How much Americans should have saved for retirement – see if you’re on track

We get it, you're likely not thinking about retirement at age 30. And you're definitely not thinking about it during your 20s. But hear us out: if you want to ensure you actually get to retire at a decent age, you should probably start planning for it. Like now. That's according to advice from financial services company, Fidelity, anyway (Picture: Getty Images)

The company has recently shared guidelines based on extensive analysis and retirement assumptions. The latter includes the following: an individual saves 15% of their annual income by age 25, invests more than 50% of their savings in stocks over their lifetime, retires at 67, and plans to live the same pre-retirement lifestyle in retirement (Picture: Getty Images)

But before we show you what these savings guidelines look like, let us also warn you that they're pretty aspirational. Don't forget that life costs money - not only for necessities like rent, mortgage, food, and bills, but also for fun. Holidays, meals out, and social activities are paramount to a human's happiness, so it's important to remember not to neglect these things either. It's all about moderation. However, if you do want some kind of benchmark to work towards, here's how much you should look to be saving by the time you're 30… and beyond (Picture: Getty Images)

How much should you save by 25?

You've already heard that Fidelity recommends saving 15% of your income by the time you're 25. As of 2025, the median salary for Americans this age is $1,136 per week or $59,072 per year. So this means that you'll need to have around $8,800 set aside. Doesn't sound too scary, right? As this also includes employer matching contributions. For a higher growth rate, the financial services company recommends putting roughly 50% of your savings in stocks (Picture: Getty Images)

How much should you save by 30?

But the five years in between are where things get a little more stressful financially. In order to be on track, Fidelity says you need to have saved one whole year's worth of your wages by the time you're 30. They give an example of earning $50,000, meaning you'd need the same amount stashed away. However, with the average US 30-year-old earning $59,072 per year (the age bracket ranges from 25-34), it means you'll have to find an extra $9,072 from somewhere (Picture: Getty Images)

How much should you save long term?

Ready to get even more stressed out? By age 35, Fidelity advises having two years' salary. By 40, you need three years. The average salary for 35 to 44-year-olds is $70,512 per year. By 50 and 55, when it reduces slightly to $69,472 per year, you need six and seven years' salary, respectively. At 60 years old, the annual wage drops to $65,936 per year, but you still need eight years' worth of your salary (Picture: Getty Images)

Finally, by 67, when the average salary sits at $60,268 per year, you'll need to have saved a staggering 10 years' worth of your wage. We'll let you do the math on these, as it's getting a little overwhelming for us. When you get to 67 (providing you were born in 1960 or later), Fidelity's assumptions are based on individuals who can rely on Social Security benefits and collect benefits when they reach full retirement age (Picture: Getty Images)

How can you juggle these savings with real life?

If you're reading this and you're in your early, mid, or late 20s - or even in your 30s - you'll likely be thinking, 'that's impossible.' This period of your life is full of extra expenses, from weddings, trying to get on the property ladder, going on holidays, travelling, and starting families. So the thought of even putting a fraction of this aside can feel daunting (Picture: Getty Images)

However, if you're organised, there are ways to try and make it work. During your more expensive years, there's no harm in temporarily scaling back a bit. But always have a future plan. This means setting yourself a couple of years where you spend the majority of what you would put into your retirement savings on things like childcare and housing. This should be short-term to avoid it becoming habitual. Then, set yourself a specific year when you can start making these payments back into your pension pot. Last but not least? Remember that any kind of saving is still good financial practice. Don't get overwhelmed by comparing yourself to others (Picture: Getty Images)