Can you live off of $2 million in assets? The answer is yes, if you manage your investment portfolio smartly. One common option is to invest $2 million in an index fund. But you will still need to make absolutely sure that you have a rainy day fund since the market can be reliable over decades but fickle over years.
So, what is the yearly interest on $2 million dollars if you put that money in the bank? The quick answer is that you could make as high $100,000 a year of pre-tax interest income on $2,000,000 if you invest it in a 1-year Certificate of Deposit (CD).
Portfolio value: $2 million dollars. After-tax portfolio income per month: $7,000.
A retirement account with $2 million should be enough to make most people comfortable. With an average income, you can expect it to last 35 years or more.
Is $2 Million Enough to Retire at 55? A $2 million nest egg can provide $80,000 of annual income when the principal gives a return of 4%. This estimate is on the conservative side, making $80,000 a solid benchmark for retirement income with this sum of money.
The amount needed for retirement will be different for everyone, but for most people $2 million will be more than adequate. Here's a simple example of how a person could utilise that $2 million dollar amount over a 30-year period (60 to 90 years-old):
Although 65 is a conventional retirement age, reaching this point with $2 million is quite a feat. This sum can generate investment and interest income to support you well in the decades to come. However, saving this amount takes effort.
Yes, $2 million should be enough to retire. Annuities provide an income option to pay a guaranteed monthly amount for two lives. Once the first spouse dies, the annuity will continue to pay the same or a reduced amount for the remaining surviving spouse's lifetime.
A $2 million nest egg can provide $80,000 of annual income when the principal gives a return of 4%. This estimate is on the conservative side, making $80,000 a solid benchmark for retirement income with this sum of money.
You can probably retire in financial comfort at age 45 if you have $3 million in savings. Although it's much younger than most people retire, that much money can likely generate adequate income for as long as you live.
U.S. Wealth Percentiles Provide Clearer Picture of Where You Rank. 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.)
Dated ways of describing someone worth n millions are "n-fold millionaire" and "millionaire n times over". Still commonly used is multimillionaire, which refers to individuals with net assets of 2 million or more of a currency.
Retiring Comfortably On $2 Million
You can retire comfortably on only two million dollars for sure. Here's how much a $2 million portfolio can generate based on various withdrawal rates: At a 2% withdrawal rate, that's $40,000 a year in income. At a 3% withdrawal rate, that's $60,000 a year in income.
Retiring at 40 with $2 million is an ambitious goal, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. While you'll need a decent salary or other sources of income or wealth, saving $2 million is not out of reach.
Yes, you can retire at 60 with three million dollars. At age 60, an annuity will provide a guaranteed income of $183,000 annually, starting immediately for the rest of the insured's lifetime.
Can You Retire With $1.5 Million at 55? If you have $1.5 million saved up and want to retire at 55, this may be enough for you. The reality is that it all depends on your withdrawal rate — the amount of money you consistently take out of your accounts to support yourself — and how long you live.
This obviously depends on what annual income you want to fund but if you want to be able to afford a comfortable retirement—which is an income of just over $48,000 a year for a single according to the ASFA Retirement Standard—then you need a balance of at least $500,000.
The Bottom Line
If you have $3 million saved, it's likely that you'll be able to retire comfortably. You'll need to factor in your living expenses, inflation and the expected rate of return on your investments.
If you're retiring at 55 instead of 66, you have 11 extra years of expenses and 11 fewer years of income that your savings will need to cover. The good news: As long as you plan carefully, $3 million should be a comfortable amount to retire on at 55.
Retiring at 45 with $2 million takes diligent saving and detailed planning, but it is possible. However, you'll have between 20 and 25 years to save, so you must save nearly $3,000 each to hit your goal.
How much super you'll need in retirement depends on the lifestyle you want. According to the government's MoneySmart website, if you own your home, the rule of thumb is that you'll need two-thirds (67%) of your current income each year to maintain the same standard of living.
A recent analysis determined that a $1 million retirement nest egg may only last about 20 years depending on what state you live in. Based on this, if you retire at age 65 and live until you turn 84, $1 million will probably be enough retirement savings for you.
Financial experts generally recommend saving anywhere from $1 million to $2 million for retirement. If you consider an average retirement savings of $426,000 for those in the 65 to 74-year-old range, the numbers obviously don't match up.
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.