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So you want to save $500,000 for retirement. What does it take to get there?
New retirement spending guidelines from Massey University this week have provided updated information about what retirees are spending for a “no frills” and “choices”lifestyle in metropolitan and provincial parts of New Zealand.
The university estimated that, for a “choices” life in a city, a one-person household would need to have saved $271,000. In a provincial centre, they would need to have saved $252,000.
For a two-person household, each person would need to have saved $571,000 in a city, and $223,000 in a provincial area.
Here’s how you might be able to save those amounts.
So you want to save $500,000 for retirement. What does it take to get there? Photo / NZME
40 years to save $500,000
If you’re 25 and don’t think you will withdraw the money until you’re 65, you have time on your side.
To save $500,000, you would need to put aside $142 a week. That is assuming you can get a return of 5% a year, which is probably a bit light given that with this time horizon you can afford to take a bit more risk and generate more returns.
If you could get a return of 8% a year you would only need to save $70 a week.
If you’re earning $60,000, you could probably get to this goal in a balanced KiwiSaver fund if you contribute about 8% and have your employer putting in 3%. This assumes quite a low return from the balanced fund.
If you took a bit more risk with your investment and switched to a growth fund, you would get near $500,000 on a 6% contribution.
Someone earning $100,000 could contribute 5% to a balanced fund, even with a relatively low return, and hit the target.
30 years to save $500,000
You would need to save $218 a week for 30 years with a return of 5% to get to your goal of $500,000. If you take a bit more risk and get better returns, you could put aside $132 at 8% returns.
Someone earning $80,000 and starting from zero in their KiwiSaver account would need to contribute 10% plus their employer’s 3% to get there.
20 years to save $500,000
With a 5% return, you would need to put aside $374 a week.
10 years to save $500,000
You would need to put aside $850 a week to get to $500,000 with a 5% return.
Kirstien Taylor, a KiwiSaver adviser at Generate, says a lot of factors could affect someone’s final balance.
“We do know that the earlier you start, the better off you will be. And fund choice is paramount - being in an aggressive fund instead of a balanced fund, for example, can make a huge difference.”
She says many calculators assume that returns would be 3.5% a year in a balanced fund and 5.5% in an aggressive fund. That is based on government guidelines, which are lower than many funds' recent performance.
Morningstar data shows that over 10 years, balanced funds have returned an average 6.7% a year and aggressive funds 9.1%.
If you are aiming for a lower total, you won’t have to contribute as much.
40 years to save $250,000
You would only need to put aside $71 a week with a return of 5% to get to $250,000 if you had 40 years to do so. With a return of 8%, you could save $35 a week and get there.
If you’re earning $60,000 a year and contributing 3% of your income, plus 3% from your employer, you would almost get to $250,000 over 40 years.
30 years to save $250,000
You’d need to put aside $109 a week with a return of 5%.
If you earn $80,000 and start in KiwiSaver contributing 3% plus 3% from your employer, you would get to just over $200,000 in 30 years.
20 years to save $250,000
You would need to save $187 a week at 5%, or $136 with a return of 8%.
If you are just starting out in KiwiSaver and earning $100,000, you could get to your goal with an 8% contribution plus 3% from your employer.
10 years to save $250,000
You would need to save $425 a week with a 5% return.
Someone earning $120,000, contributing to KiwiSaver at 10% plus 3% from their employer would come close to $190,000 in a balanced fund in 10 years.
Generate adviser Stephanie Whittaker notes that someone saving $51 a week between 25 and 65 in a balanced fund can expect to save $183,000 – the sum required for a no-frills metro life for one person. But if they are in a growth fund, it would drop to $38 per week, or $27,040 less that needs to be saved over 40 years.
For a two-person household living a choices life in a provincial area, requiring a lump sum of $446,000, they would need to put aside $135 per week from age 25 to 65 in a balanced KiwiSaver fund.
“Whereas if you were simply in a growth fund from the start, you’d only need to set aside $104 per week – for the same result. That’s $31 per week less – or $64,480 over 40 years.
“Getting the right advice from the start can make a significant difference,” Whittaker says.
“We know that many Kiwis are concerned about the cost of living and being able to set enough money aside for their retirement. These figures should give them some comfort that they don’t necessarily need to put in more money, they just need their money to work smarter and harder for them.
“On the other hand, if they are able to set aside the larger amount shown in the table, if they’re investing in a growth fund they can look forward to an even bigger nest egg at retirement – potentially taking them from the ‘no frills’ lifestyle to the ‘choices’ one.”
