If you're a millennial, you need to start saving more right now

[NelsonG]

Millennials’ already stretched finances could face a new stress: slower growth of the U.S. economy. Compared with their parents, today’s younger workers may need to save more of their income for retirement, according to a new NerdWallet report.

A number of analysts predict that the continuing pattern of slower growth that has taken hold since the Great Recession could cause stock market returns to fall from 7%, the annual average since about 1950, to a possible 5% in the decades to come. And that could hurt investors saving for retirement.

The new goal for retirement

The difference of two percentage points in broad stock market returns has big implications for younger adults who are just starting to save for retirement and also for those who’ve been investing for about a decade. NerdWallet’s analysis shows that millennials, who could earn a 5% return over the bulk of their investing lifetimes, may be required to save 22% of their annual income to make up the gap. Many retirement experts currently recommend saving 15% of annual income. Read more...

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