I did some thinking today about what I'll to have saved before I retire. Part of that equation is life expectancy. The on-line tool I used calculated my life expectancy at 84 years. Don't ask me what site I used. I just googled "life expectancy calculator" and used one that looked good.

The 84 years result sounded OK. My maternal grandfather lived to 71, maternal grandmother, 79 and both paternal grandparents lived until they were 89. Actually Grandma was within a week of her 90th birthday. So, good genes on Dad's side and not as good on Mom's. Actually, it was probably lifestyle choices as much as anything, and I'm probably a blend of both.

I'm still not sure what I'll need to have saved to retire. It's still 20+ years away. I've heard 25 times salary. If I figure modest pay raises, that comes to about $1.9 million. Not sure that's going to happen. I've also heard that you'll need funds enough to cover 70-80% of your pre-retirement income. But, I'm not sure what kind of withdrawal that figures.

Like I said, I'm still looking at a horizon of 20+ years, so this is something to consider, but not obsess over. For now, I'll concentrate on reducing then eliminating debt.