How Much Money Do You Need to Save For Retirement?

Retirement is supposed to be all about rest and relaxation -- BUT you still need money to maintain a comfortable lifestyle, right?

So, how do you know if you’re on track?

Well, according to financial guru Alexa Von Tobel, you should start saving for retirement as soon as possible.

“The sooner you start saving, the less you’ll have to save in the future since time is on your side,” she explains.

HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU HAVE SAVED?

Alexa breaks it down here:

Recommended % of your salary saved for retirement
100% by 30
300% by 40
600% by 50

“A lot of you guys at home might not be there and you don’t have to panic,” she assures. “But figuring out what you’re spending now can serve as a good jumping-off point toward predicting what you may need for everyday expenses during your retirement."

She recommends tracking how much you spend for food, clothes, entertainment, dining, travel, every day for about two months, and then factoring in expenses like health care or long-term care -- which will probably go up as you get older.

One easy way to start saving small is by keeping inventory of recurring subscriptions that you may have forgotten you signed up for -- like streaming services or fashion and beauty subscription boxes -- and cancel any that you're no longer using!

(Because let's face it, those automatic credit card charges often go unnoticed!)

"It grows fast," Alexa says of seemingly small contributions.

“You can also try plugging numbers into a retirement calculator, or consider following the 85% replacement ratio,” she says.

"Whatever you're making by the time that you retire," Alexa explains, "you want that amount per year, times 85 percent."

In other words, your income in retirement should be at least 85% of your most recent salary.