How Much to Save for Retirement
Retirement savings benchmarks by age, by income, by lifestyle, plus the math behind FIRE (Lean, Coast, Fat) and what to do if you're 50 with nothing saved.
What is Savings Targets?
Retirement savings targets are age-based multiples of salary (Fidelity's 1x by 30, 3x by 40, 6x by 50, 10x by 67) plus the underlying math, multiply expected annual spending by 25 to get the FIRE number. The variables that move the target most are spending (much more than income), expected retirement age and Social Security replacement rate.
Key Takeaways
- Spending, not income, is the dominant driver of the retirement number, a high earner with high lifestyle creep can need more than a moderate earner with discipline.
- Coast FIRE means saving enough by 35 that no further contributions are needed for a normal-age retirement.
- The 4% rule was derived from worst-case historical 30-year US data, modern planners often use 3.3–3.7% for early retirees.
- Starting 10 years late roughly doubles the required monthly contribution to hit the same retirement balance.
Key savings targets Statistics
According to Fidelity Investments, Fidelity recommends 1x salary saved by 30, 3x by 40, 6x by 50, 8x by 60, 10x by 67.
According to Journal of Financial Planning, William Bengen, Bengen's original 4% rule research used 1926–1995 U.S. market data across a 30-year horizon.
According to Employee Benefit Research Institute, RCS 2024, Roughly 28% of U.S. workers age 55+ have less than $50,000 saved for retirement, per EBRI.
Guides in this sub-cluster
Every guide below is reviewed against primary sources and updated for 2026.
Retirement Savings by Age
1x salary by 30, 3x by 40, 6x by 50, 10x by 67. The Fidelity benchmarks, plus what to do if you're behind.
How Much Do You Need to Retire?
Multiply annual spending by 25, then subtract Social Security. The full-fat number for a comfortable retirement at every income level.
The 4% Rule, Revisited
Bill Bengen's 4% rule turns 30 this year. What's held up, what hasn't, and the safer 3.5% rule some planners now prefer.
Coast FIRE vs Lean FIRE vs Fat FIRE
Four flavors of financial independence, each with a different target number and lifestyle. Figure out which one actually fits your life.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much do I need to retire comfortably?
- Multiply your expected annual retirement spending by 25. A household spending $60,000 a year needs roughly $1.5M, less if Social Security covers a meaningful portion.
- What if I'm 50 with nothing saved?
- Capture every dollar of employer match, use catch-up contributions ($7,500 401(k), $1,000 IRA), and plan to delay Social Security to 70. A 17-year aggressive run can still produce a viable retirement.
- Is the 4% rule still safe?
- For a 30-year retirement starting in normal valuation environments, yes. For 40+ year early retirements, planners increasingly use 3.3–3.5% to handle sequence-of-returns risk.
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