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.
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.
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.
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.
These numbers assume that retirees own their homes outright and qualify for a part-age pension. According to ASFA's budget breakdown, comfortable retirement for couples, combined, equates to an annual living cost of $70,482, while single people require $50,004.
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.
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.
How long will $800,000 last in retirement? Your money is projected to last approximately 30 years with monthly withdrawals totaling $2,024,574. How long will $1,500,000 last in retirement? Your money is projected to stretch beyond 30 years and you'll be able to make monthly withdrawals beyond $4,000,000.
Assuming you retire at the age of 60 and make it to 85 (fingers crossed you'll celebrate the 100 too!) that's 25 years to cover financially. With $2 million in the pocket, it comes to about $80,000 per year or $6,667 per month to spend. And we're just talking about savings alone!
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. Retiring early offers a lot of advantages.
If you have substantial income from sources like a pension and Social Security, an $800,000 portfolio could last for many years. That's especially true if your expenses are low and you don't have significant health care expenses.
In fact, statistically, around 10% of retirees have $1 million or more in savings. The majority of retirees, however, have far less saved.
Using the default assumptions built into the Moneysmart Retirement Calculator – and assuming you are single, will retire at age 65, want the funds to last until age 90, and require an annual income of $80,000 (indexed up each year for inflation) – then you need approximately $1,550,000 by retirement to live on an ...
“If you're earning A$150,000 a year or A$120,000 a year before you retire, then you might need A$70,000 or A$80,000 in retirement. But if you were earning A$50,000 beforehand, then you probably need A$35,000 to A$40,000 in retirement.”
A $3 million portfolio will likely be enough to allow a retired couple to spend reasonably and invest with moderate caution without any worries of running out of money. However, if expenses rise too high, it's entirely possible to drain a $3 million portfolio in well under 30 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.
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%.
Yes, $6 million is more than enough to retire at age 55, especially with smart money management and budgeting. Just make sure you are aware that this will involve sacrificing a lot of potential gains in your portfolio overall.
So if you're on $100k or more, congratulations, you're in the top 20% of Aussie income earners. If not, don't worry, you're in the good company of 80% of Aussies.
There aren't many of them, just 110,613 — 82,258 men and 28,355 women. Only 39,209 have taxable incomes of more than $500,000, and of these only 14,467 have taxable incomes of more than $1 million.
Of course, there are many caveats, including whether Social Security payments will be consistent. For now, though, $1.5 million should allow you to retire comfortably. Here are two things to consider when calculating your spending: Lifestyle.
Is $1.5 million enough to retire at 60? Yes, you can retire at 60 with $1.5 million. At age 60, an annuity will provide a guaranteed income of $91,500 annually, starting immediately for the rest of the insured's lifetime.
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.
US News reports that individuals 65 years and older have average living expenses of about $50,000. At that rate, one million would last about 20 years. If you lead a more expensive lifestyle, one million wouldn't last as long, but scaling back your expenses would help it go further.