Photo: @eatingwithminnie
I like mimosas as much as the next girl and could talk fashion for hours. But recently I started thinking about why no one my age seems to like to talk about money - specifically finance and investing. From my experience, people usually equate the word finance with rambling statistics and acronyms like GAAP, ROI, and GDP. Acronyms like these saturate the pages of the Wall Street Journal and The Economist and hold meaning beyond measure, yet they aren't attractive to the average millennial.
So along with my posts on fashion, food, and life, I'm going to start posting my findings and thoughts on finance. I'm calling it Bonds Over Brunch. It's time to start prioritizing your budget so you can actually afford that second mimosa.
Today we're talking about how the wealthiest Americans save for the future. How attainable is saving $1 million in your lifetime? I promise this isn't as boring as it sounds. USA TODAY refers $1 million as "the magic retirement savings number" so we'll use that as our constant in finding the length of time you need to secure a comfortable future.
My recommendation? Start sooner than later. Take a look at what USA TODAY shared: "If you set aside $450 a month over a 40-year period, and your investments generate an average annual 7% return during that time, you'll wind up with around $1.08 million."
Where's the 7% coming from? It's assumed that 7% is an attainable return with stocks. A more conservative portfolio may reap less. I can tell you from my personal portfolio that 7% is lower than the market average.
It's simple to understand that the later you start saving, the more you're going to have to set aside each month in the future. Wait to save until you have 15 years before you retire and expect to save $3,320 a month to reach that magic $1 million. I don't know about you, but I'd rather start saving and investing now so that I can enjoy my future more comfortably. It may seem premature to talk retirement, but investing can be cute. Especially when you can afford to look cute doing it.
Mind Over Matter, Bonds Over Brunch
More soon!
-mms
Reference: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/retirement/2018/04/10/heres-what-the-wealthiest-americans-have-saved-for-retirement/33667247/