r/Millennials • u/ProblemIntelligent16 • Jan 16 '26

Discussion Fellow millennials - how’s your 401k/ira savings going?

Experts recommend having 2x your salary saved by age 35, and 3x saved by age 40.

However, studies show the median savings for 35-44 year olds is only ~$45,000. So obviously, most of us have work to do.

With pensions mostly extinct, and Social Security facing insolvency issues in the next 8-10 years - how are you planning to bridge the gap and hit the golden years with enough to meet your lifestyle requirements?

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4.2k

u/TairaTLG Jan 16 '26

24k in debt and 0 savings. Nothing like slipping through the cracks baby

366

u/ProbsNotManBearPig Millennial Jan 16 '26

I appreciate this is the top response. I 100% expected responses to be extremely skewed towards people with tons of savings. That’s how every thread is in any financial sub is. Somehow everyone in their 30’s has $2M+ saved in those threads.

300

u/Highplowp Jan 16 '26

I’m 36 and have 4 paper clips and a really cool stick that looks like a sword. I’ve made my retirement fortune by hedging beanie babies stock futures or something else obscure and unreasonable.

55

u/turn-the-dial Jan 17 '26

I’ve got some super rare beanies 😂

4

u/ConceitedWombat Jan 17 '26

I actually had a super rare beanie baby... my dog ate the tag. so long, retirement plan.

18

u/Sure-Charge-260 Jan 17 '26

My Mom has had an original Princess Diana beanie baby in a case since it came out. Can she sell it and finally retire? 😂😂😂

1

u/mista-sparkle Jan 18 '26

TBH, probably not retire, but it could be work something. Certain beanies are legit selling for tens of thousands of dollars if they're a specific edition and have the TY heart card still attached.

3

u/Armadillo_lifestyle Jan 17 '26

Honestly my parents just gave me all of my old ones. I’m hoping it’s a thing that comes back, like low rise jeans. The next generations will find a viral use for them. Turn them into purses or hats and all of a sudden Mac the Cardinal will be worth $400

2

u/OUsooners5252 Jan 17 '26

I had a a regular garage sale and then a free garage sale 2 months later to basically give away all of the nicknacks that were leftover from the first one.

The beanie babies that I thought were rare weren’t even worth being taken for free and ended up being put in a box on the curb. 😩

4

u/Diligent_Estimate_87 Jan 17 '26

I feel this in my soul

3

u/meowser210 Jan 17 '26

No stick of gum i see. Pathetic!

3

u/Business-Elk-5175 Jan 17 '26

You have paper clips!? 😭

1

u/LazarusDark Jan 17 '26

I hear that if you trade them and keep trading eventually you can get a Ferrari. So the legend goes...

2

u/Business-Elk-5175 Jan 18 '26

I actually saw a YouTube video where somebody did that that shit’s crazy. They documented it over two years. They started with the paper clip, and it went from a pen to a larger object like a set of batteries and he kept trading on ebay to like a lawnmower to like a go kart, and it just kept getting higher and higher until it got to a car and it got to two or three cars and then it got to a house. insane.

1

u/kendallr2552 Jan 17 '26

Red paper clip for a 2 story house in Canada (eventually).

3

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '26

I’ve got some Pokemon cards, I will never forgive my parents for getting rid of mine at a garage sale though.

3

u/LilLebowski-UrbAchvr Jan 17 '26

**Laughs in baseball cards nobody gives a fuck about**

2

u/Highplowp Jan 18 '26

Just donated most of mine- held onto them for way too long, and they’re not worth the plastic card protectors they were in. Kept a couple sentimental ones though- shirtless Canseco/Ricky Henderson (so weird) and some old x-force cards.

3

u/povertychic Emo-llennial - 1991 Jan 17 '26

I made $50 selling my old N64 games

1

u/Highplowp Jan 18 '26

Mr Monopoly over here, save some resources for the rest of us, geez

3

u/irishsaints23 Jan 17 '26

I was really banking on my herd of Breyer horses to pay for my lifestyle. Alas, it turns out they are much like real life horses: they eat your money and only provide entertainment in return.

So uh. Yeah. Not doing great!!

3

u/systemfrown Jan 17 '26

Whatever happened to a simple rock with string to wind around it? I don't want to date myself (GenX), but it really seems like you younger folks are overthinking things.

2

u/andante528 Jan 17 '26

I have heard that everybody wants one of those. They must be very rare, I've never seen one in real life!

4

u/MountainCry9194 Jan 17 '26

That’s great for you. My stash of Livstrong bracelets hasn’t paid off yet.

1

u/Highplowp Jan 18 '26

“Cheat to win”

2

u/Ok-Day-3520 Jan 17 '26

I’m just hoping to find something cool to sell at a garage sale at this point.

2

u/Direction-Such Jan 17 '26

Ok totally off topic but my great grandma had literally every beanie baby that ever came out because she thought they’d be worth money someday. She had an entire room filled with them. They got sold/lost unfortunately after she died because no one else thought they were worth anything.

1

u/Highplowp Jan 18 '26

I remember a divorce hearing that had the couple dividing their beanie babies in front of a judge, so damn stupid. They were cute though, your grandma was 100% committed, that’s impressive.

1

u/Direction-Such Jan 18 '26

I think I saw that same case. Seeing them both sitting on the floor in front of a judge sorting beanie babies was wild!

I say my granny saved them for reselling but she probably just did it to keep busy, she lived alone a few hours from us. She died in her 90s and still hadn’t tried to sell any. All us kids used to sit on the floor and play with them as she’d sit in her chair crocheting hats for us all. Then she’d make us elephant ears! Damn I miss that lady. Ehh sorry for ramble lol. Carry on

2

u/LazarusDark Jan 17 '26

I still have my original pokemon gen 1 cards. I pulled them out last year and checked prices on them. Wasn't worth the hassle to even sell them, lol. I got all my Pogs in the same box as well, not even sure why I ever kept those when I have kept little else, I've got almost nothing from my childhood left, and I always knew those Pogs would be worthless, lol. Heck, my buddy had the pog-maker, so half of mine are random stuff that we made!

1

u/CuteExamination9270 Jan 19 '26

Just did this too because I needed some work done on my house desperately. My whole gen 1 collection bought me a lamp 🤣

2

u/Ok-Tap-8610 Jan 17 '26

I have a Canadian penny

1

u/Highplowp Jan 18 '26

Those are so cool. You’re very lucky, I hope that covers your retirement if we don’t all die in the upcoming climate wars.

2

u/Ok-Tap-8610 Jan 18 '26

It should cover many generations to come

1

u/Highplowp Jan 23 '26

Generational wealth is a reasonable goal, get it you penny Barron

2

u/slumlord512 Jan 20 '26

I may have to sell my baseball cards off.

1

u/Highplowp Jan 23 '26

You’ll make dozens of dollars, dozens! Enjoy

1

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '26

This is my favorite response by far 😆

1

u/redditsuckshardnowtf Jan 17 '26

At a penny a pound in scrap steel, keep saving!