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When it comes to retirement savings, surveys often point to a big magic number you will need to have set aside to live well.
Yet retirement experts say to focus on another number — your personal savings rate — to make sure you achieve your retirement savings goals.
“Early in the year is an ideal time to reassess your retirement contributions and overall savings strategy because you can take advantage of any employer matches, adjust your monthly budget accordingly and stay ahead of potential market shifts,” said Douglas Boneparth, a certified financial planner and president and founder of Bone Fide Wealth, a wealth management firm based in New York City.
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What’s more, increasing your retirement savings now gives your money more time to compound — earning interest on both your contributions and previously earned interest. That can “significantly impact your nest egg over the long term,” said Boneparth, who is also a member of the CNBC FA Council.
Boost your 401(k) deferral rate
If you have a 401(k) plan through your employer, now is a great time to look at your contribution rate, according to Mike Shamrell, vice president of thought leadership at Fidelity.
Most importantly, see how your savings rate corresponds to what your employer offers in terms of a company match, he said.
“It’s the closest thing a lot of people get to free money,” Shamrell said.
Oftentimes, companies have a match formula. If you’re not clear on how much you need to contribute to get the full match, contact your human resources department or 401(k) provider, Shamrell said.
Fidelity recommends saving at least 15% of your pre-tax income annually, including your contributions and money from your employer.
If you’re not quite there — or you want to save even more — even just a 1% increase in your deferral rate can make a big difference to your retirement savings over time, Shamrell said.
“It may not have the significant impact on your take-home pay that you that you may be envisioning,” Shamrell said.
Fund your IRA for 2025 — and 2024
Retirement savers also have a window of opportunity to fund individual retirement accounts for both this year and last year.
To count for 2024, contributions can be made up to April 15. (You must designate the deposit for tax year 2024.) For that year, individuals can contribute $7,000, or $8,000 if they are age 50 and over.
Savers may be able to deduct those IRA contributions, depending on their income.
Revisit your investment allocations
In 2024, the average 401(k) balance grew about 11%, thanks to soaring stock markets, according to Shamrell.
Heading into the rest of 2025, now is a great time to revisit your personal asset allocations.
“Make sure your allocation didn’t drift too far into equities and that you don’t have more exposure to equities than you might realize,” Shamrell said.
If you’re worried about picking the wrong investment, you can instead opt for target date, asset allocation or balanced funds, which help decide how your funds are allotted for you, according to Marguerita Cheng, a certified financial planner and CEO of Blue Ocean Global Wealth in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Also be sure to consider to your risk capacity — the amount of risk you can afford — as well as risk tolerance — the amount of risk you’re willing to take, said Cheng, who is also a member of the CNBC FA Council.
Identifying those personal limits ahead of time can help you stay the course during market turbulence, she said. Investors who bail during the market’s worst days may miss the best days, which often closely follow, research finds.
If you’ve had any major recent life events — gotten married, bought a house or had a baby, for example — you may also want to check that your allocations still correspond to your long-term plans, Shamrell said.
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