How Much Do I Need To Retire In Canada
The amount of money you need to retire comfortably will depend on your lifestyle in retirement. Moreover, the region in Canada where you plan to retire and what plans you have for retirement will also be important considerations. You can use a retirement calculator to get an estimate on how your personal income, savings plan, and life plans impact your retirement savings needs.
The basic rule of thumb is to use the 70% pre-retirement income rule which means you need at least 70% of the amount of your current income in retirement also to live comfortably.
Having a mortgage in retirement will require you to have as much as your current annual income when you retire. However, if youre one of the lucky few without a mortgage, you need less.
Mapped: How Much Money Do You Need To Retire Comfortably In Each State
Having enough savings to afford a comfortable retirement has been an issue for a long time now. In fact, some economists have recently estimated that millennials will face even a harder challenge and should save almost half of their income if they wish to retire at 65. However, the good news is that some parts of the country are friendlier on the wallet than others when it comes to retirement. Our newest visualization shows the average amount that a person will need to retire comfortably in each state, as well as the average retirement age by state.
- The average retirement age in the U.S. is 64 years old. At the state level, the average retirement age varies from 61 years old in Alaska and West Virginia to 67 years old in Washington, D.C.
- The average life expectancy nationwide is 78.6. Among the states, Mississippi has the lowest life expectancy at 74.5, and Hawaii has the highest life expectancy at 81.5.
- Nationwide, the average yearly expenses for someone over the age of 65 is $51,624. Mississippi has the lowest annual expenses at $44,758, while Hawaii has the highest annual expenses at $99,170.
- Taking into account life expectancy as well as yearly expenses, the average savings required for retirement in the U.S. is $904,452. States in the Northeast and the West require the highest savings for retirement, at over $1 million, while states in the South and the Midwest require the lowest savings.
Rule : 70% Of Working Income
This rule estimates that you will need between 70% and 100% of your pre-retirement income in retirement: 70% if you are typical and do not have a mortgage, and up to 100% if you are still paying a hefty mortgage plus other atypical expenses while retired.
The idea behind this rule is that your expenses are generally expected to be lower in retirement: no mortgage payments, no longer need to save for retirement, kids are financially dependent, etc. After computing this amount, you can then proceed to calculate how much you need by going back to Rule 1 or 2.
For example, assume you earn $100,000 per year before retiring. Using the 70% rule, you will need approximately $70,000 in annual income to maintain your lifestyle in retirement. Going back to Rule 2, it implies you need:
â $70,000 x 25 â $1.75 million in retirement.
I think the 70% rule is a fairly liberal estimate of retirement income needs . A survey conducted by Sunlife and released in 2016, shows that Canadian retirees were on average living on 62% of their pre-retirement income.
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Retirement Savings By Age
Its hard to predict how much youll need in your pension to enjoy a comfortable retirement because everyones circumstances are different. But one rule is broadly true: the earlier you start paying into a pension, the more likely youll be able to afford a comfortable lifestyle.
This is because:
- The earlier you start your pension, the longer your pension has to grow.
- The longer you pay into a pension, the less you need to pay in each month.
The following examples are calculated using PensionBees pension calculator. Weve assumed your employer will contribute £100 per month and youll retire at 70.
How Much Will The Average Person Need To Save For Retirement

This is a difficult question, as everyones retirement planning needs will differ. However, you can follow some general guidelines to get an idea of how much youll need for a comfortable retirement.
First, youll need to estimate your post-retirement income. This will include any sources of income, such as Social Security, pensions, rental income, and part-time work. Next, youll need to estimate your expenses in retirement. This includes things like housing costs, healthcare costs, and leisure travel. Finally, youll need to factor in inflation. Over time, the cost of goods and services will increase, so youll need to account for this in your retirement planning.
Once youve considered all of these factors, you can estimate how much money youll need to retire officially. With financial planning, a good rule of thumb for a savings goal is to replace 80% of your current annual income. However, this may not be enough if you have a high standard of living or high health care costs. In general, its best to avoid caution and plan to replace as much of your income as possible.
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Social Security Pensions And Other Reliable Income Sources
The good news is that, if you’re like most people, you’ll get some help from sources other than your savings, such as your Social Security benefits. For most people, Social Security is a significant income source.
But the percentage of income that Social Security will replace is typically lower for higher-income retirees. For example, Fidelity estimates that someone earning $50,000 a year can expect Social Security to replace 35% of their income. But someone earning $300,000 a year would have a Social Security income replacement rate of just 11% on average.
If you aren’t sure how much you can expect, check your latest Social Security statement, or create a my Social Security account to get a good estimate based on your work history.
If you have any pensions from current or former jobs, be sure to take those into consideration. The same goes for any other predictable and permanent sources of income — for example, if you bought an annuity that kicks in after you retire.
Continuing our example of a couple that needs $8,000 in monthly income to retire, let’s say each spouse is expecting $1,500 per month from Social Security, and that one spouse also has a $1,000 monthly pension. This means that, of the $8,000 in monthly income needs, $4,000 is being taken care of by sources other than savings.
So, in summary, you can estimate the monthly retirement income you need to generate using this formula:
Consider Other Sources Of Income While Retired
There are multiple savings vehicles and income streams to consider for retirement. These can affect how much you need to save today, depending on which sources of income are available to you.
Social Security benefits are offered to retirees aged 62 or older , who have earned enough credits throughout their career in order to qualify for the program. This can provide a steady income stream in retirement. For example, someone born in 1970 who earns $60,000 per year can retire at age 67 with $1,999.00 in monthly Social Security benefits. That’s nearly $24,000 per year that your retirement savings will not need to cover.
A pension plan can also provide you with a steady, monthly income stream. If your employer has one, you’ll need to ask if you qualify, how much income this will offer, and what the pension requirements are.
Annuities are another retirement income source to consider. They’re offered by insurance companies and act as a long-term investment vehicle. After purchasing an annuity either with a lump sum or periodic purchase payments you will receive regular payments over the course of your retirement.
There are other plans and investment options available, but these five are the most common among retirees.
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What Factors Influence How Much Money You Need To Retire Comfortably
If youre looking for ways to save more money, then you should start thinking about your retirement plan. There are many different things that you can do when it comes to saving money. For example, you could try cutting back on unnecessary spending.
Another thing that you can do is to set up an automatic savings account. This way, you wont have to worry about forgetting to put money into a savings account every month. You can also use online banking to make sure that all of your finances are in order.
When it comes to planning for your future, youll want to take stock of your financial situation. If you dont know where you stand financially, then you might be surprised at just how much you actually owe.
In fact, you may find out that you need to work until youre 70 years old in order to afford the type of lifestyle that youd like. Thats why you should consider talking to a professional when it comes to figuring out what kind of retirement fund you will need.
How Long Do You Expect To Live
No one likes to contemplate their own demise. However, a clear-eyed understanding of your realistic life expectancy is essential for retirement planning. A myriad number of factors influence your life expectancy, including gender, genetics, lifestyle choices, economic status, education, environment, and marital status. While some factors, like your gender and genetics are beyond your control, personal choices like eating healthy foods, exercising, maintaining social connections, and quitting smoking can expand your lifespan.
If you may well live 30 or more years into retirement, youll need a much larger nest egg than someone who expects a shorter lifespan.
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Registered Retirement Savings Plans
When thinking about how much money you need to retire, consider your Registered Retirement Savings Plan . A savings account designed to help Canadians save money for retirement, contributions to RRSPs are protected from income tax.
Bonus: you can invest your RRSP funds in a variety of ways. Any funds earned through these investments are also protected from tax for as long as they remain invested. This allows you to grow your portfolio in time to retire comfortably.
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When You Plan To Retire
The age you plan to retire can have a big impact on the amount you need to save, and your milestones along the way. The longer you can postpone retirement, the lower your savings factor can be. That’s because delaying gives your savings a longer time to grow, you’ll have fewer years in retirement, and your Social Security benefit will be higher.
Consider some hypothetical examples . Max plans to delay retirement until age 70, so he will need to have saved 8x his final income to sustain his preretirement lifestyle. Amy wants to retire at age 67, so she will need to have saved 10x her preretirement income. John plans to retire at age 65, so he would need to have saved at least 12x his preretirement income.
Of course, you can’t always choose when you retirehealth and job availability may be out of your control. But one thing is clear: Working longer will make it easier to reach your savings goals.
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Is $150000 A Good Retirement Income
This is a difficult question because it depends on many things, such as your pre-retirement annual income, expenses, and retirement goals. However, in general, $150,000 is a good retirement income. This will allow you to cover most of your living expenses and leave some money for leisure activities and travel. Additionally, if you have other sources of income, such as Social Security or a pension, this will help supplement your retirement income.
The Benchmarks For Those Closer To Retirement

The range gets wider as you get older, so we also provide more detailed estimates for people approaching retirement. This helps someone find a realistic target based on income and marital status, which affect Social Security benefits.
A Closer Look at Savings Benchmarks Later in Your Career
Savings Benchmarks Later in Your Career11x | 13.5x |
Assumptions: See Savings Benchmarks by AgeAs a Multiple of Income above. Dual income means that one spouse generates 75% of the income that the other spouse earns.
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Retirement Savings Plans In Canada
Preparing for retirement is largely personal, however, there are a lot of programs and schemes designed by the government and financial institutions to help make retirement planning very attractive and accessible to all.
Because retirement seems far away in the distant future, some people feel reluctant to make decent contributions. Others feel that there is always time to do it later. These schemes highlighted below are designed to help us make adequate preparations for retirement.
RRSP: Registered Retirement Savings Plan. It was developed by the Canadian Government in 1957 to encourage Canadians to make regular contributions towards their retirements. The RRSP provides benefits such as Tax savings as well as a 4% Interest rate on the amounts contributed.
To know more about the RRSP in Canada you can click here:
Average Retirement Income By State 2022
Retirement might be decades away or right around the corner for some of us. No matter where you stand on the timeline, it is never too early to start planning for retirement.
Depending on your desired location of retirement, when you would like to retire, and how far away your retirement is, you will need to have a specific amount of money saved in order to live comfortably. Factors such as life expectancy, cost of living, and income are all vital factors.
The average amount of savings required to retire comfortably in the United States is $904,452. Among the 50 states, the savings required to comfortably retire ranges between $617,661 and $1.84 million.
In the table below, to help determine this, each states average retirement age, life expectancy, yearly expenses for someone 65+, and the savings required to retire comfortably in that state. An additional 20% is added to the yearly expenses to account for a comfortable retirement.
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How To Figure Out If You Can Retire Comfortably
Stress testing retirement projections can help investors feel more confident they wont run out of money under different conditions in the financial markets. Again, basic online calculators dont account for the variability in investment returns or the timing of down years. The only factor is a static average annual return. Put another way, simple compounded return calculators only assume your investments grow, ignoring the downside produces the average.
For guidance that takes your entire situation into account, consider working with a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professional to develop a financial plan and help ensure you stay on track throughout retirement with ongoing investment management and advisory support.
To feel confident that 60 isnt too early to retire, your plan should include a Monte Carlo simulation to stress-test a retirement plan for market volatility.
Putting everything together in a comprehensive financial plan is often the best way to determine how much you need to retire. Running the numbers will help you understand what trade-offs exist and what options best suit your needs and goals.
About Darrow Wealth Management
Darrow Wealth Management is an independent fee-only financial advisor and full-time fiduciary. The Darrow Money Management Program provides ongoing investment management and financial planning services for individuals and families.
Key Investing And Retirement Definitions
401: This is a plan for retirement savings that companies offer employees. A 401 plan gives employees a tax break on money they contribute. Contributions are automatically withdrawn from employee paychecks and invested in funds of the employees choosing .
Compound interest: The interest you earn on both your original deposit and on the interest that original deposit earns. For example, a $1,000 investment earning 6% compounded annually could become roughly $4,300 in 25 years.
Contribution limits: The IRS puts limits on the amount of money that can be contributed to 401s and IRAs each year. These limits sometimes change from year to year.
Financial advisor: A financial advisor offers consumers help with managing money. Financial advisors can advise clients on making investments, saving for retirement, and monitoring spending, among other things. A financial advisor can be a professional, or a digital investment management service called a robo-advisor.
IRA: An individual retirement account is a tax-advantaged investment account individuals use for retirement savings.
Income: The money you get from working, investing, or providing goods or services.Inflation: This happens when the price of goods and services increases as time passes. The result is a decrease in purchasing power, or the value of money.
Nest egg: A sum of money you have set aside for the future in this case, retirement.
Returns: The money you earn or lose on an investment.
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Factors That Will Affect Your Pension Needs
Its important to understand the factors that will affect your pension needs, as this will help you plan for retirement more effectively. Some of the most important factors include your current age, the number of years you expect to live in retirement, and the type of lifestyle you want to lead.
Another important factor is the rate of inflation. Inflation can significantly impact the amount of money you need to live comfortably in retirement. This is because as prices increase over time, the value of your pension will decrease.
B How Much Government Benefit Do You Expect To Receive
If you have lived and worked in Canada before retirement, you can expect to receive Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan benefits.
The amount you receive will generally depend on how long you have lived in Canada , how much you have contributed to the plan, and for how long .
The maximum monthly OAS payable in 2022 is $666.83 for a total of $8,001.96 per year , while the maximum CPP was $1,253.59 for a total of $15,043.08 per year .
Most people will get less than the maximum amount. For example, the average monthly CPP benefit paid as of April 2022 was $727.61 .
For individuals who immigrated to Canada in their adult years , the total government pension they will be eligible for will be significantly reduced.
Using the 2022 maximum government pension amounts as an example, total payouts from this source to a single senior is:
$8,001.96 + $15,043.08 = $23,045.04 per year
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