How much money do you need to be financially free?
Americans say they'd need to earn about $94,000 a year on average to feel financially independent. That's about $20,000 more than the median household income of $74,580.
The Financial Freedom Formula Is Simple To Calculate And Understand. According to the FIRE (financial independence, retire early) movement, you need to have 25 times your annual expenses in investments.
You'll know you've achieved financial freedom when you have enough income streams or assets to cover your basic living expenses, as well as any additional discretionary spending you desire, without having to rely on a traditional job or career.
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.
Perhaps surprisingly then, financial freedom comes at a much lower price point in the eyes of the average American, according to Empower—about $94,000 a year, is how much they said they'd need to earn to feel financially independent. But that's still about $20,000 more than the median household income of $74,580.
The short answer is yes, $500,000 is enough for many retirees. The question is how that will work out for you. With an income source like Social Security, modes spending, and a bit of good luck, this is feasible. And when two people in your household get Social Security or pension income, it's even easier.
The survey revealed that many Americans are feeling defeated when it comes to their financial lives, with just 11% reporting that they are living their definition of economic freedom. 1 The most common definitions of this type of freedom include: Being debt-free: 54.2% Living comfortably, if not rich: 50%
The survey by financial services company Bankrate.com found that overall, Americans said they would need to earn about $483,000 on average to feel rich or achieve "financial freedom."
By age 25, you should aim to have an emergency fund of 3-6 months of living expenses, and start regularly contributing to retirement savings to take advantage of compound interest over time, even if it's just small amounts.
- Supercharge your retirement fund. ...
- Set up 529s for college savings. ...
- Continue paying down debt. ...
- Check the balance on your emergency fund. ...
- Rethink your budget. ...
- Reevaluate your insurance needs. ...
- Avoid lifestyle inflation. ...
- Create an estate plan.
How many Americans live paycheck to paycheck?
A majority, 65%, say they live paycheck to paycheck, according to CNBC and SurveyMonkey's recent Your Money International Financial Security Survey, which polled 498 U.S. adults. That's a slight increase from last year's results, which found that 58% of Americans considered themselves to be living paycheck to paycheck.
Peak earning years are generally thought to be late 40s to late 50s*. The latest figures show women's peak between ages 35 and 54, men between 45 and 64. After that, most people's incomes typically level off. Promotions favor younger people with longer futures*.
The national median for living comfortably alone is $89,461, which suggests that a 50/30/20 budget might not be practical for most single people. Living alone comes with added costs that can be more than double what you'd spend if you lived with someone else — otherwise known as the “singles tax.”
People living paycheck to paycheck are sometimes referred to as the working poor. Living paycheck to paycheck can occur at all different income levels. The working poor are often low-wage earners with limited skills but can include those with advanced degrees and skills.
While you might need $10 million to fund your ideal life in perpetuity, saving that amount of money is not a realistic goal for the vast majority of us. If you had a take-home pay of $100,000 per year and invested half of that at 8% per year, it would still take you 36 years to save $10 million.
This includes being able to pay off debt and invest for the future. It's even more expensive for families, who need to make an average combined income of about $235,000 to support two adults and two children without the pressure of living paycheck to paycheck.
While $1,500 might not be enough for non-housing retirement expenses for many people, it doesn't mean it's impossible to stick to this or other amounts, such as if you're already retired and don't have the ability to increase your budget.
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.
How long will $1 million in retirement savings last? 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.
As of May 2023, more than 1 in 5 Americans have no emergency savings. Nearly one in three (30 percent) people in 2023 had some emergency savings, but not enough to cover three months of expenses. This is up from 27 percent of people in 2022.
How many people are living debt free?
Around 23% of Americans are debt free, according to the most recent data available from the Federal Reserve.
At What Age Do Most People Become Financially Independent from Their Parents? There's no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Some people begin covering all their own living expenses starting from age 18. Others become financially independent in their 20s or 30s.
In 2021, the typical upper-income household had a median net worth of $803,400. This was 33 times as much as the wealth of the typical lower-income household ($24,500). The wealth of middle-income households stood at $204,100, only about one-fourth the wealth of upper-income households.
If your household income is over $100,000 a year, then you are in the top 30% of Americans in terms of income. Congratulations, most Americans consider this “rich'. Maybe not quite “wealthy.” You are at least upper middle class.
Individuals with a net worth of $30 million or more might qualify as ultra-high net worth. Those numbers reflect how the financial industry typically views wealth. The average American views a net worth of $774,000 as enough to be financially comfortable, with a net worth of $2.2 million required to be wealthy.
References
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/key-differences-between-rich-wealthy-140035053.html
- https://www.ktvu.com/news/survey-americans-feel-annual-income-of-almost-500k-needed-to-be-wealthy-its-much-higher-in-the-bay-area
- https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/16/salary-a-single-person-needs-to-live-comfortably-in-every-state.html
- https://www.approachfp.com/retire-on-500k/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/many-americans-plan-retire-1-160021367.html
- https://www.pewresearch.org/2023/12/04/how-wealth-and-wealth-gaps-vary-by-income/
- https://fortune.com/2024/01/24/salary-americans-need-earn-financially-independent-not-six-figures-empower/
- https://www.westernsouthern.com/personal-finance/how-much-money-should-you-have-saved-by-25
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-much-money-do-you-need-live-your-best-life-benjamin-le-fort-1c
- https://www.moneyfit.org/financial-freedom-means/
- https://smartasset.com/data-studies/salary-needed-live-comfortably-2024
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernadettejoy/2023/11/29/use-this-investing-formula-to-reach-financial-freedom-in-retirement/
- https://www.investopedia.com/just-one-tenth-of-americans-believe-they-have-financial-freedom-study-finds-7814103
- https://www.investopedia.com/how-to-become-financially-independent-from-parents-8401092
- https://www.alecu.org/financial-well-being/financial-education/investing-in-peak-earning-years
- https://www.fultonbank.com/Education-Center/Family-and-Finance/Financial-moves-to-make-in-your-30s
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/retire-62-400-000-401-154948217.html
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/retirement-savings-million-dollars-stretch-money-analysis-gobankingrates-years/
- https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/09/most-of-americans-are-living-paycheck-to-paycheck-heres-why.html
- https://www.bankrate.com/banking/savings/emergency-savings-report/
- https://wallethub.com/answers/cc/what-percentage-of-america-is-debt-free-2140664784/
- https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/what-income-do-you-need-to-be-financially-stable-heres-what-most-americans-say
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/paycheck-to-paycheck.asp
- https://www.quora.com/If-someone-has-100-000-are-they-rich-How-much-do-you-need-to-earn-in-order-to-say-youre-rich