Average Savings by Age

More than half of Americans do not have any retirement savings. Of those who do, the average saved is $65,000.

Facts And Figures At A Glance

The average American is not hitting the recommended retirement savings benchmarks.

Millennials seem more prepared than any other generation for retirement, as a majority of millennials with a retirement account started their savings at the age of 24. With the average retirement age today of 63, millennials can save for just shy of 40 years.

Keep reading to learn more shocking details about American's lack of savings.

• The Average Retirement Account
  
• Average Savings By Age
  
• How Much Should You Save By Each Age
  
• Average Retirement Statistics

The Average Retirement Account

• How much does the average family have saved for retirement?
  The average family has $65,000 saved for retirement. But only 50% of Americans have a retirement savings account at all.

  The Census Bureau qualifies a family as any household with at least one working adult between 32 and 61 years old.

• What is the average savings in an employer-sponsored 401(k)?
  Today, the average balance in a 401(k) or other defined contribution plan is $109,600. Of those who have been invested for over 15 years, the average savings is $433,100. The average contribution amount by workers is $7,270.

• What is the average savings in an IRA?
  The average person with an IRA has $117,700 saved in an IRA. The average contribution amount is $4,100 - $4,300 per year.

Average Retirement Savings By Age

• How much does the average millennial have saved for retirement?
  Millennials just starting out in the working world are trying to figure out how to save, let alone how much to save. The average millennial has an average of $23,000 saved for retirement. But 25% of Millennials have less than $5,000 saved for retirement.

  The average millennial with a retirement account started their retirement savings at the young age of 24.

• How much does the average Generation X'er have saved for retirement?
  The average retirement savings among Generation X'ers is $66,000. 25% have less than $10,000 saved, while 24% have at least $250,000 saved for retirement.

• How much does the average Baby Boomer have saved for retirement?
  Baby boomers have slightly more saved for retirement, with a median savings of $152,000. But still 15% have less than $10,000, while 39% have at least $250,000 saved. More than half of Baby Boomers don't plan to stop working even after they retire.

• How much does the average 25-year-old have saved?
  The average 25-year-old with a retirement account established has $16,000 saved. While that doesn't seem like a lot, they have a great head start since they started saving early. Since 81% of millennials worry about the availability of Social Security when they retire, almost 70% of millennials have started some type of savings for retirement.

• How much does the average 30-year-old have saved?
  The average 30-year-old with retirement savings has $45,000 saved. Of those saving for retirement in their 30's, 30% contribute at least 10% of their pay towards retirement.

• How much does the average 40-year-old have saved?
  The average 40-year-old with a retirement account set up has $63,000 saved for retirement. More than 80% of those in their 40's who have a 401(k) plan available to them participate in the plan. However, those in their forties put an average of 7% of their income towards retirement.

• How much does the average 50-year-old have saved?
  The average 50-year-old with an established retirement account has $117,000 saved for retirement. Almost 50% of those in their 50s are not confident that they will have enough for retirement at this point.

• How much does the average 60-year-old have saved?
  The average 60-year-old with a retirement account has $172,000 in retirement savings. Almost half of the people between 60 and 70 years old plan to rely on their Social Security benefits during retirement.

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Benchmarks by Age

• How much should you have saved for retirement by age 30?
  Try to aim to have the equivalent of your annual salary saved by age 30. If you make $40,000, you should have $40,000 saved. This can be a combination of your fully vested 401(k) balance, emergency savings, and other investments.
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• How much should you have saved for retirement by age 40?
  By the time you are in your 40s, you should have triple your annual salary saved. While this seems lofty, consider compound interest. The earlier you start saving, the easier this goal becomes. If you make $60,000, you'll need $180,000 saved.

• How much should you have saved for retirement by age 50?
  By age fifty, you'll need five times your annual salary saved in order to have a comfortable retirement.

• How much should you have saved for retirement by age 60?
  By age 60, you'll want to save 7 times your annual salary. Assuming the standard rate of inflation and consistent raises through the years, you could need as much as $700,000 saved between ages 40 and 60, based on a starting salary of $60,000 at age 40.

• How much should you have saved for retirement by age 65?
  By age 65, you'll want 8 times your annual salary, as then you'll be at retirement age. But, if you are like the 52% of other 60-something year olds, you'll continue working.

• How much should you save each month?
  We like the 50/30/20 rule. You budget 50% of your income for your fixed expenses and reserve 30% of your income for variable costs. The remaining 20% is what you should strive to save from each paycheck. Of course, this won't happen overnight, but if you start now, you can work your way towards this goal.

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Average Emergency Savings by Age

• How much does the average millennial have saved for emergencies?
  The median emergency savings for Millennials is $2,000. This means half of Millennials have less than $2,000 saved and half have more. 24% have less than $1,000 saved, while 11% have over $25,000.

• How much does the average Generation X'er have saved for emergencies?
  The average generation X'ers have $5,000 saved in their emergency fund. 18% have less than $1,000, while 16% have over $25,000 saved.

• How much does the average Baby Boomer have saved for emergencies?
  Baby boomers are more prepared for the unexpected, with a median emergency savings of $10,000. 26% have over $25,000 saved. But there are still 10% of baby boomers with less than $1,000.

How Much to Save for Emergencies

At the very least, you should save between 3 and 6 months of your monthly expenses in an emergency fund. This helps protect you in case of disaster.

Here are some guidelines for how much you should save for emergencies by every age.

Once you have at least 6 months put aside, you can focus your savings efforts on more long-term goals, such as retirement.

Depositing your savings in a high-yield savings account, such as the Discover savings, can help your money grow while you leave it alone.

Average Retirement Statistics

• What is the average retirement age?
  The average person retires today at age 63. Women tend to retire at an average age of 62 and men at the age of 64.

• What is the average life expectancy of a male?
  According to the Social Security administration, men live to an average age of 84.3 today.

• What is the average life expectancy of a female?
  The Social Security Administration averages the life expectancy of a female to be 86.6, slightly more than 2 years older than men.

• Can you retire at age 50?
  Retiring at 50 would leave you without any Social Security benefits. It also forces you to give up an average of 13 years of income you could save for retirement. Retiring at 50 would require a lot of planning and much more savings than the $117,000 that the average 50-year-old has saved.

• What is the average Social Security payment?
  Today, the average monthly Social Security payment is $1,514. Most retirees need much more than this amount to live a comfortable life in retirement.

Bottom Line

The earlier you start saving, the easier it will be to have enough for retirement. Relying on Social Security may not provide the level of financial comfort you desire. Consider your employer's 401(k) as well as other investment vehicles to ensure a happy retirement for you and your spouse.

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Sources and References:

• Federal Reserve Bulletin: Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2016 to 2019
  
• EPI The State of American Retirement
  
• TransAmerica 19th Annual Retirement Survey
  
• Fidelity Building Financial Futures 2020Q3 Report
  
• Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2019
  
• CreditDonkey
  
• Aperion
  
• Social Security