The Two-Thirds Rule. Another way to estimate how much money you will need for the future is to assume you need 67% (two-thirds) of your current income each year to maintain the same standard of living you enjoy now.
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.
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.
The quick answer is “yes”! With some planning, you can retire at 60 with $500k. Remember, however, that your lifestyle will significantly affect how long your savings will last.
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.
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.
The Bottom Line
Retiring at 50 is a great goal to have. If you have $3 million saved, it's likely that you'll be able to retire comfortably. You'll need to factor in your living expenses, inflation and the expected rate of return on your investments.
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.
Is $5 Million Enough to Retire at 50? A $5 million nest egg can provide $200,000 of annual income when the principal gives a return of 4%. This estimate is on the conservative side, making $200,000 a solid benchmark for calculating your retirement income versus expenses.
How To Calculate How Much You'll Need To Retire. A common rule of thumb is that if you want to leave the workforce at 60, you will need about 15 times the amount you have calculated for your annual after-tax retirement expenses. So if you estimate $60,000 per year, then you will need $900,000.
According to the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia's Retirement Standard, to have a 'comfortable' retirement, a couple who own their own home will need an income of about $67,000. A single person will need an annual income of more than $47,000.
So let's look at an example. If you do have $1 million when you retire, that means you can withdraw 4%, or $40,000, in the first year. And for another baseline hypothetical, if you have, say, a couple of thousand dollars per month of a pension to go with that, then you get to a total of about $64,000 a year.
It showed there were about 300,000 Aussies with more than $1 million in superannuation in 2019, and about 100 with more than $50 million. But, according to the graph, one superannuation fund had accumulated a staggering balance of more than $544 million.
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.
The reality is most Australians retire with far less in super. Indeed, the average super balance for Australians aged 60-64 is just over $300,000. That may be enough.
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.
It probably is possible for most people to retire at age 55 if they have $2.5 million in savings. The ultimate answer, though, will depend on the interplay between various factors. These include your health, your anticipated retirement lifestyle and expenses, and how you invest your nest egg.
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.
Simply put, most people should have no problem retiring at 30 with $10 million. If you invest your money and earn a modest return, $10 million should be enough to retire and never have to work again. Of course, that doesn't mean that running out of money would be impossible.
A retirement account with $2 million should be enough to make most people comfortable. With an average income, you can expect it to last 35 years or more. However, everyone's retirement expectations and needs are different.
$500,000 is a big inheritance. It could have a significant impact on a person's financial situation, depending on how it is managed and utilized. As you can see here, there are many complex, moving parts involving several financial disciplines.
So, can you retire at 60 with $1 million, and what would that look like? It's certainly possible to retire comfortably in this scenario. But it's wise to review your spending needs, taxes, health care, and other factors as you prepare for your retirement years.
While $10 million is a lot of money, retiring at 50 means you can plan on approximately 40 years of retirement if you expect to live to around the average age. Even if nothing catastrophic happens to you or the economy in the meantime, inflation alone can make a dent in what you can expect from your savings.
The 4% rule suggests that a $1.5 million portfolio will provide for at least 30 years approximately $60,000 a year before taxes for you to live on in retirement. If you take more than this from your nest egg, it may run short; if you take less or your investments earn more, it may provide somewhat more income.
Being rich currently means having a net worth of about $2.2 million. However, this number fluctuates over time, and you can measure wealth according to your financial priorities. As a result, healthy financial habits, like spending less than you make, are critical to becoming wealthy, no matter your definition.