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How Much Should I Save for Retirement?

Financial professionals commonly recommend saving 10% to 15% of your gross income throughout your working years as a baseline target for retirement preparedness.

Moore Invested

However, the right savings rate depends on when you start, what you already have saved, your expected retirement age, and the lifestyle you want to maintain. Someone starting at 25 can build significant wealth at 10% to 15% due to decades of compounding. Someone starting at 45 may need to save 20% to 25% or more to close the gap. A practical benchmark is to have saved approximately one times your annual salary by age 30, three times by 40, six times by 50, eight times by 60, and ten times by the time you retire. These are guidelines, not guarantees, but they provide a useful checkpoint against which to measure progress. Contribution limits for 2026 allow up to $23,500 in a 401(k), $31,000 with the catch-up for those 50 and older, and $7,000 in an IRA. Maximizing tax-advantaged accounts first before investing in taxable accounts is generally the most efficient approach. Moore Invested helps clients assess where they stand and identify concrete steps to get on track.

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