$4 Million Bucks Will Buy You This Type of Retirement If You Stop Working at 55 (2024)

FAQs

$4 Million Bucks Will Buy You This Type of Retirement If You Stop Working at 55? ›

Following this guidance, you could safely withdraw between $132,000 and $160,000 from your $4 million portfolio at age 55. That's more than three times the $42,842 that an average 55-year-old would need, suggesting your $4 million nest egg will be more than enough.

Say they retire at age 70 with $4 million. Using the 4% rule, they would be able to withdraw roughly $160,000 a year from their investments. On top of that, they would receive $71,124 in Social Security benefits each year. That's an annual income of $231,124-and it should last them the rest of their life.

In all likelihood, $4 million will be more than enough for you as a retiree, and you'll be able to pass a good amount on to your beneficiaries. But, if you need to save even more, know that your existing lump sum can do much of the work for you, if invested correctly.

On average, you'll need to have saved $1,051,814 to retire at 55 years old. This is based on the median earnings of Americans according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' October 2023 Current Population Survey in weekly earnings.

Even when retiring early, $10 million should make your retirement years quite comfortable. By making sure you prepare for factors you can't control—like inflation, medical surprises and taxes—you can clock out for good at 50 without any worries.

According to EBRI estimates based on the latest Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, 3.2% of retirees have over $1 million in their retirement accounts, while just 0.1% have $5 million or more.

If you have $400,000 in the bank you can retire early at age 62, but it will be tight. The good news is that if you can keep working for just five more years, you are on track for a potentially quite comfortable retirement by full retirement age.

If you use that very basic rule, you should plan to live on roughly $160,000 a year in retirement if you have $4 million in retirement savings. If that sounds about right or more than enough, fantastic. There are obviously further considerations you should take into account, but you're in a good place.

It's definitely possible, but there are several factors to consider—including cost of living, the taxes you'll owe on your withdrawals, and how you want to live in retirement—when thinking about how much money you'll need to retire in the future.

The maximum Social Security benefit you can receive in 2024 ranges from $2,710 to $4,873 per month, depending on the age you retire. "Maximum benefits can be received by delaying the start of benefits until age 70 since benefits increase by about 8% for each year you delay beyond full retirement age.

Will I lose my Social Security if I retire at 55? ›

If you retire at age 55, you probably won't be eligible to receive Social Security retirement benefits for several years or be able to withdraw money from your retirement accounts without paying a 10% early withdrawal penalty. Additionally, for most people, Medicare won't kick in for another 10 years.

For some people, 55 is too early to retire—they may have more to give to their job, more to accomplish or, frankly, not enough savings. However, if you've been diligently growing your savings and can manage your living expenses with minimal stress on your budget, retiring at 55 could be a reality.

If you're between 55 and 64, you still have time to boost your retirement savings. Start by increasing your 401(k) or other retirement plan contributions if you aren't already maxed out. Consider whether a bigger pension or a higher Social Security benefit is worth working a little longer.

Low-income people may retire by cutting their expenses, downsizing their homes, taking Social Security benefits early, and/or applying for financial assistance through government benefit programs.

You can probably retire at 55 if you have $4 million in savings. This amount, according to conventional estimates, can reliably produce enough income to pay for a comfortable retirement.

Once you have $1 million in assets, you can look seriously at living entirely off the returns of a portfolio. After all, the S&P 500 alone averages 10% returns per year. Setting aside taxes and down-year investment portfolio management, a $1 million index fund could provide $100,000 annually.

Along with the new income, the underlying stock value can increase as well. You can expect to earn between 2% to 5% in dividends each year. So, if you have a $4 million portfolio, you would earn between $80,000 and $200,000 each year.

Let's play that scenario out: The average reported retirement age, according to Gallup, is now 61. Assuming a life expectancy of 90 and thus a retirement term of 29 years, $5 million would break into $172,414 annually or $14,368 monthly.

According to Schwab's 2023 Modern Wealth Survey, Americans perceive an average net worth of $2.2 million as wealthy​​​​. Knight Frank's research indicates that a net worth of $4.4 million is required to be in the top 1% in America, a figure much higher than in countries like Japan, the U.K. and Australia​​.

So, if you're aiming for $100,000 a year in retirement and also receiving Social Security checks, you'd need to have this amount in your portfolio: age 62: $2.1 million. age 67: $1.9 million. age 70: $1.8 million.