Most experts recommend that you replace 75% to 85% of your preretirement income to meet your needs after you stop working. But the size of your nest egg will dictate how many extras you’ll be able to afford.
If you don’t have a pension, you’ll have to make up the difference with your personal savings.
The snapshots below reflect a couple who retired at 65 and earned $90,000 a year while working. They need about $70,000 annually -- 78% of their preretirement income -- to maintain the same lifestyle, according to the "2008 Retirement Income Replacement Ratio" study, by Aon Consulting and Georgia State University.
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We assumed that the couple initially withdraw 4% of their savings, adjusted for inflation each year, and imagined how they might spend it.
Retirement Lifestyles on a ...
Take a look where your money goes and the simple pleasures it affords.
Doubling your savings adds an extra $40,000 a year to fund your retirement dreams.
$2-Million Nest Egg
You'll have money to spend on a whim, but a greater tax bill, too.
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