Putting away $4 million for retirement is a great accomplishment, and such an amount has the potential to provide significant interest. Predicting how much interest your nest egg earns will help you decide if it’s enough to support your lifestyle. But the interest earned will vary depending on the type of investments you choose. Here are a few common investments to give you an idea of the amount of interest you can earn on $4 million. For more specific questions related to your own financial goals, consider speaking to a financial advisor.
Annual Interest On $4 Million, By Investment Type
Where you choose to keep and invest your money will determine the amount of interest you earn. For example, if you choose a high-yield savings account that earns a modest interest rate, you can expect to earn a modest return in comparison to higher-risk investments like stocks. However, choosing a lower-risk investment may not yield a substantial return, but you may not have to worry about losing as much of your investment when the market doesn’t perform.
Here is a general gauge of you can earn on $4 million for each type of popular investment:
High-Yield Savings Account
Typically, high-yield savings accounts earn around 0.80%, which is a drastic increase from a traditional savings account that averages 0.06%. So, if you choose a high-yield savings account, you could earn about $32,000 per year. If you opt for a traditional savings account, you could earn $10,000 per year. It’s even possible to earn 1.25% at some banks. You can usually open this type of account online or in person, depending on which financial institution you choose to use.
Certificate Deposits
Another option that usually offers a higher interest rate than a savings account is a certificate of deposit. However, unlike a saving account, you usually have to keep your money in the account for a certain amount of time, which you can choose when you open the account. Terms usually range from 30 days to a few years.
The national average interest on CDs is 0.26%. However, some offer interest rates that go up to 2.25% if you invest the money for a longer period of time. So, if you choose to invest in a CD for five or more years, you can expect to earn about $90,000 or more annually.
Bonds
In the investing world, investors consider bonds to be a low-risk investment. This means that when there is a lot of market turbulence, bonds seem to stay even keel as long as you work with a reputable issuer. If you don’t work with a reputable issuer, the bonds may carry more risk.
Interest rates for bonds usually range between 2% and 5% annually. So, with $4 million you could earn between $80,000 and $200,000 per year.
Real Estate
When it comes to investing in real estate, you have many options, such as investing in rental properties or real estate investment trusts (REITs). Therefore, the interest you receive can drastically vary depending on the investment you choose. REITs, for example, produce between 3% and 10% interest annually. Thus, you could earn between $120,000 and $400,000.
Stocks
Investors are offered a new stream of income with dividend stocks. Along with the new income, the underlying stock value can increase as well. You can expect to earn between 2% to 5% in dividends each year. So, if you have a $4 million portfolio, you would earn between $80,000 and $200,000 each year.
Factors That Can Impact Retirement Income
There are many factors that affect your retirement income. The amount of money you have set aside to invest is only one. Another large factor that can negatively impact your total income is the amount in fees you’ll have to pay. Some other important factors to remember are:
- Investment mix: Your investment mix or the diversification of your portfolio will drastically influence the rate of return you receive every year. As stated above, you can see that all investments come with a different level of risk. Therefore, if you invest all of your pennies into a high-risk asset alone, you risk losing it all if there’s a market downturn. On the other hand, if you put money in several different asset classes, you can mitigate your losses since all investments don’t react the same to market conditions.
- Inflation: Unfortunately, inflation impacts your buying power. So, as inflation increases, your nest egg will become less valuable.
- Taxes: Uncle Sam also wants a piece of your nest egg. While paying some taxes is inevitable, you can reduce your tax burden by working with a tax professional and a financial advisor. Both professionals can help you mitigate your taxation so you can keep more of your savings to yourself.
Sustainable Withdrawal Rate
Once you reach retirement, you will need to pinpoint a sustainable withdrawal rate. A withdrawal rate is the portion of your savings you take out every year to maintain your lifestyle during your golden years without drastically chipping away at your investments. Professionals usually recommend a withdrawal rate between 4% and 5%. So, if you have a $4 million portfolio withdrawing 4% per year would give you about $160,000 per year to live off of. Of course, this figure doesn’t account for taxes or inflation rates.
When determining a sustainable withdrawal rate, it’s also wise to look at other factors such as:
- Time horizon
- Market conditions
- Investment mix
- Taxes
- Management fees
Keep in mind that you may need to adjust your withdrawal rate as you navigate retirement. What worked in the past may not work in the future. You must make adjustments accordingly. A financial advisor can help you assess your needs and identify a suitable withdrawal rate that will not exhaust your retirement savings.
The Takeaway
The amount of interest you earn on $4 million will depend on the type of investments in your portfolio. Whether you’re investing in real estate, CDs, bonds or other avenues, weighing out the pros and cons of each investment choice is crucial. While the amount of interest investments earn is an important consideration, you need to account for other aspects of your investment decision such as risk exposure.
Tips For Retirement Planning
- The best way to determine how much you can earn in retirement is to probably speak to an expert who can help navigate your personal financial situation with you. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
- It’s important to evaluate your risk tolerance because not all investments are created with equal risk. Weigh out your risk tolerance with SmartAsset’s free asset allocation calculator.
- Projecting your savings growth is important because the money you save will earn interest. When compounded over time, those interest savings can add up quickly. See how far your savings will grow with SmartAsset’s free savings calculator.
Photo credit: ©iStock.com/ijeab, ©iStock.com/Peopleimages, ©iStock.com/fizkes