$1 million doesn't go nearly as far in retirement as it once did. In fact, a recent survey found that investors believe they'll need at least $3 million to retire comfortably. But retiring with $1 million is still possible, even as early as age 55, if you're smart about it.
With careful planning, you can retire comfortably on $1 million. However, if you are not careful with your finances, you could struggle to make ends meet in retirement.
If you have multiple income streams, a detailed spending plan and keep extra expenses to a minimum, you can retire at 55 on $2 million. However, because each retiree's circumstances are unique, it's essential to define your income and expenses, then run the numbers to ensure retiring at 55 is realistic.
Assuming you're in the 24% tax bracket and withdraw $5,000 per month, your savings should last just over 30 years. Example #2: Your $1 million in savings earns a 5% annual return. With the same tax bracket and monthly withdrawal amount, you'd run out of money in 26 years.
In fact, statistically, around 10% of retirees have $1 million or more in savings. The majority of retirees, however, have far less saved.
$1 million doesn't go nearly as far in retirement as it once did. In fact, a recent survey found that investors believe they'll need at least $3 million to retire comfortably. But retiring with $1 million is still possible, even as early as age 55, if you're smart about it.
Will $1 million still be enough to have a comfortable retirement then? It's definitely possible, but there are several factors to consider—including cost of living, the taxes you'll owe on your withdrawals, and how you want to live in retirement—when thinking about how much money you'll need to retire in the future.
On the higher end, those organisations recommend individuals to save $545,000 to $745,000 in super by ages 65 to 67, for a comfortable or high-spending retirement. The only scenario where $1 million is set as the savings goal is for a high-spending couple in retirement.
The ASFA Retirement Standard Explainer says a comfortable retirement lifestyle would need $640,000 in super for a couple, or $545,000 for a single person.
The Federal Reserve's most recent data reveals that the average American has $65,000 in retirement savings. By their retirement age, the average is estimated to be $255,200.
Yes, for some people, $2 million should be more than enough to retire. For others, $2 million may not even scratch the surface. The answer depends on your personal situation and there are lot of challenges you'll face. As of 2023, it seems the number of obstacles to a successful retirement continues to grow.
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. A reasonable withdrawal rate, for instance, is 4%.
Following the 4 percent rule for retirement spending, $2 million could provide about $80,000 per year. That's more than average.
The good news: As long as you plan carefully, $3 million should be a comfortable amount to retire on at 55.
Once a symbol of extravagant wealth, $1 million is now the retirement-savings goal for millions of Americans. For retirees able to accumulate $1 million in savings, the funds translate into inflation-adjusted income of $40,000 in the first year of a three-decade retirement using the 4% spending rule.
It's long been a rule of thumb that you should have $1 million saved before you retire — and you may actually need to have close to double that in many cases. But most retirees have far less. A recent survey conducted by Clever found that, on average, retirees have just $170,726 saved for retirement.
A helpful cost of living benchmark prepared quarterly by the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA), shows an average single person needs approximately $595,000 in superannuation before retiring, while a couple requires around $690,000.
To retire at 55, you cannot solely rely on your standard employer super contributions or the age pension (even if you plan on retiring later you shouldn't rely on just that.) To retire at 55, you must have accumulated reasonably significant assets outside your home and your superannuation.
As a result, retiring at 50 with $2 million means initially living on $5,833 each month and then adjusting for inflation each year. Of course, you can withdraw a higher amount before age 62, but you might take away from your principal if your portfolio underperforms.
How much does a $1,000,000 annuity pay per month? The guaranteed monthly payments you will receive for the rest of your life are roughly $5,083 if you purchase a $1 million annuity at age 60. You will receive approximately $5,608 monthly at age 65 and approximately $6,125 each month at age 70 for the rest of your life.
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.
For example, you may need to continue working part-time or look into other sources of income, such as pensions or investment earnings. With careful planning, you can retire on $2 million. However, it will not be easy. You will need to budget carefully and invest your money wisely.
The Bottom Line
Retiring at 50 is a great goal to have. If you have $3 million saved, it's likely that you'll be able to retire comfortably.
The Bottom Line
With $5 million you can plan on retiring early almost anywhere. While you should be more careful with your money in extremely high-cost areas, this size nest egg can generate more than $100,000 per year of income.