Americans want $1.5M for retirement, but their savings are nowhere near that

Published 4 Min Read

Adobe Stock/tomertu

There’s a big difference between how much money Americans think they’ll need for retirement and how much they’ve actually saved. In 2024, that gap grew into a chasm.

Every year, researchers at the insurance firm Northwestern Mutual determine “the magic number”: The average dollar amount that Americans estimate it will take to retire in comfort. In 2024, that number rose to $1.46 million — a 15% jump from last year.

Nathan Place
National Reporter

Nathan Place is a national reporter at American Banker. A native of New York City, he has worked for more than a decade in both print and video journalism. He got his start in Beijing, where he … Read full bio


For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.


More From Employee Benefit News

Sign Up Form

Login Modal Form