By Arlenys Tabare
The high cost of living continues to increase the “magic amount” that Americans want in their savings to retire with some peace of mind and financial comfort, according to a recent study survey developed by Northwestern Mutualwhich points out that the figure has already exceeded that of last year.
To establish the amount, the American financial organization carried out a survey with 4,375 people of working agewho were asked how much their grand retirement amount is, highlighting that by 2026, $1.46 million dollars would be the average figure to retire financially stable; This exceeds the $1.26 million dollars that were considered in 2025.
Although the amount may be subjective, this depends on the lifestyle that the older adult intends to have during retirement, since several aspects must be considered, from coverage of their basic and personal needs, medical care, leisure pursuits or hobbies, city in which they wish to retire and even maintenance of properties and assets.
Retiring comfortably is becoming a challenge
However, regardless of the needs that a retiree wants to cover in their golden years with their savings, an analysis developed by AARP earlier this year noted that Currently, retiring comfortably is becoming a great challengebecause the high cost of living is increasingly preventing them from covering their daily expenses.
The economic situation for the average population has caused approximately 38 million Americans over 50 remain in the labor market due to lack of savings.
For its part, the human capital management company Dayforce indicated at the end of last year that fewer and fewer workers are saving for retirementwhich shows a truly worrying panorama of social security. According to the report, the participation rate for retirement plans decreased in 2025 to 52% compared to 58% in 2022.
Lack of savings is the reality of many retirees today; a NerdWallet investigation He highlighted that only 5% of older adults close to retirement have saved at least one million dollars. The analysis indicated that the average savings between ages 55 and 64 reaches $185,000.
For John Roberts, field director at Northwestern Mutual, uncertainty about inflation, the labor market and the economy in general is putting strong pressure on American household budgets. “We recognize that there is a need, but not enough measures are being taken,” he added.
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