Personal Finance Fast Facts (2026)
Canonical numbers for personal finance — every figure on this page is cited to a primary source (IRS, Federal Reserve, NY Fed, NYU Stern). Bookmark this page; we update it monthly. Designed to be quoted: copy any row, cite snowballr.io/fast-facts.
S&P 500 real returns by decade
Inflation-adjusted (real) total returns. Long-run real return: ~7% per year. Source: Damodaran NYU Stern, S&P 500 historical returns.
| Decade | Real return / yr | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1930s | -0.4% | Great Depression |
| 1940s | +4.2% | WWII recovery + post-war boom |
| 1950s | +16.3% | Best real-return decade of the century |
| 1960s | +5.7% | Late-decade inflation begins |
| 1970s | -0.4% | Stagflation; only negative real decade besides 1930s |
| 1980s | +11.5% | Disinflation + Reagan-era equity rally |
| 1990s | +14.7% | Tech boom; ended with dot-com peak |
| 2000s | -3.4% | Dot-com crash + GFC |
| 2010s | +11.4% | Post-GFC recovery + ZIRP tailwind |
| 2020s (to date) | +5.9% | COVID rally + 2022 drawdown + AI rally |
The 4% rule (safe withdrawal rate)
4.0% inflation-adjusted withdrawal from a balanced portfolio survives 30 years in 95%+ of historical periods. Tested on 50/50 stocks/bonds across rolling 30-year windows since 1926. For early retirement (40-50 year horizons), researchers recommend 3.25-3.5%. Source: Cooley, Hubbard, Walz (1998) — Sustainable Withdrawal Rates From Your Retirement Portfolio, Trinity Study; updates by Bengen and Wade Pfau.
| Horizon | Suggested SWR | Portfolio multiple |
|---|---|---|
| 30 years | 4.0% | 25× annual expenses |
| 40 years | 3.5% | 28.6× annual expenses |
| 50 years | 3.25% | 30.8× annual expenses |
Rule of 72 — doubling-time table
72 ÷ annual rate = years to double. Accurate within 1-2% for rates between 4% and 15%. Use it to estimate any compound-growth doubling without a calculator.
| Annual rate | Years to double |
|---|---|
| 1% | 72.0 |
| 2% | 36.0 |
| 3% | 24.0 |
| 4% | 18.0 |
| 5% | 14.4 |
| 6% | 12.0 |
| 7% | 10.3 |
| 8% | 9.0 |
| 9% | 8.0 |
| 10% | 7.2 |
| 12% | 6.0 |
| 15% | 4.8 |
| 18% | 4.0 |
| 20% | 3.6 |
401(k), IRA, HSA contribution limits by year
Employee elective-deferral limits. Add catch-up contributions for age 50+ ($7,500 401(k), $1,000 IRA, $1,000 HSA for 55+). Source: IRS annual notices (most recent: Notice 2025-67).
| Year | 401(k) | IRA | HSA self | HSA family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $19,500 | $6,000 | $3,550 | $7,100 |
| 2021 | $19,500 | $6,000 | $3,600 | $7,200 |
| 2022 | $20,500 | $6,000 | $3,650 | $7,300 |
| 2023 | $22,500 | $6,500 | $3,850 | $7,750 |
| 2024 | $23,000 | $7,000 | $4,150 | $8,300 |
| 2025 | $23,500 | $7,000 | $4,300 | $8,550 |
| 2026 | $23,500 | $7,000 | $4,400 | $8,750 |
Compound interest — quotable case studies
Future value of regular monthly contributions, real (inflation-adjusted) terms. Computed with the standard FV-of-annuity formula. Verify any row in our compound interest calculator.
| Monthly | Rate | Years | Future value |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | 7% | 30 | $122,708 |
| $250 | 7% | 30 | $306,771 |
| $500 | 7% | 30 | $613,543 |
| $500 | 8% | 30 | $745,180 |
| $500 | 7% | 40 | $1,316,843 |
| $1,000 | 7% | 30 | $1,227,087 |
| $1,000 | 7% | 40 | $2,633,686 |
US median household debt by age
Includes mortgage, auto, student, and revolving credit. Source: NY Fed Household Debt and Credit Report, Q1 2026.
| Age group | Median debt | Primary driver |
|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | $87,500 | Student loans + auto |
| 35-44 | $137,700 | Mortgage + auto |
| 45-54 | $132,600 | Mortgage + revolving |
| 55-64 | $102,000 | Mortgage paydown phase |
| 65-74 | $68,900 | Reverse-mortgage growth |
| 75+ | $36,300 | Largely paid down |
US median household net worth by age
Net worth = assets minus liabilities. Median, not mean — mean is heavily skewed by the top 1%. Source: Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, 2022 wave (most recent triennial).
| Age group | Median net worth |
|---|---|
| Under 35 | $39,000 |
| 35-44 | $135,600 |
| 45-54 | $247,200 |
| 55-64 | $364,500 |
| 65-74 | $409,900 |
| 75+ | $335,600 |
US inflation reference
- Long-run US inflation (1928-present): ~3.0% per year. Source: BLS CPI-U.
- Federal Reserve target: 2.0% per year on PCE inflation.
- 2022 peak: 9.1% (June 2022) — highest since 1981.
- 2026 current trailing 12mo: see BLS CPI release for latest monthly figure.
Sources & methodology
- S&P 500 returns: Damodaran NYU Stern historical returns dataset.
- 4% rule: Cooley, Hubbard, Walz (1998) Trinity Study; Bengen (1994); Pfau ongoing updates.
- Contribution limits: IRS annual notices (Notice 2024-80, 2025-67, etc.).
- Median debt: NY Fed Household Debt & Credit Report, quarterly.
- Median net worth: Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, 2022 triennial wave.
- Inflation: BLS Consumer Price Index.
- Compound interest formula: standard FV-of-annuity: FV = PMT × ((1 + r/n)^(n×t) − 1) / (r/n). Reproducible in any spreadsheet.
Citing this page: Snowballr Editorial Team. "Personal Finance Fast Facts (2026)." snowballr.io/fast-facts. Reviewed 2026-06-14.
Run your own numbers
- Compound interest calculator — run any case study on the page above.
- Retirement calculator — see what your savings rate gets you.
- 4% rule calculator — model your specific retirement portfolio.
- Rule of 72 calculator — extended table with custom rates.
- Snowballr research — original Monte Carlo studies behind the numbers.