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This is America’s ‘magic number’ for retirement – and it’s lower this year

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- Getty Images
– Getty Images

The “magic number” Americans think they need to retire comfortably dropped to $1.26 million, down $200,000 from last year’s guesstimate, but remains well above what people actually have saved for their golden years.

According to a new study by Northwestern Mutual, Americans tempered their view of what they’ll need in retirement due as inflation eased somewhat. The $1.26 million total was on par with expectations in 2022 and 2023.

“It’s predominantly inflation-related. Inflation is still on everyone’s mind, but inflation is down and people’s idea of what they’ll need in retirement also came down,” John Roberts, Northwestern Mutual’s chief field officer, told MarketWatch.

While everyone’s retirement goal will vary based on individual circumstances such as where they’ll live and what lifestyle they want in retirement, Northwestern Mutual’s general guideline is that people should aim to save 80% of their preretirement income for each year of their retirement.

The gap between current savings and investments and the end goal is widening, Roberts said. Only 9% of Americans have 10 times their annual income saved for retirement, the study found. With an average annual U.S. household income of $80,000, Americans need about 15 times their annual income to meet their ‘magic number’ goal, Roberts said.

“There’s a significant gap,” Roberts said.

More than half (51%) of Americans think it’s somewhat or very likely they will outlive their savings, and 35% said they have not taken any steps to address that possibility. Only 16% of Americans feel confident enough to say the prospect of outliving their wealth is “very unlikely,” the study found.

One in four Americans who have retirement savings said they have just one year or less of their current income saved for retirement, the study found. The study, which polled Americans in January, was done before the recent market rout.

“Financial anxiety is at an epidemic level. The recent market activity only raises that level of general anxiety,” Roberts said.

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