See if you're on track for retirement at 40. Use our 2026 calculator to project your nest egg.
At 40, you still have 25 years until age 65 — enough time for compound interest to significantly grow your savings. The challenge is that you have fewer years to recover from market downturns or gaps in saving.
Retirement benchmarks suggest having 3× your salary saved by age 40. If you earn $80,000, a $240,000 balance puts you roughly on track. With catch-up contributions possible starting at 50 (an extra $7,500/year in 401(k)s), your 40s are the decade to accelerate savings.
Use the calculator above to see your projected balance. The most important levers at 40 are: monthly contribution amount and expected return. Increasing contributions by just $200/month can add $100,000+ to your final balance.
Fidelity's guideline: 3× your salary by age 40. For a $75,000 salary, that's $225,000. If you're behind, increasing your contribution rate is the most effective catch-up tool.
It's challenging but possible. You'd need to save aggressively — likely 25–35% of income — and keep expenses modest. Run the numbers in the calculator with a 15-year time horizon.
$23,500/year for those under 50. Catch-up contributions (an extra $7,500/year) begin at age 50, making your 50s a critical savings decade.