How much money do you need to live comfortably for the rest of your life?
Take your estimated monthly expenses (be sure they're realistic) and divide that number by 4% to figure out how much income you'll need in retirement. You'll need $1.25 million ($50,000 ÷ 0.04) going into retirement if you estimate that you'll need $50,000 a year to live comfortably.
| RANK | STATE | INCOME REQUIRED |
|---|---|---|
| 47 | New York | $73,226 |
| 48 | California | $80,013 |
| 49 | Massachusetts | $87,909 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $112,411 |
“Meaning if you spend $40,000 a year, multiplying that $40,000 by 25 would get you to a million dollars.” “This million dollars essentially is how much money you need to reach financial independence and live off that amount of money for the rest of your life.”
Nearly 1 in 3 say a salary between $50,000 and $99,999 would suffice, the survey of over 4,300 adults found. Still, 52% of Americans say they would require at least $100,000 a year to be financially comfortable, with 26% saying they would need a salary in the range of $100,000 to $149,000 per year.
Key takeaways: The typical American making $40,480 a year needs at least $826k invested with a 4.9% annual return to live off interest alone. Estimate how much you need invested to live off interest with the formula: Annual income / Annual interest rate = Savings goal.
Living on $1,000 per month is a challenge. From the high costs of housing, transportation and food, plus trying to keep your bills to a minimum, it would be difficult for anyone living alone to make this work. But with some creativity, roommates and strategy, you might be able to pull it off.
The Sept. 8 report said the minimum annual income required in 2023 for a family of four to be middle class in California is $69,064. Alabama and Arkansas both required the lowest minimum income to be considered middle class, at $51,798.
25 Times Your Yearly Expenses Feels Impossible At First
According to FIRE, in order to quit your day job, you need to have 25 times your annual expenses in investments, where you only withdraw 4% of the total each year.
This popular general budgeting rule allocates 50% of annual income to necessities like housing, 30% to discretionary expenses like travel, and the remaining 20% to savings. The median necessary living wage across the entire US is $67,690.
“With a nest egg of $100,000, that would only cover two years of expenses without considering any additional income sources like Social Security,” Ross explained. “So, while it's not impossible, it would likely require a very frugal lifestyle and additional income streams to be comfortable.”
How many people are financially free?
Money is one of the most worried-about things, especially with squeezed household finances, and the dream for most people is to be financially free. But most Americans are not achieving it. Just 1 in 10 respondents to a new survey said that they are living financially free as they see it.
Statistics vary, but between 55 percent to 63 percent of Americans are likely living paycheck to paycheck.
The median household income in the U.S. is just under $75,000, so it makes sense that the largest proportion of those surveyed (45%) said that it's possible to be financially stable by earning between $50,000 and $100,000 a year.
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.
Yes, it is possible to retire comfortably on $500k. This amount allows for an annual withdrawal of $20,000 from the age of 60 to 85, covering 25 years. If $20,000 a year, or $1,667 a month, meets your lifestyle needs, then $500k is enough for your retirement.
Living on $2,000 per month is doable, but you won't be able to live just anywhere. This is important because at the time of writing the average Social Security benefit paid is $1,701 per month.
Whether $3000 a month is good for you depends on the number of family members you have and the quality of living you want to sustain. If you're single and don't have a family to take care of, $3000 is enough to get you through the month comfortably.
The reality is that many people around the world struggle to make ends meet daily. While $600 a week may seem like a comfortable living to some, it is a luxury that most people in developing countries can only dream of. In many parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the average monthly income is less than $600.
More than 1 in 5 Americans were upper income in 2022, compared to only 14% in 1971. In 2020, according to Pew Research Center analysis, the median for upper income households was around $220,000 and the median for middle income households was slightly above $90,000.
Based on that figure, an annual income of $500,000 or more would make you rich. The Economic Policy Institute uses a different baseline to determine who constitutes the top 1% and the top 5%. For 2021, you're in the top 1% if you earn $819,324 or more each year. The top 5% of income earners make $335,891 per year.
What is low class income?
Based on 2021 data, here's what you would need to earn in order to be in each class: Lower class: This is defined as the bottom 20% of earners. Those in the lower class have an income at or below $28,007. Lower middle class: This is defined as individuals in the 20th to 40th percentile of household income.
The experiment confirms that working longer causes better health – specifically longer life expectancy. Men ages 62-65 who worked longer due to the policy change saw a two-month increase in life expectancy during their late 60s.
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.
Top five most expensive states to be single:
California: $80,013. New York: $73,226. Alaska: $71,570.
If you're trying to live on a $1,000-a-month budget, all of it can't go to housing. Unfortunately, the national average fair market rent for a one-bedroom apartment or home is $1,105 per month. So even if you cut your budget in half to account for housing, you'll still fall way short.
