What amount did you have in retirement at age 40/a decade ago and where are you now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1999 $16K. Age 30
2009 $150K. Age 40. (In 2008 , it was like $90K)
2019 $720K. Age 50

DW’s #’s are similar. We max 401K’s and are now doing catch up contributions. Also do 529’s and after tax savings.

Vanguard tells me my avg rate of return over last 10 years is 8.8%.

3% employer match.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know all the formulas, so I can figure out - if I stop contributing (no plans to do that), then by age 65 at 6% growth I'll have x, at 7% y etc. But how about some IRL examples? Where were you at age 40 and where are you now? How have your contributions looked since then, is this just you or did your spouse also contribute, and what matches did you have?

And for those who aren't 40 yet -- what did you have a decade ago vs. now? I'll post my own separately.

What about you, OP?

[Anonymous]

Congratulations to all of you who are maxing out 401k’s from an early age. When you reach my age - 65 - you will be very happy.

[Anonymous]

43 with $70k in 401k, at 33 probably had $10k. Of my family and friends I have the most.

[Anonymous]

Wow this is turning out to be a normal money and finance thread!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow this is turning out to be a normal money and finance thread!

Op here — let’s keep it going, these days points are really helpful. Mine: year end 2009 (age 29) ~38k. Year end 2019 (age 39) ~475k. Lots of ups and downs in these 10 years. While we’ve had huge market growth, from 2009-2013 I maxed out to the IRS max but with 0% match as was standard in that industry. Then came 18 mos of unemployment, no contributions obviously. And then in these last 4.5 yrs I’ve ended up in a job with an 8% match. Yet the job is otherwise terrible and I’m not building my career upwards so while I’m maxing out to 19k and grabbing the match, I know it isn’t forever and I’ll need to head back to the 0 match industry. But I will say the approximately 55k this employer has put in in 4.5 yrs has changed everything - growth has come so much faster that it did when I had no match. Interesting to see everyone’s trajectory over 10 yrs. I can’t imagine remains this strong for a second consecutive decade but people here have done well across decades even when markets weren’t always roaring so hope that continues. The thing I’ve never looked into - IRAs - was always just focused on the 401k. That’s what I need to look into next.

[Anonymous]

I’d have to look, but I’ve been contributing since I was 23 and maxing out since 28 or 29. I’m 41 and I feel like the last 5-6 years are when it started to feel like it was really snowballing. The stock market has been good lately and that helps a lot. The early years are hard because it feels like the numbers don’t budge, but last I looked I had roughly $700k.

[Anonymous]

I'm 39 and have $430K in my 401k. 10 years ago it was probably $40K

[Anonymous]

In 2007, at 26, I had 17,000 in my 401k. Today I have 334k.

[Anonymous]

In 2009 I had -$32k net worth as was still paying off student loans.

Right now I have about $1.2mn, roughly 500k in retirement accounts, 400k in a brokerage account, and $300k in low risk/cash investments for a down payment (hopefully in next year or so)

2014-2019 had some very good earning years (May not ever get that high again as I’ve just left that job) and basically socked it all away, plus solid market growth and living well beneath our means.

[Anonymous]

2009 I was 22 and still in grad school. I had maybe...$500?
2019: 33 years old at $167k in TSP. I should check my Roth IRA though. I have about $11k in an HSA which I also consider "retirement" since I will use those funds for future medical expenses/medical premiums and I contribute the IRS max to that. On top of that, I expect my federal government pension to be pretty decent at the finish line.

I did take a small loan from my retirement which I do not regret at all: a measly $17k in 2015 to help with a downpayment for a home.

[Anonymous]

I'm 52.

When I was 40, I had $208,000 in my retirement accounts. My income at the time was $125,000.

Since that time, my income has increased to about $155,000.

I have steadily put away 10% of my income each year.

Today, I have $700,000 in my retirement accounts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:43 with $70k in 401k, at 33 probably had $10k. Of my family and friends I have the most.

I am more like you, PP. 46 and I have about $60k - my husband has about $160k. We both started late. On DCUM I feel terrible about this - in the real world, I feel incredibly fortunate.

[Anonymous]

Wow OP: This thread has stayed normal.

I posted upthread and have had a company match during the last 10 year. 3 and 5% (two different jobs). It's free money that not everybody takes advantage of. Amazing.

[Anonymous]

What numbers would need to be posted for this thread to longer be “normal” ?