Let's say you have a modestly aggressive portfolio invested entirely in the S&P 500, giving you an average annual return of 11%. If you make the maximum contribution each year, this might give you the following returns profile:With 10 more years of work, you have 10 more years to contribute to your 401(k). Setting aside inflation (which erodes true account value) and cap increases (which can increase your maximum contributions over time), the IRS allows a maximum annual 401(k) contribution of $23,500 per ye ...

Many rules of thumb assume a standard retirement age. Fidelity, for example, suggests saving 3x your salary by age 40, 6x by 50, and 8x by 60. On an $85,000 annual income, that's $255,000, $510,000, and $680,000.If your goal is to retire early, the math changes. Your savings have to last longer and cover more uncertainty, especially health care and inflation.For those considering early retirement, these figures highlight a challenge: many workers are far below what they'd likely need to stop working a decad ...