Median Net Worth

From Freemoney Finance, we note the median net worth as well as the net worth for the top 25% and top 10% of people in the U.S. for various age categories:

Age 20-29 Median Net Worth: $7,900 Top 25%: $36,000 Top 10%: $119,300
Age 30-39 Median Net Worth: $44,200 Top 25%: $128,100 Top 10%: $317,800
Age 40-49 Median Net Worth: $117,800 Top 25%: $338,100 Top 10%: $719,800
Age 50-59 Median Net Worth: $182,300 Top 25%: $563,800 Top 10%: $1,187,600
Age 60-69 Median Net Worth: $209,200 Top 25%: $647,200 Top 10%: $1,429,500
Source: Federal Reserve Board's 2004 Survey of Consumer Finances

This doesn't say much for people's commitment to saving. Let's say you started saving at age 20 and you put your savings into a small-cap index fund that returned 11% per year (this has been very achievable). To have the Median Age 59 Net Worth of $182,300 would require a monthly savings of a little over $23, or a dollar and a dime a day for each work day. You get more than that in change each day. A related rule-of-thumb is that saving $100 each month in a small-cap (preferably value) fund over a 40 year career is usually enough to put you close to a million dollars.