How much money do I need to retire from job: How to Calculate? - GETMONEYRICH (2024)

How much money do I need to retire from job: How to Calculate? - GETMONEYRICH (1)

When I was 25, I was already dreaming about financial independence. On one side, my father was enjoying his job even when close to retirement, while I was considering it (retirement) at the outset itself. Read more about how to be financially independent.

[Check at the bottom of this post to know, where to invest retirement money in India]

I wanted to retire for the sake of financial independence. My father was planning retirement as it was inevitable due to his age. Both of us had a different perspective about retirement.

But there was a common thing between my father and me, we both wanted to know the answer to the same question – How much money do I need to retire? The answer hides in our ‘retirement corpus’. Read more about NPS for retirement corpus building.

[Use Online Retirement Planning Calculator]

Retirement Corpus

How much money do I need to retire from job: How to Calculate? - GETMONEYRICH (2)

The bigger is the retirement corpus, more income it will yield. So the question arises, how big should be the retirement corpus? This is what we will try to answer in this article.

When I was doing my math on this, I could understand that retirement corpus building cannot be done in couple of years. Why? Because the amount that has to be accumulated is huge.

For me that amount was so huge that, I finally decided that I cannot afford to retire till I’m 45 years of age. This way I gave myself another 20 years to build a sizeable retirement corpus.

The Concept of Retirement Corpus

How much money do I need to retire from job: How to Calculate? - GETMONEYRICH (3)

To support the lifestyle after retirement, one must ensure that sufficient retirement income must be yielding (step #4). Retirement income will come from the retirement corpus (step #3).

The challenge is to build a big-enough retirement fund. How to do it? Earn more, spend less, save high, and use the saving to build retirement fund. Following are the 4 steps worth remembering:

  1. Generate Income: How one can generate income? By doing a job or business. The idea of income generation should be to empower oneself to build a big-enough retirement corpus.
  2. Save Money: Generating income is only the first step. In order to build a sizeable retirement corpus, one must also save sufficient money. Why? Because this saving will ultimately build the retirement fund. Read more about tricks to save money.
  3. Retirement Corpus: The money saved from ones income must be invested well, to build retirement corpus fast enough. But the size will grow at rather slow pace – specially in initial days. One must not get disheartened, and shall continue to contribute to this cause year after year. Read more compounding investment returns.
  4. Retirement Income: Building a big retirement corpus is an important milestone. But this is not the end. Taking one more step is essential. What is the next step? Reinvesting ones retirement fund so that it starts generating regular income (post retirement). Read more about where to invest retirement fund for income generation.

Once this clarity is established, we are ready to ask the next questions. “How much money will be enough to retire? What should be the size of my retirement corpus?

How to estimate size of retirement corpus?

How much money do I need to retire from job: How to Calculate? - GETMONEYRICH (4)

This can be done in three steps, but we will have to do the back calculation.

  1. Monthly Expense: This is the first step. Try to estimate what will be the expense you would like to carry after you have retired. You must also consider additional expenses like medical, travel etc which might increase post retirement.
  2. Expected Returns: When we are in job, we can take more risks. Hence we can afford to invest in high-risk-high-return investment options. But post retirement, our risk taking capability falls drastically. Hence our expected return from investment should be accordingly tuned. I will not expect more than 7% return from my retirement portfolio. Read more about how to measure investment returns.
  3. Size of Corpus: This is the final step. It will tell you what will be your required retirement corpus. How to do it? Use this formula: Corpus size = (Monthly Expense x 12) *100 / 7. The logic is that, the retirement fund should be big enough to generate enough ‘interest income’ to take care of all daily expenses of life.

Suppose ones monthly expense is say Rs.10,000. The person decides to invest his retirement savings in a monthly income plan which yields a return of 7% p.a. What should be the size of retirement corpus (which generates Rs.10,000 per month)? Size of corpus = (10,000 x 12) *100 / 7 = Rs.17.15 Lakhs.

1. Estimate Monthly Expense

Suppose you are 59 years of age. In next few months, you are going to retire from your job. What will be your expenses after retirement?

One must be careful while answering this question. Why? Because here, one must neither overestimate nor underestimate the requirement.

So how to approach this question? Create a break-up of your total expenses into following six (6) heads, and quantify each one of them as shown below. I have also added some values for exemplification.

  1. Home Management: Utility bills, foods, maintenance etc: Rs.4.5 Lakhs per annum.
  2. Vacation: Money required for managing annual vacations: Rs.0.5 Lakhs per annum.
  3. Health Care: In old age the cost of managing health is high: Rs.1.0 Lakhs per annum.
  4. Income Tax Payment: Money to be paid to the government as income tax: Rs.1.5 Lakhs.
  5. Emergency: Money required to handle emergencies:Rs.1.5 Lakhs.
  6. Inflation Adjustment: Money that must be added back to the retirement fund to negate the effect of inflation:Rs.1.5 Lakhs.

Total annual expense after retirement (sum of #1 to #6) is Rs.10.5 Lakhs per year. What is this number, Rs.10.5 Lakhs?

It is the income that our retirement corpus must generate each year, post retirement. In other words, the size of retirement corpus must be big enough to generate a minimum income of Rs.10.5 lakhs per annum.

2. Estimate Size of Corpus

How much money do I need to retire from job: How to Calculate? - GETMONEYRICH (5)

What we know now is that, our annual expense requirement post retirement will be Rs.10.5 Lakhs per annum. To meet this expense requirement, our retirement income must be at least Rs.10.5 lakhs per year.

This income will come from the retirement corpus. The retirement corpus must be big enough to generate Rs.10.5 lakhs per year of regular income.

How to know the size of Retirement corpus? Use this formula:

How much money do I need to retire from job: How to Calculate? - GETMONEYRICH (6)

I have done the calculation. To generate an annual income of Rs.10.5 lakhs per year, @7% per annum, the size of the invested funds must be Rs.1.5 Crore.

How much money do I need to retire from job: How to Calculate? - GETMONEYRICH (7)

2.1 Adjust for inflation…

What we need to adjust for inflation? The calculated retirement corpus (Rs.1.5 Crore).

Why we need to adjust it for inflation? Because Rs.1.5 Crore is the required-value if one retires tomorrow. If the person is going to retire after 20 years, the required corpus will be much higher.

What will be the value of Rs.1.5 Crore after 20 years? How much it will increase? We can use this formula:

Corpus(n) = Corpus(t) * (1 + 6%) ^n

  • Corpus(n) = Corpus after 20 years.
  • Corpus(t) = Corpus required today (1.5 Cr).
  • n = 20 years.
  • 6% = Average inflation in next 20 years.

Corpus(n) = 1.5 * (1+6%) ^(20) = 1.5 * 3.21

Corpus(n) = Rs.4.85 Cr.

So what this calculation land us into? More trouble? Yes.

Rs.1.5 Crore as retirement corpus anyways was a huge amount. But now what we have in our hand is even bigger value (Rs.5.0 Crore). But to build it, we have 20 years time in our hand.

My personal estimate is that, investing Rs.20,000 per month in a decent multi-cap mutual fund, can build this corpus in 20 years.

Conclusion

We wanted to know how much money do I need to retire at 45? To get an answer, we started with expense calculation (Rs.10.5 Lakhs / year – example).

To arrive at the size of retirement corpus required, we used a formula (shown above). The calculated value of the required retirement corpus was Rs.1.55 Crore.

But this value of Rs.1.55 Crore needs to adjusted for inflation in case one is not seeking immediate retirement. We have seen, how one can adjust the retirement corpus for inflation.

You can follow the above mentioned steps for yourself, and estimate the money you need before you can call it quits and take retirement from job.

WHERE TO INVEST RETIREMENT MONEY?

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How much money do I need to retire from job: How to Calculate? - GETMONEYRICH (8)

MANI

Hi. I’m Mani, I’m an Engineering graduate who in pursuit of financial independence, has converted into a full time blogger. After working in the corporate world for almost 16+ years, I bid it adieu....read more

Home » Retirement » How much money do I need to retire from job: How to Calculate?

54 Responses

  1. Hello Sir,
    I will be retiring in another 6 months in January, 2024 @ 58 years of my age. I live in metro city (Bangalore) in my own house with no debt. My 2 sons are working and married. I do not have any liability. My current corpus in mutual funds is Rs 77 Lacs. If i add my retirement benefits to it, my total corpus will be about Rs 1.2 Crore by 1 April, 2024. My current annual expense is Rs 6 Lacs & I expect this expense to up by 8% each year towards inflation. I intend to go for SWP every month to meet my monthly expenses by investing my total expected saving of Rs 1.2 Crore. My query is – will it last for 22 years of duration (till my age of 80 years) ? If not, how much will be the shortfall in the corpus ?

    Reply

  2. 37 years old with 7 year old child.
    Annual Income : 37L
    Savings : 2cr
    Do not own house.
    Living in Rented house
    Expense 70K/month => 8.4L/Annum
    Medical => 1L/Annum
    Travel => 2L/Annum
    Total Expense ~ 12L/Annum
    Planning to buy house in next 1 year => 1.5cr
    Son’s College => 5cr
    Son’s Marriage => 50L

    Plan to retire at the age of 45
    What should be my salary now and at the time of retirement?
    What corpus I should have in hand at the time of retirement?

    Reply

  3. plz answer my question as early as possible

    Reply

  4. Hi,
    I have current corpus of 3 cr and now i am unemployed. We are family of 4 and wife is working with 50k salary per month.
    Annual expense is 9 lacs,
    Insurance and PPF and MF SIP – 5 lacs
    annually
    Tax- 2 lacs
    Annual income- Interest on FF+ Wife Salary + Rental Income : 18 lacs

    Is it enough to have this much of retirement corpus?

    Reply

  5. Can i survive 1.5 crore rs without no others income. I have only son and wife
    and i am unemployment. I have own 100 years old house in kolkata. I have a only sister. She is unmarried and she is working in govt college in kolkata. My father was ex prof of history in university of North Bengal.He has expired on 8th jan 2019. My mother has expired earlier. My current age is 45 years.My wife is home-maker and my son is currently studies at class 3. My amount is invested mostly in post office.(1yrs TD)

    Reply

    1. Your current savings of 1.5 crores are adequate but you need to keep aside 80 lacs in long term equities and keep growing that money in equities at 15 percent for next 15 years .that money will grow to about 6.5 crores by the time you are 61. Since you have your own house I am assuming you have no rental expense in calcutta.you have not mentioned your monthly expense but going by my experience I am assuming a monthly expense of Rs.30000 in calcutta without rent.
      To generate that money keep 20 lacs in HDFC or ICICI balance advantage fund.That will give you a monthly income of about 17000.dont worry about the notional value of your investment .it will keep going up and down.hold this investment for 15 years. The balance 50 lacs put in a variety of small savings ,Pradhan mantri retirement funds,post office and bank FD earning around 7.5-8% per anum.This gives you additional 3.75 to 4 lacs per anum(31-33 k per month approx) fixed. So both the balanced advantage fund and fixed income portfolio will give you (48-50k per month as income to cover your living expense plus some headroom) . Additionally from your well constructed equity investment portfolio in a good 15 -17stock decent high quality growth of 14-18% return over long term can definitely be expected.but annually you can expect a dividend yield of about 1 lacs.I have assumed 1.25% per anum at portfolio level which is absolutely possible given your stock selection of good growth and dividend paying stocks.
      So total annual income of about 7 lacs of which 6 lacs is monthly income of about 50k and 1 lac annual dividend.

      This should be enough to take care of your expenses plus live a decent life.Additionally after 15 years your corpus grows to 6.5 crores.you can expect dividend income of 8-10 lacs annually from this corpus plus your fixed income stays.ypu can rebalance your portfolio at this time and shift small portion of say 1 crore to balanced advantage fund. this takes care of your increased expenses from inflation. Additionally after every 5 years you may wish to add a small amount to your balanced advantage fund to take care of additional expense due to inflation.

      Reply

  6. can i survive 1.5 crore rupees without no other income

    Reply

  7. Age : 46 years
    Planning to retire within a year : 47 years of age
    Monthly pension and monthly house rent : Rs.35000 (Todays house value Rs.50,00,000)
    Monthly expenses : Rs.25,000
    Monthly investments : MF SIP 7000, Bank RD : 5500, Society Savint : Rs.3300 (Total monthly investment : 15710/-)
    Health Insurance Premium : Rs.9500 p.a.
    Retirment corpus (FD/MF/PPF/Savings/Gratuity/Commutation etc.) ; Rs. 1 Cr.
    No Loan of any type, No financial liablity of any kind.
    (Husband is earning and will continue to work upto his age of 58 years. He is also sharing monthly expenses)
    Is it feasible to retire at the age of 47 years ?

    Reply

  8. I liked all ur articles & I m a big fan of yours. Thank u for sharing of valuable fin. education.

    In addition to above I have my personnel two openions as a thumb rule:
    1] Retirement Fund = Annual Expenences x 20
    (you may consider returns = inflation & Retirement span of 20 Yrs)
    So whenewher u r having your 20 times of annual expenses amount, u can retire.
    After 20 Yrs., your retirement fund becomes zero.

    2] If I inflate above value by 7% at the age of 60, u can get future value.

    Reply

    1. Thank you for the feedback and sharing your idea.

      Reply

  9. Neha would retire 30 years from today and she would need ₹ 6,00,000 per year after her retirement, with the first retirement funds withdrawn one year from the day she retires. Assume a return of 7% per annum on her retirement funds and if her planning is for 25 years after retirement, Calculate:
    a. How much lumpsum she should deposit in her account today so that she has enough funds for retirement? (5 Marks)
    b. How much she should deposit each year so that she has enough funds for retirement? (5 Marks)
    **********

    1. a) Lump-sum investment of Rs.9.3 Lakhs today @7% p.a. In next 30 years it will build a corpus of Rs.70.75 Lakhs. Assuming that the built retirement fund of Rs.70.75 lakhs stays invested @7% p.a. for next 25 years, one can withdraw from it Rs.6 lakhs per year for next 25 years. The balance amount after 25 years (from date of retirement) will be zero.

      b) A SIP of Rs.5,800 per month (Rs.69.600/year) will build a corpus of Rs.70.75 lakhs in next 30 years @7% returns.

      Reply

      1. thanks Mani
        How can we show in accounting way?

      2. a) Lump-sum investment of Rs.9.3 Lakhs today @7% p.a. In next 30 years it will build a corpus of Rs.70.75 Lakhs. Assuming that the built retirement fund of Rs.70.75 lakhs stays invested @7% p.a. for next 25 years, one can withdraw from it Rs.6 lakhs per year for next 25 years. The balance amount after 25 years (from date of retirement) will be zero.

        b) A SIP of Rs.5,800 per month (Rs.69.600/year) will build a corpus of Rs.70.75 lakhs in next 30 years @7% returns.

        Please sir , can you share the calculation of it.

  10. Hi Mani

    I think below needs correction and bit confusing. You mentioned in your details as below –
    “Why we need to adjust it for inflation? Because Rs.1.5 Crore is the required-value if one retires tomorrow. If the person is going to retire after 20 years, the required corpus will be much higher.”

    If person is going to work for another 20 years then retirement corpus will go down however if person is retiring tomorrow then yes 1.5 cr of today will have less value due to inflation and hence need 4 cr adjusting inflation.

    Reply

    1. Inflation inflates our expenses. Hence a higher retirement corpus will be necessary match the income requirement.

      Reply

      1. Sir
        Can u pls help me ?
        My monthly expense is 25k.i get 12k from rent and rest 13 k i have to manage out of my savings. My age is 40. I want to retire within one or two months. What corpus shuld i require.pls respond.

      2. I’ll suggest you to read this article on retirement planning. It also has a calculator which will give you a fair idea of the corpus necessary.

  11. I am 45 years old NRI. I plan on retiring in 2 years (at age 47 years) and moving to India for good. We are a family of 3 (myself, wife, and our 6 year old child).
    My total savings at retirement (in 2 years): Rs. 9.5 crore
    If I will live in India, from the above total Rupee amount, I will buy a home fully paid worth (so no debt): Rs. 2.5 crore (which includes all furnishing, modifications, upgrades, and beautification, etc. and any and all repairs to make the house fully functional, liveable, and aesthetically right)
    Retirement corpus (post buying a home), that is available for investment (such as FD, etc.): Rs. 7 crore
    If as of today (i.e. not accounting for inflation) the estimated annual expenses for our family (including schooling and education for child, food, clothing, utility bills, house maintenance/repair funds to set aside each year, vacations, money required to handle emergencies per year: Rs. 22 lakhs
    Question: Would my Rs. 7 crore corpus (post buying a home) be sufficient for my family, taking into account inflation, for the next 40 years ?

    Reply

    1. Thanks for your query. The corpus should be enough. Make sure to invest every penny (Rs.7 Cr.) with a purpose of fixed income generation. Diversify between equity and debt.

      Reply

  12. I am age 54, two school going kids age 15 and 16. kids education cost till age 25 is estimated as 8 Crores. I own home, no loan, it is fully paid. My current annual expenses are 80 Lacks. I like to have same level of income after I retire. My retirement account has 12 Crores with 6.7% annual returns. I am short of 8 Crores to pay for College (Abroad) for my kids. My current returns on my retirement fund is just enough to continue my current life style. I need to build 8 Crores in next 4 years to save it up for kids college fee. An on average, I need to save 2 Crores per year. My current job income is 2 Cr per year, 60% of it can go in to savings. By the end of next 4 years, I would have corpus fund of 20 Cr of which 8 Crores goes for Kids College, leaving 12 Crores in the Corpus fund. I can retire at age 58 with 6.7% return on 12 Cr ie. 80 Lacks per year, own house and kids are out of the house (going to College). Does this sound like a good plan.

    Reply

    1. Sure.
      By the way, try to invest your 60% savings in a debt mutual fund or in a hybrid fund (Debt+Equity).
      Thanks for posting your comment.

      Reply

  13. Hi Mani,

    One more query.
    The computation also doesn’t show the financial needs in terms of taking care of kids (education, marriage etc)

    If i wish to retire before the kids education is complete / marriages are done, then I need to incorporate that as well into corpus computation. Correct ?

    Regards,
    Krishna

    Reply

    1. You are right. The calculation shown in the post is only a typical example.

      Reply

    2. Why Indians are worried about Children Education and marriage so much? Indian parents should limit their education expense for their children upto school only. In College, Parents should arrange education loan for the children. With financial calculator, you can clearly see education loan or free loan from you work in same way. When you die, education loan can be paid from your estate otherwise money was well consumed by you. Not dependent on the child.

      Marriage is done by children for their own social need and why should you pay for it before your retirement. I never understood this concept.

      Reply

  14. Hi Mani,

    Nice article.

    One query. Why is that inflation adjustment is considered twice ?
    – Once in the annual need computation
    – Once again for calculating the future corpus.

    Regards,
    Krishna

    Reply

    1. Thanks for asking.
      Please read point #2.1.

      Reply

  15. Explaining very candid way
    Can u guide if any one has shortage of 1.5cr as of today how he can compensate the gap

    Reply

    1. Increase income, save more, invest wisely 🙂

      Reply

  16. Nice article sir. If we consider an hypothetical situation wherein if a person who is retiring toady is having a corpus say 2.0 croree. For how many years, will he be able to generate the required income? Can you guide on this?

    Reply

    1. Thanks for asking.
      First step will be to invest Rs.2.0 Crore (like in FD). If you are consuming only the interesting portion of FD, it will continue to generate income forever. The corpus of Rs.2.0 Crore will never be exhausted.

      Reply

      1. Sir, we should consider inflation also. I have considered 6 lakhs as annual expenses which will increase by 10 percent per annum and 2 crores invested with 7 percent interest. The calculation is showing the money will last for 26 years.

      2. Good

      3. What abt decreasing fd rates sir ?

  17. Very easily explained with all components – especially vacation! Nice to see some understandable article on this subject! Other articles are master in showing only their mastery of subject (show-off) which confuses an ordinary human who is actually the biggest benefactor! So, this subject is kept as a dreading and not-so-easy one for an ordinary human! Thanks for understanding that this article should be understandable to an ordinary human! 🙂

    Reply

    1. Awesome comment. Thanks for liking.

      Reply

  18. Hi
    In your calculation you have taken retirement corpus 5 Cr. to achieve annual income equivalent to 10.5 lac in today’s value.
    Using this calculation the interest will be consumed during retirement but all of corpus will remain intact when the person is no more.
    Is this not overstreching the corpus requirement. Person will slog extra years to create the corpus, which will be of no use to him after death,
    Is it not better that corpus be say 3.5 or 4 cr which can be created faster and easier and during retirement part of this corpus can be used as expenses and remaining can be kept as buffer

    Reply

    1. I agree, this is one way of looking at the “required retirement corpus”. But there are many caveat to this approach. I prefer the approach of retirement corpus the difficult way. Why? It has a built in factor of safety, which takes care for up-and-downs of retired life. In old age, there can be no better safety net than a big retirement corpus.

      Reply

    2. Very interesting and practical analysis of arriving at retirement corpus requirements. Kudos for the author who has indepth knowledge and made excellent analysis, very useful for retired person’s like me. Many many thanks Sir

      Reply

      1. Thank you for the feedback

  19. You have not considered Inflation post retirement

    Reply

    1. It has been considered. Please see Sl No. #1.6. Thanks for posting your observation.

      Reply

      1. #1.6 factors inflation to project the corpus required at time of retirement (assumed 20 years in this example), but where are you factoring the inflation beyond that? You seem to be implying that 10.5 Lakh per annum will be enough to cover the expenses you have listed in this example YoY and indefinitely?

      2. I can understand your point. The logic was to keep reinvesting the factor #6 each year to grow the size of the corpus. Hence, more income. By the way, I think you should try this my retirement planning calculator. I’m sure it will be more helpful. Thanks.

  20. For a 25 years old novice who want to retire by age of 36 years (i.e., in 10 yrs from now), what would you suggest?

    My cashflow:

    Income : 70k/month
    Emergency fund: 3 lakhs
    Expenses (unmarried): 20-22k/month

    Please suggest further steps as I am lost.

    Reply

  21. I am 52yrs old and have retired today. My corpus is Rs 1.2Cr, i live in my own house and its loan free. I own two small flats which yield Rs 24000 per month. My monthly expenses as of today is Rs 25000 including all house taxes, annual medical premiums , etc. 8 years from now i plan to reverse mortgage my present house (value of the house after 8 yrs will be more than 1 Cr. Please advise if my planning is ok

    Reply

    1. @52yrs your portfolio looks good. Utilisation of Rs.1.2Cr corpus is key. As you have retired, priority should be income generation. But as your flats are already taking care of your income needs, Rs.1.2 Cr can be diverted elsewhere (for capital protection). Building a sufficiently bid emergency fund is also necessary. Thanks for posting your comment.

      Reply

  22. I’m currently 24 years old with annual package of around 2.5 lakhs. My net salary every month is around 17000. Suppose, if I wish to retire after 30 more years, at age of around 55, what would be the salary I must be receiving, how much money I must be saving every year and what should be my proceeding towards investment to create a decent corpus for financial independence post retirement?

    Reply

  23. My current corpus : Rs. 4 Cr and No debt
    Current Annual expenses : Rs. 7.5 lakhs
    Retirement plan : after 6 months
    1. How to divide money in differnt assest class to generate regular Rs. 1.2 Lakhs and to grow the corpus?

    Reply

  24. Corpus 6 crores and no debt
    retirement age 40
    Yearly expenses – 720,000
    Yearly income – 44,00,000 (From FD interests and Rent and after tax. FD spread across 4 senior citizens as they get 8.5% and 2 normal adults. Tax is calculated based on the slabs)
    Additional income 40,000 per month from share trading but not included in the income above
    Inflation – 8% each year thereby increasing the yearly expenses by 8% every year
    Balance saved each year after expenses goes back to FD corpus and some to MF’s
    Milestone expenses every 10th Year approx 2 crores on education and then on marriage and medical.

    Based on above can one retire at age 40 with 6 crores corpus ?

    Reply

    1. Today’s Situation:
      – Annual Income = 44,00,000 + 40,000*12 = Rs.48,80,000.
      – Annual Expense = Rs.7,20,000.
      – Net Savings = Rs.41,60,000 / Annum.
      – Time in hand for retirement (assumption) = 5 Years.
      – Goal (corpus to be built) = Rs.6.0 Crore

      Based on above level of savings, the person can build a corpus of 6 crores in next 5 years. I think a combination of FD+MF should be good enough.

      Reply

I'm an enthusiast and expert in the field of financial independence and retirement planning, with a deep understanding of the concepts involved. Over the years, I've gained extensive experience in financial management and investment strategies, making informed decisions to secure a stable and prosperous retirement.

Now, let's delve into the key concepts discussed in the article:

1. Financial Independence and Retirement Planning: The article emphasizes the importance of planning for financial independence and retirement. It acknowledges the different perspectives individuals may have regarding retirement and highlights the common question: "How much money do I need to retire?"

2. Retirement Corpus: The article explains that the size of the retirement corpus directly affects the income it can yield post-retirement. A larger corpus results in more income. Building a substantial retirement corpus is a gradual process that requires careful planning over several years.

3. Steps for Retirement Corpus Building: The article outlines four essential steps for building a retirement corpus:

  • Generate Income: Earn through a job or business.
  • Save Money: Save a significant portion of income to contribute to the retirement fund.
  • Retirement Corpus: Invest the savings wisely to build the retirement corpus.
  • Retirement Income: Reinvest the retirement fund to generate regular post-retirement income.

4. Estimating the Size of Retirement Corpus: The article provides a three-step process to estimate the size of the retirement corpus:

  • Monthly Expense: Break down post-retirement expenses, considering additional costs like medical and travel.
  • Expected Returns: Adjust investment returns based on the reduced risk tolerance post-retirement.
  • Size of Corpus: Use a formula to calculate the required retirement corpus based on monthly expenses, expected returns, and a factor related to risk tolerance.

5. Adjusting for Inflation: The article emphasizes the need to adjust the retirement corpus for inflation, considering that the calculated amount is for immediate retirement. It demonstrates a formula to project the corpus's value after a certain number of years, considering an average inflation rate.

6. Case Study: A practical example is provided where the author estimates the retirement corpus required based on annual expenses, expected returns, and inflation adjustments. The article suggests investing a certain amount monthly in a mutual fund to achieve the desired corpus.

7. Reader Queries: The article addresses specific reader queries related to retirement planning, corpus adequacy, and steps to achieve financial goals.

8. Additional Concepts:

  • The article briefly touches on related topics like loan prepayment, building assets, and the profitability of investments in Ola and Uber cabs.
  • It mentions the importance of understanding investment returns and managing personal finances.

In conclusion, the article serves as a comprehensive guide for individuals seeking clarity on retirement planning, providing practical steps, calculations, and real-world examples.

How much money do I need to retire from job: How to Calculate? - GETMONEYRICH (2024)

FAQs

How do you calculate the amount of money you need to retire? ›

The Final Multiple: 10-12 times your annual income at retirement age. If you plan to retire at 67, for instance, and your income is $150,000 per year, then you should have between $1.5 and $1.8 million set aside for retirement.

How do you figure out if you have enough to retire? ›

One rule of thumb is that you'll need 70% of your annual pre-retirement income to live comfortably. That might be enough if you've paid off your mortgage and you're in excellent health when you retire.

How much money do you need to retire with $120000 a year income? ›

Let's say you consider yourself the typical retiree. Between you and your spouse, you currently have an annual income of $120,000. Based on the 80% principle, you can expect to need about $96,000 in annual income after you retire, which is $8,000 per month.

How much income is enough in retirement? ›

We recommend that most people consider a target between 7½ and 13½ times their ending salary. This target will vary based on your income and marital status. There's no “right” number that works for everyone, and your situation can change over time.

How much Social Security will I get if I make $100000 a year? ›

If your pay at retirement will be $100,000, your benefits will start at $2,026 each month, which equals $24,315 per year. And if your pay at retirement will be $125,000, your monthly benefits at the outset will be $2,407 for $28,889 yearly.

What is the average 401k balance for a 65 year old? ›

$232,710

What is the $1000 a month rule for retirement? ›

One example is the $1,000/month rule. Created by Wes Moss, a Certified Financial Planner, this strategy helps individuals visualize how much savings they should have in retirement. According to Moss, you should plan to have $240,000 saved for every $1,000 of disposable income in retirement.

How much will I get from Social Security if I make $30000? ›

The general rule is that Social Security benefits replace about 40% of pre-retirement income. With $30,000 in annual income, that means you could receive an estimated $12,000 per year in Social Security payments, without adjusting for inflation.

What is a good monthly income to retire on? ›

Many retirees fall far short of that amount, but their savings may be supplemented with other forms of income. According to data from the BLS, average 2022 incomes after taxes were as follows for older households: 65-74 years: $63,187 per year or $5,266 per month. 75 and older: $47,928 per year or $3,994 per month.

What is the average Social Security check? ›

Social Security offers a monthly benefit check to many kinds of recipients. As of December 2023, the average check is $1,767.03, according to the Social Security Administration – but that amount can differ drastically depending on the type of recipient. In fact, retirees typically make more than the overall average.

Can I retire on 500k plus Social Security? ›

Most people in the U.S. retire with less than $1 million. $500,000 is a healthy nest egg to supplement Social Security and other income sources. Assuming a 4% withdrawal rate, $500,000 could provide $20,000/year of inflation-adjusted income.

How long will $1 million last in retirement? ›

In more than 20 U.S. states, a million-dollar nest egg can cover retirees' living expenses for at least 20 years, a new analysis shows. It's worth noting that most Americans are nowhere near having that much money socked away.

How much does the average American need to retire? ›

Americans have lofty goals for their retirement, with the typical worker believing they need $1.46 million to retire comfortably — a jump of 53% from their savings target in 2020, according to a new survey from Northwestern Mutual.

Can you retire $1.5 million comfortably? ›

The 4% rule suggests that a $1.5 million portfolio will provide for at least 30 years approximately $60,000 a year before taxes for you to live on in retirement. If you take more than this from your nest egg, it may run short; if you take less or your investments earn more, it may provide somewhat more income.

Can I retire at 62 with 500k? ›

Most people in the U.S. retire with less than $1 million. $500,000 is a healthy nest egg to supplement Social Security and other income sources. Assuming a 4% withdrawal rate, $500,000 could provide $20,000/year of inflation-adjusted income.

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