How much money do you need to retire? Here's what Americans say is their magic number.
That's according to a new
study
by Northwestern Mutual, which surveyed more than 4,500 U.S. adults aged 18 and older. While $1.26 million may seem unattainable to many, it represents a scaled-down ambition from last year's survey, when workers pegged their ideal retirement needs at $1.46 million.
The reason for the scaled-down financial goal comes down to cooling inflation, which has tempered workers' expectations for their retirement needs, researchers at Northwestern Mutual said. Since touching a pandemic peak of 9.1% in June 2022, inflation has gradually eased, dropping last month to
2.4% on an annual basis
.
"The inflation rate has been falling, and we're starting to see people's expectations for retirement savings soften, too," said Melinda Wilke, a wealth management advisor at Northwestern Mutual.
But that's not to say inflation has disappeared from the equation altogether.
"Obviously a reduced inflation rate is good news," said David John, a senior policy advisor at AARP. "But we are still seeing many people who are very concerned that prices are going to continue to go up, and what that means for how long their retirement savings will last."
John added that
concern
about the fate of the Social Security program — which currently provides monthly payments to more than 70 million Americans — is top of mind for many Americans the nonprofit works with.
Even after years of saving, a majority say they're worried they could still come up short in retirement. Fifty–one percent of those surveyed said they think it's somewhat or very likely that they could run out of retirement savings.
Despite having lofty goals for their retirement nest eggs, many workers are falling short. According to the
2022 Survey of Consumer Finances
, the most recent data available, Americans had median retirement savings of $87,000.
Americans also express generational differences when it comes to retirement — and the nation's youngest adults have the biggest aspirations, the study found.
About 63% of Gen Z — whose oldest members are now in their early to mid-20s — say they believe they will be financially prepared for retirement. That's far higher than the millennial or baby boomer generation, with their confidence at 54% and 56%, respectively.
Part of this, Wilke said, is due to an interest in wealth building among Gen Z. "FinTok, meme stocks and cryptocurrency piqued their interest," the wealth management advisor said.
Gen Z also started their retirement planning earlier than other generations, with members of the group starting to save at the average age of 24, with the goal of leaving the workforce at 61. In contrast, older generations started saving much later, with boomers beginning at an average age of 37 and with plans to retire at 72.
The least confident generation is Gen X, or workers between about 45 to 60 years old, with only 46% saying they believe they'll hit retirement in good financial shape, the survey found.
Gen X could be described as "Generation AnXiety," Wilke added. As the first generation of U.S. workers to lean on 401(k) plans as a primary means of saving, they're generally more underprepared for retirement than other generations, with about half
telling Natixis last year
that they'd need a miracle to retire.
Retirement savings can vary, depending on age —
NerdWallet
offers a handy breakdown — but overall, about one in four Americans with retirement savings say they've put aside one year or less of their current annual income, the Northwestern Mutual survey found.
Building a $1.26 million retirement fund is easier if you start young.
Workers who begin to save at age 20 would need to sock away $330 per month to reach $1.26 million, while people starting at age 30 would need to save $695 per month, according to Northwestern Mutual.
Still, saving will look different for everyone, experts say. John from AARP outlined a few considerations for people to keep in mind as they map out their retirement plan, including:
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