Couple, Both 40, Makes $260K A Year And Has $600K Saved For Retirement — Can They Really Retire At 60?

retired couple (Credit: Image via Shutterstock/ PeopleImages)

Casey B. Renner

Tue, September 22, 2026 at 3:00 PM GMT+3 8 min read

RDDT -2.37%

Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.

A couple hoping to retire at 60 has already built a sizable nest egg, but they don't want to wait until 65 or later to leave the workforce. With another 20 years to go, they're wondering whether they've saved enough to make that possible.

"Are we on track, borderline, missing anything?" they asked Reddit's r/personalfinance.

They've Built $600,000 By 40. Can They Really Reach $5 Million By 60?

The couple, both 40 years old with no children, have about $540,000 in their 401(k)s and another $60,000 in Roth IRAs. When the poster used several retirement calculators, they showed the couple with more than $5 million by age 60.

Don't Miss:

Warren Buffett once said, "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die." Here's how you can earn passive income with just $100.
AI Doesn't Run On Chips Alone. This Startup Is Building The Energy Storage Technology Behind The Power Demand.

Those projections assumed a 10% annual return minus 3% for inflation, leaving a 7% growth rate. A commenter questioned whether that return was realistic as the couple got closer to retirement.

"7% [real rate of return] might be a little high since you may want to get more conservative as you approach retirement," the commenter said.

Others weren't as confident in the $5 million projection. "Also kinda think the 5 mill goal is a little lofty," another person said. "If your goal is 5 mill- [I don't know] if you hit that unless you max out rest of career."

Maxing Out Their 401(k)s And IRAs Gives Them A Powerful Head Start

The couple wasn't always earning $260,000 a year. Their combined income was closer to $150,000 five years ago, and as it increased, they were able to save more aggressively. They now max out both 401(k)s and both Roth IRAs, putting away about $64,000 a year.

Their contributions go beyond that. After someone asked whether either spouse received an employer match, the original poster said his employer contributes 3%, while his wife's match is significantly higher.

The higher income also brought another concern. A commenter considered the couple to be in the high earners, not rich yet territory. "As long as you don't inflate your lifestyle up to your newish/higher income, you should be ok and will 'catch up' and be on track," the person said.

Trending: Juan Valdez Just Went From 55 Target Stores To More Than 300. What's Behind The Colombian Coffee Brand's Rapid U.S. Expansion?

The 3% Withdrawal Rule Could Change How Much They Need To Save

The OP figured a 3% annual withdrawal from $5 million would give them about $150,000 before Social Security. With that, he believed they could have more than $200,000 a year in retirement, still below the $260,000 they make today.

But someone pointed out that they are currently saving $64,000 a year for retirement, money they would no longer need to set aside once they stopped working.

"I don't know why I never thought of it that way," the OP said. "Just not having to save 64k per year changes our target income in retirement significantly!"

The OP expects the house to be paid off by then too, eliminating the roughly $36,000 they currently put toward the mortgage each year. "You need enough to comfortably cover expenses, not replace income," someone else wrote.

"64k a year to retirement and 36k a year to mortgage, that's 100k right there, and that's without taking into account gross vs net," the OP said.

Figuring out how their spending could change without a mortgage or retirement contributions is where AdviserMatch could connect them with a financial adviser to work through how much income they would actually need in retirement.

See Also: Texas Is Adding 440+ Data Centers. There's A Problem: They All Need Power. One Houston Developer Is Building New Natural Gas Plants To Meet That Demand.

Retiring At 60 Means Planning For More Than Just A Portfolio Balance

One commenter thought the couple was missing something just as important as how much their investments could grow. "Not a lot in the post about your projected expenses, which matter as much as your income/investments," the person wrote.

Another person was already seeing that play out in their own life. At 45, they said they had enough saved to retire, but their monthly expenses were still too high to stop working.

"In reality, the answer is always 'what do you intend to do in retirement?'" the commenter said, pointing to travel, moving, and paying someone else to handle lawn or home maintenance.

Healthcare was another part of retirement they couldn't fully account for yet.

"Honestly, who knows where [Social Security] or Healthcare will stand in 20 years, so just trying to control what we can and max our retirement accounts," the OP said. "Retiring at 60 is the goal, but if things change we'll have to readjust."

Read Next: Marvel. Star Wars. Pokémon. See Why Investors Are Paying Attention To The Next Big IP Company.

Building Wealth Across More Than Just The Market

Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That's why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn't tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry.

Arrived

Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors canbuy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly.

Realberry

For accredited investors looking beyond traditional stocks and bonds,Realberry provides access to institutional-quality real estate investments, including a preferred equity opportunity in the 297-room Hyatt Place Boston Seaport. The firm has invested across multiple property types and markets, with 13 million square feet of real estate across seven U.S. states and $481 million in cumulative distributions paid to investors as of Q4 2025.

Skybound Entertainment

Entertainment franchises can become valuable long-term assets when they successfully expand across multiple platforms.Skybound Entertainment, the company behind The Walking Dead and Invincible, develops original intellectual property that spans comics, television, film, video games, merchandise, and licensing. With more than 250 IPs in its portfolio and a strategy focused on retaining franchise rights while scaling successful stories across media, Skybound offers investors exposure to the growing entertainment and creator economy through a private company rather than traditional public market investments.

Green Coffee Company

Coffee is a daily staple for millions of consumers, but investors rarely get direct exposure to the brands and supply chains behind it. Green Coffee Company offers a way to participate in the growth of the coffee market through its exclusive U.S. and Canadian distribution rights for Colombian brand Juan Valdez. With the brand expanding across major retailers including Target, Walgreens and Kroger, and GCC reporting 26X revenue growth over four years, the company is positioning itself to bring a well-known Colombian coffee brand to more consumers across North America.

American PowerGen

As artificial intelligence drives a surge in electricity demand, reliable power generation is becoming a critical part of the technology ecosystem.American PowerGen is developing natural gas-fired power plants in Texas, a fast-growing market fueled by AI data centers, manufacturing expansion, and population growth. By advancing projects through permitting, fuel supply, and grid interconnection, the company is positioning itself to help meet rising energy needs while offering investors exposure to the infrastructure supporting the next wave of AI and industrial growth.

Qnetic

As electricity demand rises alongside AI, data centers, and renewable energy, long-duration energy storage is becoming increasingly important.Qnetic is developing a kinetic energy storage system designed to provide long-lasting, chemical-free electricity storage , offering investors exposure to the infrastructure supporting a more resilient and reliable power grid.

EquityMultiple

For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000, with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process.

FarmTogether

Farmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds. For accredited investors,FarmTogether offers direct access to high-quality U.S. farmland starting at $15,000 — fully managed, with no landlord headaches.

Fundrise

Private real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio.Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth.

This article Couple, Both 40, Makes $260K A Year And Has $600K Saved For Retirement — Can They Really Retire At 60? originally appeared on Benzinga.com