This is how much of your income should go toward investing, according to experts (2024)

One of the most common things people ask when they start planning for their future is: How much of my income should I be investing?

If this sounds familiar, kudos to you for looking ahead. Investing not only helps you build wealth, but it also secures a nest egg for when it's time to retire. While you don't need much these days to start investing, the key is that you regularly contribute beyond your initial deposit so that you have more money to grow over time.

But just how much of your income should go toward investing? The sweet spot, according to experts, seems to be 15% of your pretax income.

Matt Rogers, a CFP and director of financial planning at eMoney Advisor, refers to the 50/15/5 rule as a guideline for how much you should be continuously investing.

According to the rule, 50% of your take-home pay should be allocated to essential expenses (housing, food, health care, transportation, child care, debt repayment), 15% of pretax income (including employer contributions) gets invested for retirement and 5% of take-home pay is used for short-term savings (like an emergency fund). This leaves 30% of your income that can be used for discretionary expenses, like entertainment and dining out, or more savings.

The 15% rule assumes investors start early in their career. A good place to begin getting to 15% is by making sure you are contributing enough to meet any 401(k) employer match, if your company offers one.

"If young workers struggle to achieve the 15% goal immediately, it's important for them to save as much as possible and increase contributions by one or two points as they earn more income," Rogers tells Select. Many employers will automatically increase your contribution annually, so look to see if that is an option for you.

Individuals can see how their budget stacks up against the 50/15/5 guidelines by using Fidelity's online savings and spending tool.

Don't have access to a 401(k)?

Consider a tax-advantaged IRA that lets you save on your own for retirement. With a traditional IRA, you delay paying any taxes until you withdraw funds from your account later in retirement. With a Roth IRA, you pay taxes upfront by contributing after-tax dollars and later in retirement your withdrawals are tax-free (as long as your account has been open for at least five years).

Those who expect to be in a lower tax bracket when they retire should consider a traditional IRA, while Roth IRAs are better suited for those planning to have more income (and a higher tax rate) when they retire.

Some of the best IRAs and best Roth IRAs are those offered by Charles Schwab, Fidelity and Betterment. They each provide a variety of investment options and have educational resources or tools to help you invest for your future.

'Begin with the end in mind'

While 15% seems to be the benchmark of how much to invest, the reality is it really depends on your end goal.

"How big are your dreams?" says Alex Klingelhoeffer, CFP and wealth advisor at Exencial Wealth Advisors. "When you start a project — and investing is a long, long project — it's almost always helpful to begin with the end in mind."

Think about what matters to you and what you expect to get out of an investment. Picture what kind of retirement lifestyle you want: Do you want to downsize or buy another home?

"I have clients that have a general sense of when they might like to buy a retirement home," says Klingelhoeffer, who recommends a saving and investing rate of 10% to 20% (including any employer match). "I have others that seem to have every dollar for the next 20 years budgeted. Everyone has a different process, but starting with the end result can help you figure out how much you need to put towards a goal today."

As you think about why you're investing, consider a platform that can help you visualize your goals. For example, users of robo-advisor investment platforms like Betterment and Wealthfront can receive personalized savings plans that are calculated based on their indicated investment time horizon, risk tolerance and projected return of their recommended investment portfolio.

Wealthfront

  • Minimum deposit and balance

    Minimum deposit and balance requirements may vary depending on the investment vehicle selected. $500 minimum deposit for investment accounts

  • Fees

    Fees may vary depending on the investment vehicle selected. Zero account, transfer, trading or commission fees (fund ratios may apply). Wealthfront annual management advisory fee is 0.25% of your account balance

  • Bonus

    None

  • Investment vehicles

  • Investment options

    Stocks, bonds, ETFs and cash. Additional asset classes to your portfolio include real estate, natural resources and dividend stocks

  • Educational resources

    Offers free financial planning for college planning, retirement and homebuying

Terms apply.

Betterment

  • Minimum deposit and balance

    Minimum deposit and balance requirements may vary depending on the investment vehicle selected. For example, Betterment doesn't require clients to maintain a minimum investment account balance, but there is a ACH deposit minimum of $10. Premium Investing requires a $100,000 minimum balance.

  • Fees

    Fees may vary depending on the investment vehicle selected, account balances, etc. Click here for details.

  • Investment vehicles

  • Investment options

    Stocks, bonds, ETFs and cash

  • Educational resources

    Betterment offers retirement and other education materials

Terms apply. Does not apply to crypto asset portfolios.

Bottom line

The first step to investing is identifying your goals for the future. Next, making sure you're putting away 15% of your pretax income each paycheck; this is generally a good road map to follow and will help you stay on track for retirement.

Remember that investing is a marathon, not a sprint. If you can't afford to meet the 15% threshold today, try upping your investment contribution each year until you get there.

Read more

Here's how much money you should have saved to retire by age 67

What to do if your first job out of college doesn't offer a 401(k) plan

Here's how much money 25-year-olds need to invest every month to become a millionaire

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.

This is how much of your income should go toward investing, according to experts (2024)

FAQs

This is how much of your income should go toward investing, according to experts? ›

Generally, experts recommend investing around 10-20% of your income. But the more realistic answer might be whatever amount you can afford. If you're wondering, “how much should I be investing this year?”, the answer is to invest whatever amount you can afford!

How much of income should you invest? ›

Generally, experts recommend investing around 10-20% of your income. But the more realistic answer might be whatever amount you can afford. If you're wondering, “how much should I be investing this year?”, the answer is to invest whatever amount you can afford!

How much of your income do experts say you should save? ›

At least 20% of your income should go towards savings. Meanwhile, another 50% (maximum) should go toward necessities, while 30% goes toward discretionary items. This is called the 50/30/20 rule of thumb, and it provides a quick and easy way for you to budget your money.

What is the 70 20 10 budget rule? ›

By allocating 70% for what you need, 20% for what you want (either immediate luxuries or future savings goals), and 10% for your goals (like paying off debts and saving or investing in your future), you can work towards a greater sense of financial wellbeing.

What is the 60 20 20 rule? ›

Put 60% of your income towards your needs (including debts), 20% towards your wants, and 20% towards your savings. Once you've been able to pay down your debt, consider revising your budget to put that extra 10% towards savings.

Is 30% of your income enough to invest? ›

Ideally, you'll invest somewhere around 15%–25% of your post-tax income,” says Mark Henry, founder and CEO at Alloy Wealth Management. “If you need to start smaller and work your way up to that goal, that's fine.

Is $10,000 too little to invest? ›

$10,000 is a healthy chunk of cash and enough to give you cold feet when deciding how to invest it. Some of the best ways to invest $10,000 include funding a 401(k) or opening and funding an IRA or brokerage account. We'll help you walk through those options below.

What is the 70/20/10 rule in stocks? ›

Part one of the rule said that in the next 12 months, the return you got on a stock was 70% determined by what the U.S. stock market did, 20% was determined by how the industry group did and 10% was based on how undervalued and successful the individual company was.

What does the 70/20/10 rule mean? ›

According to the 70-20-10 rule, leaders learn and grow from 3 types of experience, following a ratio of: 70% challenging experiences and assignments. 20% developmental relationships. 10% coursework and training.

What is the 40 40 20 budget rule? ›

The 40/40/20 rule comes in during the saving phase of his wealth creation formula. Cardone says that from your gross income, 40% should be set aside for taxes, 40% should be saved, and you should live off of the remaining 20%.

What is the 60 20 20 rule in investing? ›

During times of inflation right now, I would apply the 60, 20, 20 rule, which means 60% goes towards our needs, 20% goes towards our wants. and a further 20% goes towards our savings.

What is the 80-10-10 rule? ›

When following the 10-10-80 rule, you take your income and divide it into three parts: 10% goes into your savings, and the other 10% is given away, either as charitable donations or to help others. The remaining 80% is yours to live on, and you can spend it on bills, groceries, Netflix subscriptions, etc.

What is the 50 20 30 rule? ›

The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings.

Is investing 40% of income good? ›

Cardone said that the 40/40/20 rule has a proven track record of success. “If you would save 40% of your gross revenue and use that to invest — not to live — I guarantee you'll create wealth for yourself,” Cardone told GOBankingRates.

What is the 70 30 rule in investing? ›

What Is a 70/30 Portfolio? A 70/30 portfolio is an investment portfolio where 70% of investment capital is allocated to stocks and 30% to fixed-income securities, primarily bonds.

What is the 70% rule investing? ›

Basically, the rule says real estate investors should pay no more than 70% of a property's after-repair value (ARV) minus the cost of the repairs necessary to renovate the home. The ARV of a property is the amount a home could sell for after flippers renovate it.

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