If you earn $750 each pay period and elect to defer 5% of your pay, $37.50 is taken out of your pay and placed in the 401k plan. These contributions are deducted from your salary on a pre-tax basis. This means that by contributing to a 401k, you actually lower the amount you pay in current income taxes.
Over a period of many years, the compounded earnings on a savings account can actually be larger than the contributions you have added to the account. This potentially exponential growth of earnings is what allows your retirement savings to grow faster as more time passes.
The average 401(k) contribution was 7% of pay in 2019, according to Vanguard 401(k) plan data, but that jumps to 11% when employer contributions are included. Only 21% of 401(k) participants save more than 10% of their salary for retirement. Read: How to Set Up Your First 401(k). ]
Many retirement planners suggest the typical 401(k) portfolio generates an average annual return of 5% to 8% based on market conditions. But your 401(k) return depends on different factors like your contributions, investment selection and fees.
There are two primary benefits of 401(k)s: long-term tax savings and potential employer matching. ... Experts recommend saving 15% or more of your pre-tax income for retirement, and the average employer 401(k) match reached 4.7% of an employee's salary last year, according to Fidelity.
Cons of investing in a 401(k) retirement plan at work
By age 50, retirement-plan provider Fidelity recommends having at least six times your salary in savings in order to retire comfortably at age 67. By age 55, it recommends having seven times your salary. ... If you earn $75,000 a year, you should have $450,000 in savings by 50.
2% Interest
| Monthly Spending | Runs out in |
|---|---|
| $3,000/mo | 9.2 years |
| $3,600/mo | 7.6 years |
| $4,200/mo | 6.4 years |
| $4,800/mo | 5.6 years |
Fidelity Investments reported that the number of 401(k) millionaires—investors with 401(k) account balances of $1 million or more—reached 233,000 at the end of the fourth quarter of 2019, a 16% increase from the third quarter's count of 200,000 and up over 1000% from 2009's count of 21,000.
Average 401k Balance at Age 65+ – $462,576; Median – $140,690.
If you retire with $500k in assets, the 4% rule says that you should be able to withdraw $20,000 per year for a 30-year (or longer) retirement. So, if you retire at 60, the money should ideally last through age 90. If 4% sounds too low, consider that you'll take an income that increases with inflation.
The average 401(k) balance is $106,478, according Vanguard's 2020 analysis of over 5 million plans. But most people don't have that much saved for retirement. The median 401(k) balance is $25,775, a better indicator what Americans have saved for retirement.
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