How to Boost Retirement Savings with the $1,000-a-Month Rule - Slavic401k (2024)

Saving for retirement comes in many shapes and sizes, and strategies are not one-size-fits-all. Having a successful and beneficial retirement plan requires research, adjustments, and work from the participant.

Having a set-it-and-forget-it mindset when saving for retirement will only go so far. That’s why it’s important to try new approaches to make your money grow and work for you in the future. One example is the $1,000/month rule. Created by Wes Moss, a Certified Financial Planner, this strategy helps individuals visualize how much savings they should have in retirement. According to Moss, you should plan to have $240,000 saved for every $1,000 of disposable income in retirement.

As a general rule of thumb, you will withdraw approximately 5% of your retirement income every year for expenses. The Balance breaks down the numbers below:

Start with $240,000 and multiply it by 5%, which equals $12,000. Next, divide $12,000 by 12 months, which totals $1,000 per month.

Moss notes that this strategy is a rule of thumb, and depending on factors such as inflation, the stock market, Social Security, pensions, part-time work, and more, the total will vary throughout your lifetime.

Adjusting the Rule

Like most things in life, there are exceptions to the $1,000/month rule. For example, some people retire earlier than others, and some retire after the age of 62. Your retirement age will determine how much you should plan to withdraw each month, and will, therefore, impact the rule.

Someone who retires early in their 50s will have to withdraw smaller amounts each month for their retirement savings to last longer, and someone retiring after the age of 62 can afford to increase their spending.

Everyone – regardless of age – will have to watch market conditions and adjust accordingly as well. For example, years that experience high inflation will change the value of your dollar and require assessment and adjustment. The Balance notes that market changes will require individuals to adapt and change consistently, so be mindful of economic conditions.

Setting Yourself Up for Success

Knowing that your strategy will continuously change throughout your life, and adjusting as needed, is key to a successful retirement plan. While 5% withdrawals every year will last approximately 20 years for the average participant, many will need funds for a longer period.

Investing, rather than only storing money in a savings account, can help your dollars stretch longer and puts your money to work for you. Some examples of supplemental savings include:

  • Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs): These accounts can be opened online through financial institutions like Fidelity and can easily be managed at your fingertips. The IRS sets contribution maximums for retirement accounts on an annual basis, and in 2024 the limits are listed as $7,000 for a Traditional IRA and $8,000 for those over the age of 50. If you can maximize these accounts every year, you can significantly improve your retirement savings for the future.
  • Health Savings Account (HSA): As you age, your health expenses will likely increase. Having an HSA can help you plan and cover those increasing costs with a tax-deductible account. In 2023, the contribution maximum was $3,850 for individuals and $7,750 for families. For participants over the age of 55, an extra $1,000 is added for catch-up contributions. By maximizing these accounts early, you will have health expenses covered in the future that won’t impact other areas of retirement savings, such as 401(k) plans, IRAs, and regular savings accounts.

Having a diverse savings strategy can help you pad current and future economic downturns, protecting cash and investments that can be used in retirement. Learn about the importance of diversifying your investments on the Slavic401k blog.

While saving for retirement does not have a one-size-fits-all approach, utilizing different methods, such as the $1,000/month rule, can help you reach your goals. Remember that saving, maximizing contributions, and planning will look different at various stages in your life, and utilizing resources like retirement calculators, can help you keep yourself on track financially.

Check out Slavic401k’s diverse catalog of calculators, including a retirement nest egg calculator and retirement planner calculator.

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How to Boost Retirement Savings with the $1,000-a-Month Rule - Slavic401k (2024)

FAQs

How to Boost Retirement Savings with the $1,000-a-Month Rule - Slavic401k? ›

As a general rule of thumb, you will withdraw approximately 5% of your retirement income every year for expenses. The Balance breaks down the numbers below: Start with $240,000 and multiply it by 5%, which equals $12,000. Next, divide $12,000 by 12 months, which totals $1,000 per month.

What is the $1000 a month rule for retirement calculator? ›

With the $1,000 per month rule, if you plan to withdraw 5% of your savings each year, you'll need at least $240,000 in savings. If you aim to take out $2,000 every month at a withdrawal rate of 5%, you'll need to set aside $480,000. For $3,000, you would aim to save $720,000.

Is saving $1000 per month enough for retirement? ›

If you start by contributing $1,000 a month to a retirement account at age 30 or younger, your savings could be worth more than $1 million by the time you retire. Here's how much you should expect to have in your account by the time you retire at 67: If you start at 20 years old you should have $2,024,222 saved.

How to cash out Slavic401k? ›

How to Request a Distribution or Rollover from Your 401(k)
  1. Go to Slavic401k.com and click “Sign In” on the top right hand side of the page.
  2. Enter your user name and password.
  3. Click on Withdrawals in the blue ribbon.
  4. Click on Distribution Request.
  5. Review the distribution disclosure, then click Get Started.

Is Slavic 401k real? ›

Under John's leadership and vision, the Slavic family of companies has grown from a one-person financial advisory firm to a national 401(k) provider with more than $12B in assets under administration, serving over 12,000 businesses and 250,000 participants nationwide.

What happens if you invest $1000 a month for 20 years? ›

Investing $1,000 a month for two decades is undoubtedly going to help your money to grow, but the specific amount you'll end up with varies depending on the returns you earn. For many people, it's reasonable to expect a 10% average annual return.

What is the magic number for retirement savings? ›

Here's how much you would need to put into a retirement account each month, starting at different ages, to reach the $1.46 million “magic number” by age 65, according to Northwestern Mutual's “Planning & Progress Study 2024.” Figures are based on a 7 percent average return compounded daily.

How much does the average retired person live on per month? ›

Average Retirement Spending

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average income of someone 65 and older in 2021 was $55,335, and the average expenses were $52,141, or $4,345 per month.

What is the penalty for withdrawing from Slavic 401k? ›

If you withdraw money from your 401(k) account before age 59 ½, you must pay a 10% early withdrawal penalty in addition to income tax on the distribution.

What is the rating of Slavic 401k? ›

Slavic401k has an overall rating of 3.1 out of 5, based on over 44 reviews left anonymously by employees.

Does Slavic 401k charge fees? ›

This is why the philosophy of Slavic 401(k) plan is to keep the internal costs of the funds as low as possible without sacrificing performance. We use no-load mutual funds, which do not have a sales charge.

How much does Slavic401k pay? ›

The average Slavic401k salary ranges from approximately $45,154 per year (estimate) for a Customer Service Representative to $252,842 per year (estimate) for a Director.

Who owns Slavic401k? ›

How many Americans are 401K millionaires? ›

The amount of retirement millionaires continues to grow, too: As of March 2024, the number of 401(k) accounts with balances of at least $1 million rose to 885,138, up nearly 12%, from year-end 2023, and nearly 30% year over year.

Is saving $1000 a month for retirement good? ›

One example is the $1,000/month rule. Created by Wes Moss, a Certified Financial Planner, this strategy helps individuals visualize how much savings they should have in retirement. According to Moss, you should plan to have $240,000 saved for every $1,000 of disposable income in retirement.

How can I turn $1000 into more money? ›

Here's how to invest $1,000 and start growing your money today.
  1. Buy an S&P 500 index fund. ...
  2. Buy partial shares in 5 stocks. ...
  3. Put it in an IRA. ...
  4. Get a match in your 401(k) ...
  5. Have a robo-advisor invest for you. ...
  6. Pay down your credit card or other loan. ...
  7. Go super safe with a high-yield savings account. ...
  8. Build up a passive business.
Apr 15, 2024

How to double 1k? ›

One of the easiest ways to double $1,000 is to invest it in a 401(k) and get the employer match. For example, if your employer matches your contributions dollar for dollar, you'll get a $1,000 match on your $1,000 contribution.

Is $1,500 a month enough to retire on? ›

While $1,500 might not be enough for non-housing retirement expenses for many people, it doesn't mean it's impossible to stick to this or other amounts, such as if you're already retired and don't have the ability to increase your budget.

How many years will $300 000 last in retirement? ›

If you have $300,000 and withdraw 4% per year, that number could last you roughly 25 years. Thats $12,000, which is not enough to live on its own unless you have additional income like Social Security and own your own place. Luckily, that $300,000 can go up if you invest it.

How much does Social Security pay if I make $80,000 a year? ›

Still, your starting Social Security benefit is higher. That's how the government encourages people to postpone starting their benefits. Here's the starting benefit for each of those same final annual incomes, if you wait until age 70: Final pay of $80,000: benefit of $2,433 monthly, $29,196 yearly.

Can you retire at 60 with $300 000? ›

If you've managed to save $300k successfully, there's a good chance you'll be able to retire comfortably, though you will have to make some compromises and consider your plans carefully if you want to make that your final figure.

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