I find it to be true.Very informative post! With compound interest on my side this will allow me to retire much younger than anticipated.Sam – Is this total net worth (i.e., includes home equity) or liquid net worth? Based on the ratio above, and using real returns of 6%, after n years of work you should worth x your income.Note that the multiple is inflation adjusted so you can use the multiple on your current income. At the end of the day, people can quibble about an accounting line item until they turn blue, but there’s a prayer of a discount rate in that model that has much larger implications. Pension, a small pension…maybe enough to pay for 1/2 of annual health insurance premiums for my wife and I. I think another good article for those that are in or seeking Financial Independence is what are the options and costs for protecting your health without breaking the bank and eating through all of your cash. However, their net worth is tied up in house, chattel and other non income producing assets. And also note that returns varies from year, but in the long run it is 6%, so dont get too hung up when when your worth doesnt match exactly with the multiple.Hi S: When you say net worth, does that include the equity we have in the home that we live in? Using this table as a literal guide is missing the point – the larger concern is that we readers hold the power to respond to changes and update benchmarks along the way. But, after living together for around five years, he divorced his wife in 1968. But it’s always better to end up with too much money, than too little since there is no rewind button in life.In the beginning, it’s difficult to get started due to growing student loan debt, wage stagnation, and increased competition for good paying jobs due to globalization. Large gorgeous house (bought long ago in SF Bay Area) in wonderful area is conservatively worth 500k, could be as much as 650k+ with cosmetic improvements in current market (though no intention to ever move). I dont believe this is bcs of my spending habits but bcs i started making good money late in my carreer.You can shift your comparison to the Years Worked column as well.My chart is based on my knowledge that once I got to 20x average gross income for net worth, there were practically no more financial worries anymore.Hi Sam, the targets are great goals to attain, another perspective would be to also look at the targets as net worth increases with respective years of work. Our taxes are overall considerably higher making saving much more difficult particularly above $200K (but true throughout the spectrum). Anyway taking either Zillow or Trulias number I would be considered a millionaire. I expect that I’ll actually need much less income in retirement than I do now. As a result, I’ve made it easy for everybody to remember what multiple of their average gross income for the past three years to shoot for.Age 60 or whenever you want to leave your job: 20X your average gross incomeWhen I left work in 2012 at the age of 34, my net worth equaled roughly 15X my average income over the last three years. A more interesting table is the same columns but the factors and values are such that you would be comfortable at any age to retire. She serves on the Wells Fargo Operating Committee and is based in Charlotte. At 29 that is pretty depressing. If you can find a way to live comfortably off $150,000 a year, or 25% less, then you’re spot on target at 15. So, puts and takes for sure that we Canucks need to related to. The risk, showing numbers that are too aggressive, is losing a lot of good readership. Being out of the industry for a year puts you well behind as technology changes constantly. My net worth is closer to a 35 year old in your chart. The average salary of Meteorologist in America is $62,231 per year and she generates more than this sum. At 16 I opened up a Roth IRA with my Etrade broker and begun contributing. To the Canadians on the forum, you definitely need to make appropriate adjustments in your thinking while considering the wealth targets. New families may have childcare costs.