier it will be to build a robust nest egg. Even if you're off to a late start, though, that doesn't mean all hope is lost.
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.
Retirement Savings Benchmarks
One widely cited benchmark states that by age 30, you should have saved approximately the same amount as your annual salary. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American aged 25 to 34 earned $49,960 in 2021.
The good news is, many people have much more time than they think. Even starting at age 35 means you can have more than 30 years to save, and you can still greatly benefit from the compounding effects of investing in tax-sheltered retirement vehicles.
No matter your age, there is never a wrong time to start investing.
As a rule of thumb, the sooner you start saving for retirement the better. If you start by contributing $1,000 a month to a retirement account at age 30 or younger, your savings could be worth more than $1 million by the time you retire.
We recommend investing 15% of your gross income to save for retirement (that's Baby Step 4, by the way). So if you're 100% debt free and have an annual salary of $150,000 or more, you could max out your 401(k) simply by investing your entire 15% through your workplace retirement plan.
Based on the median income for Americans in this age bracket, $100K between 25-30 years old is pretty good; but you would need to increase your savings to reach your age 40 benchmark.” “The current level of your income makes a big difference in determining if you're on track for retirement,” added Cox.
Typically, by the time you enter retirement you want to have 10 times your annual salary saved up in your retirement fund. One common benchmark is to have two times your annual salary in net worth by age 35. So, for example, say that you earn the U.S. median income of $74,500.
Average Savings by Age 30
According to the latest Survey of Consumer Finances, the average savings in transaction accounts for this group was $11,250, and the median was $3,240, in 2019. If you have more than this in your savings account at 30, you have more than many of your peers.
Fidelity Investments recommends saving 1x your salary by 30. At the end of 2021, the average annual salary was $49,920 for 25 to 34-year-olds and $58,604 for 35 to 44-year-olds. So the average 30-year-old should have $50,000 to $60,000 saved by Fidelity's standards.
With returns often above 10%, you'd need to invest around $360,000 to reach your monthly goal of $3,000.
SmartAsset: Can I Retire at 45 With $1 Million Dollars? Achieving retirement before 50 may seem unreachable, but it's entirely doable if you can save $1 million over your career. The keys to making this happen within a little more than two decades are a rigorous budget and a comprehensive retirement plan.
Having $30,000 saved up in the bank at 25 is a great financial milestone. The best course of action for these funds depends on the individual's personal circumstances, financial goals, and risk tolerance.
By age 30, you should have saved about $52,000, assuming you're earning a relatively average salary. This target number is based on the rule of thumb you should aim to have about one year's salary saved by the time you're entering your fourth decade.
With $800k initially saved, you could withdraw $40k-60k annually and still have your portfolio last between 19-28 years. The higher your spending amount, the faster your savings get depleted. Assessing your specific retirement costs and life expectancy is key to determining withdrawal rate.
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. So, for example, if you're earning $75,000 per year, you should have $750,000 saved.
According to Schwab's 2023 Modern Wealth Survey, Americans perceive an average net worth of $2.2 million as wealthy. Knight Frank's research indicates that a net worth of $4.4 million is required to be in the top 1% in America, a figure much higher than in countries like Japan, the U.K. and Australia.
Plenty of millionaires and superrich people use 401(k) plans to build wealth.