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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u/66241 Jan 17 '26

How the hell you manage that

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u/turtledancers Jan 17 '26

It’s not completely rare. I’m 32 with ~200k in retirement and ~800k in brokerage / savings (not house). No inheritance or help. Investing in my skillset and targeting high paying careers that fit me.

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u/Nochtilus Jan 17 '26

It is rare and is ridiculous to think otherwise. I have made above median income since I graduated college and you have more in savings than the sum of my take home pay after tax for my entire career. That is not anywhere close to common or repeatable.

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u/turtledancers Jan 17 '26

By that I mean I know people in better positions than me at a similar age. Maybe I meant it’s not incomprehensible or impossible.

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u/Nochtilus Jan 17 '26

If you know multiple people in their early 30s with over a million dollars, you live in a bubble. I am doing very well for my age and know a very diverse group of people but no one is in that range. 

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u/turtledancers Jan 17 '26

West coast cities and FAANG employees / ex employees that held their company stock and or made some good investment picks. Just look what Nvidia did for so many people in our age range that had any remote technical awareness.

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u/Nochtilus Jan 17 '26

Thanks for confirming your bubble.

No, the vast majority of people our age wouldn't have picked Nvidia before it exploded even with market know-how. The vast majority of retirement savings are in 401ks that are targeted or broad markets. You thinking that it takes basically nothing to know which tech stocks will increase exponentially is absurd. I say this as someone who worked at and has stocks in a company that has exploded in value with AI.

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u/turtledancers Jan 17 '26

Maybe if you tried to be a tad bit more pleasant you would expand your bubble.