10% of retirees have $1M+ in savings

[altacc]

Finance news is for rich people and this article proves it, talking like it's a choice whether you retire with $1 million or not. If you're thinking you're not rich but still interested in finance, then you're probably rich! ;)

The article breezes past that the median retirement saving is actually $164,000, which makes sense as the median salary is ~$60,000.

[marcusverus]

> The article breezes past that the median retirement saving is actually $164,000, which makes sense as the median salary is ~$60,000.

Anyone who tells you that the middle class should expect a meager retirement is an ignoramus who should be ignored at all costs.

The median household income is ~75K/year. If this household started saving (from zero!) at age 35, saved 10% per year and got a 6% return for 30 years, they would have ~$600K saved for retirement by 65.

The simple truth is almost everyone can retire in reasonable comfort and with peace of mind if they follow a few simple rules: - Avoid high-interest debt like the plague. - Get in the habit of saving 10% as early as possible - Have an emergency fund in cash, but don't keep more than ~3 months expenses in cash. Invest! - Use tax-advantaged vehicles like 401K/IRA - Invest in broad-based funds with low fees (ex: VO, VOO) - Don't pick individual company stocks. If you must, never invest more than 5% of your portfolio. If you do, know that you're not "investing", you're gambling! - Don't try to time the market. Dollar cost average. Buy and hold. - When you hit 100K, meet with a financial advisor who is a fiduciary and who charges by the hour. Not a stock salesman, not a portfolio manager, an advisor. Heed their advice. Check in every 5 years.

[snakeyjake]

A McDonald’s worker who starts today aged 18 who makes $15/hr and joins the McDonald’s 401k plan and contributes 4% of their income to it and works at McDonald’s for 50 years never receiving a raise should expect to have very close to $1 million by the age of 68.

And that’s just 4%. McDonald’s has a 6% match.

[silverquiet]

Speaking as someone who's not there but can also see it (I recently learned that I'm in the "mass affluent" - those with $100K to $1M in net worth), I don't think it's "a" choice, but many of them. I've never made anything like some of the developer salaries I see bandied about on this site, but I do OK and live modestly; small house, beater car, only eat out on special occasions, etc... But I think the biggest thing is not having children. The estimates of their costs sans college is already in Lambo territory just for one. I often wonder how much that sort of thing has to do with the decline in fertility.

[alephnerd]

> median retirement saving is actually $164,000, which makes sense as the median salary is ~$60,000

That includes ALL retirements accounts - ranging from those of people who are early career to those who are at retirement age.

I haven't seen data about median retirement savings for those at retirement age.

Edit: I'm wrong!

[frankbreetz]

I have always heard you should have 10x your salary (starting salary or ending salary, I am not sure).

This makes the average retirement "426,000 for those aged 65 to 74" seem less bleak, but the median(164,000) makes it sound pretty bad.

There is so much conflicting advice on this topic. It makes it difficult to plan. Are we getting Social Security? Will it be reduced? Is the safe withdraw rate of 4% a safe assumption? The article uses 7% for rate of return, is this inflation adjusted? Do These calculators make assumptions, like your house will be paid off, or you have reduction in spending from kids moving out?

I am assuming if you pay SS tax and put 15% of you income into the S&P for 30 years, you should be able to retire at 65. Hopefully it works out!

[david-gpu]

There is a ton of poorly thought advice on this subject online. I recommend looking at some of what more reputable authors have published, such as Wade Pfau.

Even among experts there is not going to be a complete agreement on what is the best strategy, but there is broad agreement on some key points. I will briefly mention the two most important ones in my opinion.

First, realize that since investments compound, the (random) returns you get for the first few years of your retirement will have a disproportionate effect on whether you will have enough long-term. This is called the sequence of returns risk, and there are some things you can do to reduce that risk somewhat.

Second, and as a consequence of the (random) variability of the value of your investments over time, it is very beneficial to be able and willing to cut down on your expenses when your investments have lost value, particularly if it happens during those crucial first years.

Lastly, consider the possibility of purchasing an annuity. It provides you with some insurance in the event that you live longer than you expected.

[jSully24]

It is VERY worth talking to a professional about this. It's possible to build your savings in a manner they will produce income via dividends, bonds and other methods that give you a pretty great tax advantage and you don't have to sell as many assets during retirement. This is a huge advantage overall, especially in the years the market is bad.

I am not a financial professional but rely on one to guide me.

[halJordan]

It's 10x the salary you need for the lifestyle you want to maintain.

[jSully24]

The title is misleading, they are referring to "Retirement Savings" just counting 401k and IRA dollars only. Personally my "retirement savings" are over 60% in non-IRA or 401k dollars, and I'm retired.

Later in the article they begin to talk about overall net worth including regular savings and investments and the numbers are better but could still be problematic:

>> In terms of the average retiree’s net worth, the Federal Reserve data puts it at approximately $1.2 million for those aged 65 to 74. The average net worth drops to $958,000 for those aged 75 and older.

[danbruc]

In the context of finance, any number starting with average is meaningless more often than not. It neither characterizes the situation of most people living well below average nor of the few people living well above average.

[claudiulodro]

I think the tricky part about basing it off overall net worth is that for the average retiree their house is a big part of their net worth. Many could downsize to get some cash out of it, but people do still need to live somewhere.

[jebarker]

For those in the US trying to do retirement planning I highly recommend trying: https://projectionlab.com/

I first saw it shared on HN and I've been a happy customer for the past year and the ability to compare the impact of different scenarios has helped me make a few big financial decisions. Good community around it for asking questions too.

[nsporillo]

Gave this a try and have to say, these visualizations are super useful and for me. Opened my eyes quite a bit to a concept that seems obvious: $1k spent now isn't just $1k spent, it's $1k not invested and growing over the rest of your life.

Far too much of my own money has been squandered on living in the now, and tools like this help give me the tools to grasp what it really means to tweak the balance of spending and saving when viewed over the long run.

[frenchman_in_ny]

Thanks for this link. Super valuable! I'm not clear on how it's considering 529s (for you, or for kid[s]?). I wish the "about you" allowed you to add kids and their projected college years into the financial plan.

[jimbokun]

One, in the article many more retirees have net worth > $1 million. Not sure which is the more relevant number.

Two, this likely means most people will rely on Social Security to fund their retirement.

[subpixel]

For 95% of people that is an incredible amount of money

[anovikov]

Question must be - how does one retire on $1M? What kind of passive income one could hope for reliably considering one doesn't have a right for mistake when they are 65+ because there's no way to start over, so "rent some servers with Solana stake" is not a viable strategy.

[DecentRecruiter]

Useless statistic - people unable to retire are not part of the survey.

A more valuable stat would be % of people over 65 with $1M+ in savings.

[ryandrake]

$1M in investments, drawing down at a moderate rate of 4% per year, gives you $40k/year income. Not poverty level in the USA (unless you’re in a high COL city), but not fabulously comfortable either. And only 10% of retirees have even that? Ouch.

Back in the ‘80s, “retiring a millionaire” was awesome: you won. Not so much, today. People are living longer now, too. $1M is not going to stretch as far as many would believe. I’m planning to significantly dial down my lifestyle when I retire—most of us will have to.

[frankbreetz]

40k/year + SS income. So probably closer to 60k a year and most retirees have a paid off house. So, the biggest monthly expense is gone.

[dtech]

4% is the rule of thumb for indefinite withdrawal including correcting for inflation right? That's not necessary for a pensioner

[hedora]

Most of the increased average life expectancy during the 20th century came from lower mortality rates for kids. Life expectancies for the over-20 crowd hardly budged (and might even be decreasing in the US).

[cma]

Money markets and CDs are paying ~5% so that would only be if you want to not draw down.

[TheChaplain]

With todays prices it won't last long.