How Much Do You Need to Retire Early?

Early retirement might seem like a dream. But it’s one that you can achieve if you plan early and set goals as if your life depends on it. In fact, it does. So, ask yourself: how much do I need to retire early? At age 60? At 55?

Examining different possible scenarios can give you a better idea of what you’d need to retire early. And with a retirement calculator, you can see where you stand if you keep the course you’re on. But more importantly, you can see areas for improvement and watch your projected outcome change for the better.

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Early retirement means different things to different people. For some, it’s a matter of shaving off a few years. But for others, it can mean leaving the workforce a decade or more before than the majority of the country. If the idea intrigues you, here are a few possible ways that it can happen. Peruse these examples to get an idea of what it takes or, better yet, use an award winning retirement calculator to figure out how you can retire early.

Let’s take a look at what happened to a few couples who asked themselves, how much do I need to retire at age 65, 60, or 55.

How Much Do I Need to Retire at 65?

This couple is in their early 40s, and they’ve been on track for a while. And although they do want to retire early, that only means by age 65 instead of waiting until they turn 67, which is what some experts recommend for maximizing retirement savings and income.

Here are their statistics:

• Ages: 42 and 43
• Current Mortgage balance: $60,000
• Monthly mortgage payment: $950
• Combined monthly income: $4,200
• Combined Social Security benefits at age 65: $2,594
• Insurance products: Life insurance, long-term care insurance, health insurance
• Combined value of 401(k) and IRA plans: $175,000
• Other savings: $300,000
• Amount contributed to savings each month: $1,000
• Percentage of savings in stocks: 25%
• Other debt: $25,000

These two are in fairly good shape. Using NewRetirement’s retirement planning calculator, their savings is projected to last from retirement at 65 until sometime between the ages of 79 to 120 years old. (The variation is between the best-case and worst-case scenarios.)

Based on their current situation, including income, savings patterns, investments, and debt, they’re projected to need between $480K to $2.2M, lacking a lifetime annuity or Medicare Supplemental Insurance. If they choose to add those insurance products, their projected need changes to $650K to $1M.

Whatever this couple chooses to do, their current savings and investments should last well past their projected life expectancy of 78. But there are possible medical and long-term-care needs that could increase their income need in retirement, which could change their situation dramatically.

• Maximum amount needed to retire at age 65: $480K to $2.2M

How Much Do I Need to Retire at Age 60?

This husband and wife both turned 39 in 2020, and they’re saving fairly aggressively, especially for people in their age bracket. But although their contributions are moderately high, they only commit 10 percent to stocks. They could take more risks if they still have 20 years until retirement at age 60.

Here is where they stand:

• Ages: 39
• Mortgage balance: $200,000
• Mortgage payment: $1,400
• Combined monthly income: $7,400
• Combined SS benefits at age 65: $3,000
• Insurance products: Life insurance, long-term care insurance, health insurance
• Combined value of 401(k) and IRA plans: $74,999
• Other savings: $20,000
• Amount added to savings each month: $2,000
• Percentage of savings in stocks: 10%
• Other debt: $45,000

While their savings aren’t terribly high, they contribute a healthy portion every month. So in 20 years, it will have grown substantially. Their retirement savings is projected to last until they reach the age of 81, which is past their life expectancy.

They are projected to have between $720K and $1.1M by the time they reach their early retirement age, and their projected need is between $460K and $2.4M. But they also lack a lifetime annuity or Medicare Supplemental Insurance, which could lower those figures to $310 to $960K.

Even without additional insurance, this couple’s savings should last through retirement. They have long-term-care insurance, which covers the risk of unexpected health care costs. If they increased their savings distribution to 25 percent stocks, they should have a well-funded retirement.

• Maximum amount needed to retire by age 60: $460K and $2.4M

How Much Do I Need to Retire at Age 55?

This single woman has been doing all the right things, and it shows in her retirement preparedness. She’s 50 years old, and she can reasonably expect to retire at age 55 with all of her financial needs met. Her savings risks are reasonable, and she saves a moderate amount of her income. But because she has been saving consistently for years, she has built a nest egg that will last.

Here are her statistics:

• Age: 50
• Mortgage balance: $59,999
• Mortgage payment: $650
• Combined monthly income: $4,400
• Projected Social Security benefits at age 65: $1,700
• Insurance products: Life insurance, long-term care insurance, health insurance, annuity
• Combined value of 401(k) and IRA plans: $160,000
• Other savings: $350,000
• Lifetime annuity payout: $1,600 monthly with COLA
• Amount added to savings each month: $1,000
• Percentage of savings in stocks: 25%
• Other debt: $14,000

Between tax-deferred savings, stocks, and other savings, she’s already tucked away over $500,000, which is nearly double the amount she’s projected to need to retire in five years. Add to that her lifetime annuity of $1,600 monthly, which has a cost of living adjustment (COLA), and her plan is so solid, her savings is projected to last until she is 90 to 120 years-old.

She should only need about $220,000 to live a comfortable life for many years to come. And if she elects to add Medicare Supplemental Insurance, she may retire early, at 55, and sail on through without any concerns about unexpected health care costs later.

• Projected amount needed to retire at age 55: $220,000

How Much do You Need to Retire Early?

A lot goes into calculating what any given person will need to save to retire comfortably at a certain age. There are actually hundreds of factors, some that you might not even think of: How much will you spend when you retire? Will those expenses change over time? What kind of rate of return will each of your accounts yield? Do you own a home? Do you have passive income?

Calculators rely on some assumptions, too. For example, NewRetirement’s retirement planning calculator assumes that pre-retirement income grows at about 3% annually, and so do home values. However, you can actually alter these assumptions and get both pessimistic and optimistic estimates for what you will really need to retire at any age.

The NewRetirement tool is easy to use, but very detailed and sophisticated. You input your information and the system performs hundreds of different calculations and provides charts to help you understand your financial situation. Don’t like your results? The calculator lets you add more information, change your assumptions, and keep playing with your data until you find a plan that lets you have the happy retirement you want to have.

Best of all, your data is securely saved so it is to make ongoing adjustments and changes.

Retiring early, whether it’s by a few years or by a decade, takes focus and a great plan. You might already have a plan that seems to be working, but do you really know where you’ll be in 5, 10, or 20 years? With NewRetirement’s retirement calculator, you can.

Maximum amount need to retire at your desired age? Find out now!