How much income can you generate from $1 million dollars?
Saving a million dollars is a big achievement, but many Americans fear it won't be enough. One rule of thumb suggests $1 million would generate around $40,000 each year, adjusted upward for inflation. Instead of picking a figure, work out what income you might need in your old age and work backward from there.
A $1 million retirement account gives you around $40,000 per year for the first few years of your retirement. Once Social Security kicks in, this will give you on average anywhere from $65,000 to $95,000 per year depending on your lifetime earnings and when you began collecting benefits.
High-yield savings: The average savings account interest rate, according to the FDIC, is just 0.45% — just $4,500 annually for a $1 million balance — but high-yield savings accounts offer rates around 4% to 5%, with a yield of $40,000 to $50,000 per year.
At the current Treasury rate of 4.3%, a $1 million portfolio would generate about $43,000 per year, or roughly $3,500 per month.
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.
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.
Stocks are a popular investing choice; historically, they have delivered an average yearly return of about 10%. This means that a $1 million investment in the stock market could potentially earn you around $100,000 per year in interest.
Will $1 million still be enough to have a comfortable retirement then? It's definitely possible, but there are several factors to consider—including cost of living, the taxes you'll owe on your withdrawals, and how you want to live in retirement—when thinking about how much money you'll need to retire in the future.
Retiring at 65 with $1 million is entirely possible. Suppose you need your retirement savings to last for 15 years. Using this figure, your $1 million would provide you with just over $66,000 annually. Should you need it to last a bit longer, say 25 years, you will have $40,000 a year to play with.
These limits can be imposed per account or as an aggregate across all your accounts. For example, you might be capped at $1 million for a single deposit account and $3 million across all of your accounts. Depending on your bank, the limits may be higher, lower or nonexistent.
How many Americans have $1 million in their 401k?
The amount of retirement millionaires continues to grow, too: As of June 2024, the number of 401(k) accounts with balances of at least $1 million rose to 937,747, up more than 18%, from year-end 2023, and nearly 31% year over year. The average account balance for this group was $1,148,019 as of June 2024.
Here, say that you have $1 million in a 401(k) or IRA, and expect to receive $2,500 per month in Social Security payments, a number right in the mid-range of possible benefits. Can you retire at 65? Well, it certainly depends on your standard of living. But for most people the answer is yes.
Specifically, those with over $1 million in retirement accounts are in the top 3% of retirees. The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) estimates that 3.2% of retirees have over $1 million, and a mere 0.1% have $5 million or more, based on data from the Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances.
The average retirement savings for all families is $333,940, according to the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances. The median retirement savings for all families is $87,000. Taken on their own, those numbers aren't incredibly helpful. After all, not everyone who is the same age will retire at the same time.
The 4% rule suggests that a $1.5 million portfolio will provide for at least 30 years approximately $60,000 a year before taxes for you to live on in retirement. If you take more than this from your nest egg, it may run short; if you take less or your investments earn more, it may provide somewhat more income.
According to EBRI estimates based on the latest Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, 3.2% of retirees have over $1 million in their retirement accounts, while just 0.1% have $5 million or more.
Millionaires have many different investment philosophies. These can include investing in real estate, stock, commodities and hedge funds, among other types of financial investments. Generally, many seek to mitigate risk and therefore prefer diversified investment portfolios.
Most people in the U.S. retire with less than $1 million. $500,000 is a healthy nest egg to supplement Social Security and other income sources. Assuming a 4% withdrawal rate, $500,000 could provide $20,000/year of inflation-adjusted income.
The classic approach of doubling your money involves investing in a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds and is probably the one that applies to most investors. Investing to double your money can be done safely over several years but there's more of a risk of losing most or all of your money if you're impatient.
Many retirees who follow the 4% rule. With a $1 million nest egg, They withdraw 4% the first year, or $40,000, and they live on this amount. In the second year, they take out the same 4%, plus the rate of inflation for that year. If inflation were 2%, the second year's withdrawal would be 102% of $40,000, or $40,800.
Are you rich if your net worth is $1 million?
On the other hand, the top 5% wealthiest Americans have a net worth of just over $1 million. Therefore, about 2% of the population possesses enough wealth to meet the current definition of being rich.
For those with a high risk tolerance, investments in stocks or real estate can provide higher income but come with greater volatility, she added. “If you have a low risk tolerance, safer investments like bonds, money markets or CDs will be more your speed,” she said.
Long story short: It is possible to retire with $1 million at 55. However, $1 million may not be enough for most people. You'll need to create a customized financial plan based on your lifestyle goals if you want to try, though — there is no magic formula or a one-size-fits-all plan to do it.
But is this really the case? Is a million dollars enough money to ensure a financially secure future? A recent analysis determined that a $1 million retirement nest egg may only last about 20 years depending on what state you live in.
While having a net worth of about $2.2 million is seen as the benchmark for being rich in America, it's essential to remember that wealth is a subjective concept. Healthy financial habits and personal perspectives on money are crucial in defining and achieving wealth.
