90k typically doesn’t include benefits (often ranging from $10k - $25k a year, 401k marching, etc.) Typical income loss to taxes is around 20% as well (effecti

90k typically doesn’t include benefits (often ranging from $10k - $25k a year, 401k marching, etc.) Typical income loss to taxes is around 20% as well (effective tax rate). So if you graduate at 23 years and average around $90k that gives you ~8 years of saving (31 years old) and at $30k savings a year (expenses around $2k/month), plus the growth of investments, it’s reasonable to assume that they can save $500k. Again it really depends. However, I know people who started right around $100k at 22 and are now late 20’s who had that much saved. The trick is to be frugal, which many people are not. Also id argue $90k in Chicago goes a lot further than $150k in the bay (having lived in both). It’s actually easier to save and live frugal elsewhere.