Northwestern Mutual released a study on Wednesday which found that the amount of retirement\u00a0savings<\/a> Americans think they need to retire comfortably rose to $1.46 million.<\/p>\n That figure is an increase of $200,000 from last year’s edition of the report and is in line with the estimated magic number from 2024, the firm noted.<\/p>\n “The new ‘magic number’ reflects a convergence of factors \u2014 from persistent inflation and longer life expectancies to uncertainty about the future of Social Security,” said John Roberts, chief field officer at Northwestern Mutual.\u00a0<\/p>\n TRUMP ADMIN PROPOSES OPENING 401(K)S TO PRIVATE EQUITY, CRYPTO<\/a><\/p>\n The amount Americans think they need to save for retirement has risen over the last year. (Spencer Platt\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n For Americans with a relatively high net worth, defined as having $1 million or more in\u00a0investable assets<\/a>, the magic number is even higher at $2.67 million, on average.<\/p>\n “Retirement is increasingly complex, and Americans are responding by setting higher expectations for what they’ll need. What matters now is pairing those expectations with a thoughtful, comprehensive financial plan that will enable them to reach their unique goals,” Roberts said.<\/p>\n The report found that 46% of Americans say they don’t expect they will be financially prepared for retirement, and 48% said it’s somewhat or very likely they will outlive their savings. It also found that just 23% of Americans with retirement savings said they have only one year or less of their current income set aside.<\/p>\n LARRY FINK CALLS FOR SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM, SAYS INVESTING A PORTION OF FUNDS COULD STRENGTHEN THE PROGRAM<\/a><\/p>\n Americans’ “magic number” for retirement rose to $1.46 million. (Angela Weiss\/AFP for Getty Images)<\/p>\n The report notes that while there isn’t a universal retirement number for all Americans, Northwestern Mutual recommends that people plan to replace about 80% of their pre-retirement income.<\/p>\n It also detailed several other\u00a0retirement rules of thumb<\/a> for Americans to consider as they think about how much they should save for retirement.<\/p>\n The so-called “25x rule” suggests that a person should save about 25 times their expected annual savings. Using the $1.46 million “magic number” from the study, that would be sufficient to generate about $58,000 in annual retirement income, the report said.<\/p>\n NEW PROPOSAL WOULD CAP SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS AT $100K FOR WEALTHY COUPLES<\/a><\/p>\n The report detailed several rules of thumb for retirement savings. (iStock)<\/p>\n Another rule of thumb is the $1,000-a-month rule, which states that for every $1,000 of desired monthly retirement spending, there should be $300,000 in savings. For example, with $1.46 million in retirement savings, it would yield about $4,800 in retirement income per month.<\/p>\n “These rules of thumb can certainly give Americans a ballpark estimate for their own\u00a0wealth management<\/a> goals. But they don’t factor in the big risks to retirement \u2013 like increasing healthcare costs or a long-term care event,” Roberts said.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/new-york-cost-living-inflation.jpg\")
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