While the cost of living varies from place to place, a nest egg this size would likely give more than enough money for decades of comfortable living. Even if you live another 50 years, $5 million in savings would allow you to live on $100,000 per year.
Based on the median costs of living in most parts of America, $5 million is more than enough for a very comfortable retirement. Based on average market returns, $5 million can support many households indefinitely. However, it also depends on your standard of living as every household is different.
Types of High-Net-Worth Individuals
An investor with less than $1 million but more than $100,000 is considered to be a sub-HNWI. The upper end of HNWI is around $5 million, at which point the client is referred to as a very-HNWI. More than $30 million in wealth classifies a person as an ultra-HNWI.
The Bottom Line
Retirement planning can be scary and there are a lot of what-ifs and unknowns. But with some wise planning, you can rest assured that $4 million will last you the rest of your life. You may want to work with a financial advisor to see how much you'll need and when the right time to retire is for you.
If you want to spend lavishly in retirement, that's completely possible with $10 million. As mentioned above, even without investment income, you could easily spend $200,000 a year and not worry about your money disappearing before you die.
Is $4 million enough to retire at 50? Yes, you can retire at 50 with four million dollars. At age 50, an annuity will provide a guaranteed level income of $215,000 annually starting immediately for the rest of the insured's lifetime.
A financial advisor can help you design a plan to pay for a secure retirement. Is Retiring at 55 with $4 Million Possible? The average age at which most people retire is 62, according to a 2021 Gallup Poll. But if you have $4 million in savings, it's entirely possible to retire by age 55.
The good news is even if you don't invest your money and generate returns, $5 million is still enough that you could live on $100,000 a year for 50 years. That'll last you until the age of 95, far beyond the average lifespan.
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. That should be more than enough to live comfortably on starting at age 55.
With $5 Million in retirement savings, you can expect to spend in the range of $150,000 to $200,000 a year using a 3% to 4% safe withdrawal rate (SWR) with a very low likelihood of ever running out of money.
Australians wanting to be in the country's top 1% for wealth need to have an individual net worth of US$5.5 million ($8.3 million), Knight Frank's 2023 Wealth Report has found.
How many $4 or $5 millionaires are there in the US? Somewhere around 4,473,836 households have $4 million or more in wealth, while around 3,592,054 have at least $5 million. Respectively, that is 3.48% and 2.79% of all households in America.
Individual in Australia. We see HNW individuals and families as those with $5,000,000+ in total financial assets. Our top clients have well above this. Our financial advisors deliver highly personalised advice that caters to the bespoke needs and complexity of HNW wealth management.
If you use that very basic rule, you should plan to live on roughly $160,000 a year in retirement if you have $4 million in retirement savings. If that sounds about right or more than enough, fantastic.
The Bottom Line. Retiring early with $4 million is very possible, but requires some planning.
At age 40 you can very comfortably retire with $10 million in the bank, but it doesn't necessarily mean it will always work out for everyone. The exact nature of your retirement will depend entirely on your approach to investing and asset management, as well as your expenses and lifestyle.
Can I retire at 60 with $5 million? Yes, you can retire at 60 with five million dollars. At age 60, an annuity will provide a guaranteed income of $305,000 annually, starting immediately for the rest of the insured's lifetime.
The good news: As long as you plan carefully, $3 million should be a comfortable amount to retire on at 55.
Assuming you will need $40,000 per year to cover your basic living expenses, your $1 million would last for 25 years if there was no inflation. However, if inflation averaged 3% per year, your $1 million would only last for 20 years.
And, while life expectancy can be estimated, no one knows for certain how long they will live. As a result, they can only approximate how long their nest egg will need to last. Retiring at age 45 with $3 million is quite feasible if you already have the money and your post-retirement income needs are not excessive.
You would want to plan for a retirement account that can generate $120,000 per year throughout your retirement (80% of $150,000). Even without returns of any kind, just coasting on principal, a $6 million portfolio can pay you $120,000 per year for 50 years.
Is $5 million considered rich? Statistically speaking, yes, having a total net worth of $5 million is considered rich. According to the latest survey from the US Federal Reserve, a net worth of $5 million puts you in the top 10% of households in the US by net worth. I'd say that's rich!
Like any basic rule of thumb, this one comes with plenty of qualifications and exceptions, but it can be a useful place to start. Now, 4% of $4 million is $160,000, so as long as you expect your retirement to last for about 30 years and that amount sounds like enough-or more than enough-for you, you're in a good place.
How Far Will $5 Million Go? The good news is even if you don't invest your money and generate returns, $5 million is still enough that you could live on $100,000 a year for 50 years. That'll last you until the age of 95, far beyond the average lifespan.
To be wealthy in America, you need at least $2.2 million. That's according to Charles Schwab's 2023 Modern Wealth Survey released Tuesday, which asked a nationally representative sample of Americans to estimate the average net worth required to reach the ranks of the rich.