How much should I have saved for retirement by age 30, 40, 50?

Retirement savings benchmarks (multiple of current salary)

How the benchmarks are calculated

Fidelity assumes 15% savings rate from age 25 (including employer match), a balanced portfolio targeting 5.5% real return, retirement at 67, and replacing 45% of pre-retirement income from savings (the rest from Social Security). Lower assumptions raise the required multiples meaningfully.

What to do if you're behind

Three levers in order of impact: (1) raise your savings rate by 1 pp/year until you reach 20–25%, (2) push retirement out 2–3 years (single biggest move, each year raises sustainable income by 6–8%), (3) reduce expected retirement spending. Investment return assumptions are mostly outside your control, savings rate isn't.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the multiple include home equity?

No. The benchmarks count retirement and taxable investment accounts only. A paid-off house is a powerful spending-reducer in retirement, but it's not a withdrawal source, so it's tracked separately.

What if my salary suddenly jumps?

The multiple is based on current salary, so a big raise mechanically pushes you behind on the day it lands. That's expected, the higher salary just means your retirement spending baseline is now higher. Keep saving 15% of the new number and the multiples will catch up.

Are these too aggressive?

For median earners, they're realistic if started by 25. For people who started saving at 35, the targets are aggressive and most planners adjust by either lowering the multiple or extending the working horizon.

Sources

• Fidelity retirement savings factors , Fidelity Investments. Verified April 30, 2026.
• T. Rowe Price retirement savings benchmarks , T. Rowe Price. Verified April 30, 2026.