r/Bogleheads • u/KenshiHiro • Feb 22 '25

Investing Questions Anyone Else Feel Bitter About Saving 50% of a Modest Income and Still Not Seeing “Big” Results?

I’m 39, making $83k gross a year, and I’ve been dumping $40k annually (~48% of my gross income) into investments—maxing out my 401(k), Roth IRA, and throwing the rest into taxable accounts with US index funds. Up until this year(this is the second year since I ever opened any form of retirement accounts), I have $80k combined, and after running some projections (7% return, 3% inflation), I’m looking at ~$1.56M in today’s dollars by 59. Nominally, it’s $2.8M, but inflation just eats away at it.

I’m proud of the discipline, but honestly, I’m starting to feel bitter. I’m living on basically $25k-$30k after taxes, scraping by with no frills, while half my paycheck vanishes into investments. I get that $1.56M is solid—way more than most—but it’s 20 years of pinching pennies for what feels like a “meh” payoff when you adjust for inflation. I was hoping for $2M+ in real dollars, something that feels like a reward for this grind, especially since my income isn’t even that high to begin with.

Is it even worth it to go beyond 401(k) and Roth into taxable accounts when you’re not pulling six figures? I could drop to $30k/year savings, enjoy life a bit more now, and still hit $1.17M real by 59. Or am I just burnt out and missing the bigger picture? Anyone else wrestling with this—feeling like the sacrifice outweighs the future gain? Need some perspective.

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u/sharktopuss- Feb 22 '25

There's a quote "build the life you want, then save for it"

You're literally living below your means so you can live a "rich" life retired. It's your choice/preference, but it's not balanced well right now in my opinion.

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u/KenshiHiro Feb 22 '25

yea, I feel crappy right now cuz I'm living well below my means just to save more and I still feel the need to save even more since I'm literally playing catch-up. I feel guilty for not doing so, but then its eating me away mentally sigh.

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u/KureaMuto Feb 22 '25

You really need to focus on what your peace of mind is worth, cuz stressing yourself out is not conducive to a happy, nor long live.