You can potentially retire with $1 million in your mid-60s for a comfortable lifestyle, especially if you own your home and supplement with government pensions, but the exact age depends heavily on your spending, lifestyle (modest vs. comfortable), inflation, investment returns, and whether you're single or a couple. For a single person aiming for a comfortable retirement at 67, $1M might last around 20-25 years; for a couple, it could stretch further, but it's crucial to plan for longer retirements, potentially into your 90s, using strategies like the 4% rule or part pension.
$1 million is enough for a comfortable retirement if you retire at age 65. This will provide a single person with an income of $60,000 p.a. and a couple with $77,000 p.a., including Age Pension for around 30 years, based on an investment return of 6% p.a. and 3.0% p.a. inflation.
For example, if you have retirement savings of $1 million, the 4% rule says that you can safely withdraw $40,000 per year during the first year — increasing this number for inflation each subsequent year — without running out of money within the next 30 years.
Data from the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances, shows that only 4.7% of Americans have at least $1 million saved in retirement-specific accounts such as 401ks and IRAs. Just 1.8% have $2 million, and only 0.8% have saved $3 million or more.
You can retire at 60 with $1.5 million dollars and it would provide a single person with an income of approximately $77,000 p.a. until age 100, or a couple with $85,000, based on an investment return of 6% p.a. and inflation of 3% p.a. This assumes full homeownership and eventual eligibility for Age Pension payments.
In the organisation's super balance update, it found 2.5 per cent of the population have a super account of more than $1 million, as of June 2021.
Under these assumptions, your $1 million could potentially last 25 to 30 years. However, this doesn't account for rising healthcare costs, unexpected expenses, or major market downturns. If you withdraw more aggressively, say 5% or 6%, the money may only last 15 to 20 years, especially if markets underperform.
A comfortable retirement will look different for everyone. While 7 figures in superannuation may sound great, the reality is most people heading into retirement won't have anywhere near that amount. Australians aged between 60-64 have an average super balance of $401,600 for men and $300,300 for women1.
The top ten financial mistakes most people make after retirement are:
According to this rule, if you spend your retirement savings at a rate of 4% the first year and then adjust your withdrawals for inflation every year, your income will probably last three decades. Say you retire with $1 million. Per the 4% rule: In year 1, you would withdraw $40,000.
5 retirement mistakes to avoid
When asked when they plan to retire, most people say between 65 and 67. But according to a Gallup survey the average age that people actually retire is 61.
A wealthy retiree in Australia generally has over $1 million in investable assets (excluding the family home), but for a truly high-net-worth individual, this can extend to $5 million or much more, allowing for a very comfortable lifestyle with significant income, travel, and assets, well beyond the ASFA "comfortable" benchmark (around $595k single/$690k couple for basic needs) and often without relying on the Age Pension, notes.
The quick and easy answer is, “Yes.” The more nuanced answer is, as always, “It depends.” If you're a high earner or high-income couple approaching retirement, your lifestyle, tax strategy, healthcare costs, and long-term financial strategy will play a huge role in determining if $1 million is enough.
If you were born in 1964, the ASFA Super Guru website recommends a super balance of $469,000 at age 60 to allow for a comfortable lifestyle in retirement. The average super balance for Australians aged 60-64 was $402,838 for males and $318,293 for females, as at June 2021.
Retirement Regrets: Top 15 Things Retirees Wish They Had Done Differently
Here are some of our favorite ideas for what to do in retirement:
The golden rule of saving 15% of your pre-tax income for retirement serves as a starting point, but individual circumstances and factors must also be considered.
While exact real-time figures vary, estimates from around 2025 suggest approximately 400,000 to over 500,000 Australians held over $1 million in superannuation, with about 2.5% of the population reaching this milestone as of mid-2021, a figure that has likely grown with strong investment returns, though many more hold significant balances and millions are projected to reach this goal by retirement, especially men.
Take a look to see if any sound familiar.
There's no single correct amount to save for retirement. For example, a $500,000 nest egg may be a good amount for some retirees, while others may need more, depending on where they live and how many dependents they have. If you want to figure out what size your nest egg should be, a retirement calculator can help.
Key Takeaways. Only 3.2% of retirees have $1 million in retirement accounts vs. about 2.6% of Americans in general.
A: If you run out of money in retirement, you may have to rely on Social Security, pensions, or public assistance. You might sell assets or downsize your home. Many turn to part-time work or family support. The impact can be stressful without advance planning.