5 Ways You Can Save $500,000 in 15 Years

Advertising Disclosure: When you buy something by clicking links on our site, we may earn a small commission, but it never affects the products or services we recommend.

Happy couple at home
Inside Creative House / Shutterstock.com

Many Americans are lagging far behind in the race to build a decent nest egg for retirement. Around 42% of Americans have less than $10,000 saved for their golden years, according to a recent GOBankingRates study.

However, being so far behind in savings does not doom you to poverty. Even if you are relatively far along in your work life — maybe you’re 55, or even 60 — all is not lost. It still is possible to save $500,000 between now and the age of 70 or 75.

Let’s say that one Christmas, you decide to treat yourself in the new year by putting money into a retirement account monthly starting the following January. At this point, you have nothing saved for retirement, so you are starting from scratch.

According to a federal government online calculator, this is how much you must squirrel away to reach your goal of $500,000 over 15 years based on various rates of return for your investments:

Annual rate of return Annual amount to save Total amount saved
5% $23,500 $507,009.93
8% $18,000 $502,096.89
10% $16,000 $508,232.62
12% $13,500 $503,276.15
15% $11,000 $523,003.88

Without a doubt, amassing that $500,000 in such a short time frame is going to be a challenge. Although the S&P 500 has averaged an annual return of around 10% historically, there are no guarantees the market will continue to rack up such large gains.

In truth, you cannot control market return. On the other hand, you have much greater power over how much you spend and save.

Get started on your retirement nest egg

If you are just starting to invest for retirement, take the advice of Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson. He urges you to skip those online retirement calculators and to avoid overthinking your savings plan. Instead, simply save and invest as much as you reasonably can:

“At the end of the day, the amount we should all put aside for retirement is the most we can. You don’t need a calculator to tell you that’s the sole determinant of the quality of retirement you’ll have and when it will begin.”

Of course, changing your saving habits will take time. Just as you can’t go from a couch potato to a marathoner in a few weeks, you need to gradually transition to your new, more financially responsible lifestyle.

Last year, we outlined several ways that you can slowly add fuel to your savings strategy. The lessons are just as good in 2021. One of these methods is known as the “52-week savings challenge.”

“The idea is simple: Each week, save an amount of money based on the week of the year. So, the first week of the year, you put $1 aside; the second week, it’s $2; and the last week of the year, you save $52.”

Obviously, you’ll need to supercharge this strategy if you hope to reach your goal in 15 years. But any step in the right direction is a good one. As the well-worn axiom goes, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

If you are getting a late start, check out “Ask Stacy: How Do I Invest for Retirement Without Risk?” In this video, Stacy offers tips to investors in their 60s who are trying to build a nest egg while earning “decent returns without indecent risk.”

For more retirement savings tips, check out:

Finally, consider enrolling in one — or both — of two Money Talks News’ courses taught by Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson.

The first — The Only Retirement Guide You'll Ever Need is a 14-week boot camp intended for those who are 45 or older. It can teach you everything from Social Security secrets to how to time your retirement.

The second — Money Made Simple — is another 14-week course that teaches you the money basics. Topics covered include everything you need to know about:

  • Budgeting
  • Banking
  • Credit
  • Taxes
  • Insurance
  • Investing
  • Taxes
  • Real estate
  • Estate planning

After finishing the course, you will be ready to manage money efficiently while spending less time to get the results you want.

Get smarter with your money!

Want the best money-news and tips to help you make more and spend less? Then sign up for the free Money Talks Newsletter to receive daily updates of personal finance news and advice, delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for our free newsletter today.