So looking at the table, you can see that a 60-year old male will need a lump sum of almost $500,000 to provide an annual income in retirement of $42,000 for 20 years. These calculations are based on a 20-year time frame because the approximate life expectancy for Australian males is 84 years and 88 for females.
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.
So, how much does one need to retire in comfort? If you're single, you'll need more than $500,000, assuming you own your own home, according to the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia Retirement Standard. That figure is worryingly higher than the average super balance.
For many retirees with modest post-retirement spending plans, balanced investment strategies and full Social Security benefits, $500,000 may last the entire length of retirement.
If you want to retire at 60, a common approximation used to calculate the amount you will need to retire is to multiply your after-tax retirement expenses by 15. So, if you estimate you will need $50,000 annually in retirement income, you will need income-generating assets of $750,000 to create this income stream.
How Much Does a Couple Need to Retire Comfortably? A couple needs $690,000 to retire comfortably in Australia from age 67 until age 95. The amount that a couple needs to live comfortably in retirement is said to be $70,000 p.a.
Retiring at 65 with $500,000 is possible. An annuity offers an annual income of $30,938 for life, or an adjustable income starting at $25,000 to counteract inflation. These payments, which start immediately, remain constant or gradually increase, providing a reliable income stream for the rest of your life.
If you invest $500k in an annuity when you are 60 and start earning immediately, you can expect to generate approximately $26,256 in annual income. This income is paid out monthly, so you can expect to receive approximately $2,188 a month from your annuity.
A 5% return on $500,000 is $25,000 per year. If you can live on that, that's great—you might leave your principal intact. But can you be certain that you'll get that same level of interest (or more) from safe investments each year? That's a tall order.
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.
Most competitive money market accounts offer APYs between 1.6% and 1.8%. A 1.8% APY would mean you earn $9,074.62 in the first year after depositing $500,000. As it's unlikely that you'll need that much money with that level of liquidity, this is likely not the wisest approach.
In fact, statistically, around 10% of retirees have $1 million or more in savings. The majority of retirees, however, have far less saved.
The average American 65 years of age and up earns an annual pre-tax income of $55,335, and that same group spends $52,141 yearly, or $4,345 a month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The average retirement age in Australia is 55
And on average, Australians can expect to live to 85 for women and 81 for men (ABS, 2021). So depending on what age you retire, this means you could need your retirement savings to last up to 30 years.
Overall, retiring at 60 is doable with $500,000 but it may not be doable for you. It really depends on your personal living situation and what your potential expenses are going to be.
It suggests a $690,000 super balance for a couple, or a $595,000 balance for a single person, should provide a comfortable retirement, assuming the age pension will also come into play.
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.
Assume, for example, you will need 65 per cent of your pre-retirement income, so if you earn $50,000 now, you might need $32,500 in retirement.
The time it takes to invest half turn 500k into $1 million depends on the investment return and the amount of time invested. If invested with an average annual return of 7%, it would take around 15 years to turn 500k into $1 million.
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.
Setting up a personal retirement budget
Experts say investors usually need about 80% of their pre-retirement income in retirement. So if they earned $100,000 per year pre-retirement, they'd need $80,000 per year in retirement.
Using our portfolio of $400,000 and the 4% withdrawal rate, you could withdraw $16,000 annually from your retirement accounts and expect your money to last for at least 30 years. If, say, your Social Security checks are $2,000 monthly, you'd have a combined annual income in retirement of $40,000.