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Earning six-figures by the time you’re 35 may not be realistic for a lot of folks, but that’s the age Americans think it should happen, according to new research from Empower.

The retirement services provider asked 1,000 U.S. adults about the ideal age to hit some of life’s major financial milestones and it turns out, people are pretty ambitious.

While the survey finds that 83% say there’s no set age to achieve these money milestones, nearly half (45%) admit they wish they’d started saving sooner.
A third (34%) say they wish they’d delayed key moments in life to be more financially secure.
A quarter realize they underestimated the costs of major life events and nearly a quarter feel behind in reaching money milestones.

The ages Americans think you should be for these money milestones:

Start saving for retirement - Age 27. But retirement planners say if you start any time in your 20s, you’re doing great and research shows that younger people are saving early. Research shows the typical Gen Z worker started saving at 20, compared to millennials who started at 26, Gen X at 30, and boomers at 35, on average.
To land your dream job - Age 29. The thing is, the average American changes jobs a dozen times between the time they’re 18 and 56, according to a Labor Department report. So most of us haven’t found a dream job by 29, or we wouldn’t leave it.
To buy your first home - Age 30. Home prices have spiked since 2020 and mortgage rates are high as well, so homes are less affordable. In 2024, the average first-time homebuyer was 38, the oldest the National Association of Realtors has ever recorded.
To earn six figures - Age 35. A lot of Americans will never make a six-figure income. The average full-time worker in the U.S. made about $12-hundred a week in the second quarter of 2025, or about $62,500 a year, federal data shows.
To become debt-free - Age 41. There are different kinds of debt and not all are bad, like a mortgage, which can work like a huge piggy bank that gets more valuable with every payment.
To retire - Age 58. Retirement experts agree that’s a little early, but if you have millions saved, why not?

USA Today⠀

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Bob Delmont