Savings & retirement

How much you'll have, and what quietly eats it.

2026 401(k) limit $24,500 +$8,000 at 50 or older

A year-by-year projection. The return is an assumption, not a promise.

Your age

Salary

You put in of pay

More options

Retire at

Saved so far

Employer matches

… of the first % of pay

Yearly return

Yearly fees

Inflation long run

Yearly raises

4 things to know

Not getting the full employer match$192,231
InsteadThat is what half the match grows to by 67 here. Put in at least enough to get the whole match.
Cashing out when you change jobs$6,400 on $20k
InsteadIncome tax plus a 10% penalty before 59½. Do a direct rollover to the new plan or an IRA instead.
Paying 1% fees instead of 0.5%$137,892
InsteadCheck each fund's expense ratio. Broad index funds often charge under 0.10%.
Planning in future dollars−60%
Instead$1,254,932 at 67 buys what $503,312 buys today. Judge every projection in today's dollars.
Leaving long-term money in cash−2.9%/yr
InsteadThat is the average savings account after inflation. Keep an emergency fund there; invest money meant for decades.

Every number, worked out

A 30-year-old earning $60,000 with $10,000 saved, putting in 6% with a typical match. The 7% return is an assumption, not a forecast.

Worked retirement example
The saver
1	Age today, retiring at		30 → 67
2	Salary, rising 3% a year		60,000.00
3	You contribute 6% of pay	Line 2 × 6%, first year	3,600.00
4	Employer adds 50% of the first 6%	Line 2 × 3%, first year	1,800.00
5	Yearly return of 7% (assumed), less 0.50% fees	(1 + 7%) × (1 − 0.50%) − 1	6.47%
After 37 years
6	Your contributions		238,227.20
7	Employer match		119,113.60
8	Growth	Line 9 − lines 6, 7 and the starting $10,000	887,590.82
9	Balance at 67		1,254,931.62
10	In today's dollars, at 2.5% inflation	Line 9 ÷ 1.025³⁷	503,311.72
11	Monthly income at a 3.9% withdrawalIn today's dollars, before Social Security (Morningstar, 2025)	Line 10 × 3.9% ÷ 12	1,635.76
Two small changes
12	Contribute 3% instead of 6%The employer then adds only 1.5% of pay		678,237.75
13	Cost of the lower contribution	Line 9 − line 12	576,693.87
14	Of which, free match money given upThe missing match plus everything it would have grown into		192,231.29
15	Pay 1% fees instead of 0.50%		1,117,039.62
16	Cost of the extra half-percent	Line 9 − line 15	137,892.00

2026 account limits

Account	Tax break	2026 limit	Worth knowing
401(k), traditional	Pre-tax now, taxed when withdrawn	$24,500	+$8,000 at 50 or older; +$11,250 at 60 to 63. Employer match on top.
401(k), Roth	Taxed now, tax-free later	same limit, shared	Good when your tax rate is low today.
IRA / Roth IRA	Like the 401(k) versions	$7,500	+$1,100 at 50. Roth IRA phases out between $153,000 and $168,000 single.
HSA	Tax-free in, while growing, and out for care	$4,400	$8,750 family; needs an HSA-eligible plan.

Sources (7)

Internal Revenue Service: Notice 2025-67: 2026 limits for 401(k), IRA and other retirement plans (Nov 13, 2025)
Internal Revenue Service: Revenue Procedure 2025-19: 2026 HSA and HDHP limits (May 1, 2025)
Vanguard: How America Saves 2026: 86% participation, 7.6% average deferral, 4.7% average employer match (Jun 2026)
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: Investor Bulletin: How fees and expenses affect your investment portfolio
Morningstar: The State of Retirement Income 2025: 3.9% starting safe withdrawal rate (Dec 2025)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Price Index (via FRED CPIAUCSL); October 2025 was not collected during the federal shutdown
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation: National rates and rate caps (national savings average, via FRED SNDR)