The cost of waiting to save for retirement
Patience is a virtue, but waiting can be costly in regard to saving for retirement. A 2019 report from the Economic Policy Institute found that nearly half of families have no retirement account savings at all. Individuals who have delayed saving for retirement could find themselves in difficult situations as they near retirement age. Assuming an 8 percent rate of return on money deposited into a retirement account like a 401(k), an individual who begins depositing $6,000 annually at age 20 will have roughly $1.7 million in that account in 40 years. By waiting until age 40 to begin making the same annual contributions and assuming the same rate of return, an individual would end up with less than $300,000 in his or her retirement account at age 60. That's a sizable disparity and one that could make the difference between a comfortable retirement and one plagued by financial difficulties. Catch-up contributions allowable by the Internal Revenue Service can help men and women over 50 build their retirement savings. However, the most effective way to save for retirement is to begin early and to continue doing so throughout adulthood.
