50% of Americans Believe This Myth About Retirement – And It’s Ruining Lives

Fifty percent of Americans believe saving $1 million will be enough to retire on, but experts are suggesting differently.

According to Mark Avallone, president of Potomac Wealth Advisors and author of Countdown to Financial Freedom, the lack of successful retirements in the US is primarily due to Americans’ lack of proper investment income and planning. However, some external factors make it difficult to successfully retire as well.

Unavoidable factors affecting everyone, including inflation, the pension crisis, and increasing life expectancy combine to create “a toxic formula for successful retirement,” Avallone told CNBC. This combination of factors creates a major plummet in lifestyle for retirees.

Planning for retirement is stressful for almost everyone. According to the survey, only 32 percent of Americans believe they will have saved enough money to live comfortably when it comes time to retire, based on their desired retirement age and current savings.

And men are more likely to be comfortable saving for retirement. Thirty-five percent of men in the survey claim they expect to hit at least $1 million in retirement savings, compared to only 20 percent of women.

So, how do you prepare to accumulate a comfortable, over $1 million nest egg that may seem far-fetched? Most experts say the same thing: plan.

You can never over plan for your retirement. NerdWallet recommends using a retirement calculator to set a personal goal and get financial suggestions on how to reach it.

According to Avallone, there are only two ways to properly ensure you are prepared for retirement: save more and spend less.