Here's How Much You'd Need to Put in Your Roth IRA to Save $1.46 Million in 35 Years

The average American's dream retirement nest egg isn't nearly as out of reach as it seems.

Apr 13, 2025 - 10:11

Here's How Much You'd Need to Put in Your Roth IRA to Save $1.46 Million in 35 Years

How much do you need to save for retirement? For most people, the initial answer is "As much as possible." While that knee-jerk response is suspiciously unspecific, it certainly makes sense. You arguably can't tuck away too much for retirement. The worst-case result of that is having more than you need, allowing you to give away any excess however you see fit.

For most ordinary investors, saving "too much" isn't going to be a problem. The worry is not saving enough.

One of the big keys to ensuring you're saving enough is setting a specific numeric goal, and then mathematically working your way backwards to a monthly investment that will allow you to reach that mark. Here's the number-crunching that will tell you how to amass a $1.46 million nest egg in a Roth IRA over the course of 35 years.