How much money do you have saved? Well, according to new data, the average Aussie has $34,507 stashed away. Aussie men aged 50-64 had the most saved at $106,236, according to the new data from
On average, Australians have around $34,000 in savings but this varies significantly by age, gender, location, and income. Nearly three quarters (73%) of Australians are trying to build their savings but around 1 in 5 say they have less in savings now than they did three months ago.
Despite this, around one in five (22%) Australian households in the survey reported having less than $1,000 in cash savings.
20% of Your Annual Income
Alice Rowen Hall, director of Rowen Homes, suggests that “individuals should aim to save at least 20% of their annual income by age 25.” For example, if someone is earning $60,000 per year, they should aim to have $12,000 saved by the age of 25.
A common rule of thumb is to have at least three months and ideally six months worth of living expenses in your savings at a minimum. This is to ensure you can manage if you were to suddenly be out of a job, if a health problem emerges or a change in personal circumstances occurs.
How much money do you have saved? Well, according to new data, the average Aussie has $34,507 stashed away.
What constitutes a high net worth can vary depending on who you ask. The ATO classifies those who control a net wealth of $5 million or more as 'wealthy individuals'2. Those with a net wealth of $30 million or more are classified as 'high-wealth individuals'.
According to a new Bank of America survey, 16 percent of millennials — which BoA defined as those between age 23 and 37 — now have $100,000 or more in savings. That's pretty good, considering that by age 30, you should aim to have the equivalent of your annual salary saved.
Savings by age 30: the equivalent of your annual salary saved; if you earn $55,000 per year, by your 30th birthday you should have $55,000 saved. Savings by age 40: three times your income. Savings by age 50: six times your income.
By this age, it's ideal to have saved approximately half your annual salary in your retirement account. For example, if you spent your twenties making $60,000 annually, you'll want to have about $30,000 saved by the time you hit 30.
48.4% of Australians live paycheck to paycheck or save less than 10% of their income. 1 in 3 have missed or made a late payment on a credit product or bill in the last 12 months.
A third of Australians say they are mostly spenders rather than savers, while 10 per cent don't save anything. The survey found that 2.4 million Australians don't have any savings to fall back on.
How much does the average Aussie save? While 25% of Aussies are not able to save any of their after-tax income, 26% are able to save up to 10% each month, according to Canstar's Consumer Pulse Report 2021. The median amount saved is $5,000, although the level of savings varies by age.
Australians collected a higher median wealth per adult than anywhere else in the world at $US273,900 ($A390,870) – nearly three times the median wealth of $US93,270 ($A133,100) in the US. Australia was followed on the rich list by Belgium and New Zealand, with the US trailing behind at number 18.
How much is the average Australian in debt? According to a study from Invezz, Australia's household debt is the fifth highest in the world, at about $86,000 per household. Given that the average available income is only $42,554, the amount of debt owed by households is a whopping 203%.
The general rule of thumb for how much retirement savings you should have by age 40 is three times your household income. The median salary in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of 2022 was $1,084 per week or $56,368 per year.
We found that 15% of income per year (including any employer contributions) is an appropriate savings level for many people, but we recommend that higher earners aim beyond 15%. So to answer the question, we believe having one to one-and-a-half times your income saved for retirement by age 35 is a reasonable target.
Saving Your First Million
7.84 years… to earn just the first $100K. That means you earned 4 times as much ($400K instead of $100K) in less time toward the end. Again, this is why Charlie Munger says the first $100K is the hardest and why you really need to do whatever it takes to get to that first $100K.
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.
You might need $5 million to $10 million to qualify as having a very high net worth while it may take $30 million or more to be considered ultra-high net worth. That's how financial advisors typically view wealth.
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.
The top 20% richest individuals have annual pre-tax incomes of about $330,000, the middle 20% make about $116,000 while the lowest 20% earn $41,000. In terms of income from investments, the biggest chunk is concentrated at the topmost. Close to 70% of investment income goes to the 20% most moneyed households.
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.