Resource · Retirement Income

Wealth-Building Rules of Thumb

Savings rates, emergency-fund sizing, debt rules, and the milestones that keep a plan on track.

Rules of thumb are useful approximations, not promises. This guide shares the nine numbers we use to check a plan and decide which questions are worth asking.

What’s inside

Budget and savings

A simple way to divide after-tax income, and a savings rate to aim for.

Retirement targets

A rough way to size a retirement portfolio, and a starting point for a sustainable withdrawal rate.

Growth and allocation

The Rule of 72 for estimating how fast money doubles, and a starting point for stock exposure by age.

Cash and housing

Emergency fund guidelines, limits for housing and debt payments, and planning for home upkeep.

Use them to ask better questions

Download the guide and compare the rules with your own numbers. When a rule of thumb and your plan disagree, your plan comes first, and we can talk through why.

Download the guide

This content is for informational purposes only and is not individualized advice.

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