Most people don't know if they're on track for retirement until it's too late to course-correct easily. These benchmarks — based on Fidelity's widely-used rule of thumb — tell you whether you're ahead, on track or behind, and what to do about it.
| Age | Savings target | On $60K salary, that's |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 1× your salary | $60,000 |
| 40 | 3× your salary | $180,000 |
| 50 | 6× your salary | $360,000 |
| 60 | 8× your salary | $480,000 |
| 67 (retirement) | 10× your salary | $600,000 |
These benchmarks assume you want to maintain roughly your pre-retirement income level. Retiring earlier requires more. Planning to downsize significantly or move somewhere cheaper requires less.
The 4% rule says you can withdraw 4% of your retirement portfolio in year one, then adjust for inflation each year, and have a very high probability of not outliving your money over a 30-year retirement.
A $600,000 portfolio → $24,000/year ($2,000/month) in retirement income from savings, plus Social Security.
$200/month invested from age 25 at 7% average return = $525,000 at 65. Start at 35 instead? Only $241,000 — less than half, for waiting 10 years. The first decade is the most powerful because of compounding.
Enter your age, salary, savings rate and expected return. See your projected nest egg and monthly retirement income.
Calculate Now →Home equity does not typically count — it's illiquid and you need somewhere to live.