We rendered 1248+ real-data lives across the country in one engine. Here's what we found.
Every figure below is derived from published U.S. data (the Federal Reserve, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Social Security Administration) and rendered in the same Lifeline format you'd see for yourself. No estimates, no spin.
33%
of working-age Americans, on the path they're quietly on, can't afford to stop working before Social Security at 67. Not because the money isn't reachable, but because no one ever showed them the levers.
The levers going untapped
The same lives, re-run with the moves most people leave on the table. Small, ordinary changes, and the aggregate shift is enormous.
Lever AAutomate +5 points of savings, capturing the full 401(k) match2 yrs sooner22% escape Social-Security dependency
Lever BA lower-cost-of-living move (−15% spending)2 yrs sooner13% escape dependency
Lever A + BBoth together: the commanded path4 yrs sooner33% escape dependency
The wealth ladder, by age
Median U.S. net worth by age (Federal Reserve SCF 2022): the ground truth every sample life is anchored to.
≤34
$39k median · $390k top 10%
≤44
$135k median · $980k top 10%
≤54
$247k median · $1.8M top 10%
≤64
$364k median · $2.5M top 10%
≤74
$410k median · $2.7M top 10%
The money left on the table
Across grants, savings, and taxes: the national scale of what goes unclaimed every year, each one a real lever in the lives above.
GrantsVested stock options walked away from, about $47k per person$1.8BCarta, 2022
SavingsFree employer 401(k) match left unclaimed, about $1,336/worker$24BFinancial Engines
TaxesEarned Income Tax Credit never claimed, about 1 in 5 eligible$7BIRS / TIGTA
Now see your own.
Your life, rendered the same honest way: the age you could stop working, and the levers you're leaving untapped.
Derived live across 1248+ profiles spanning every major occupation, age, and wealth percentile. Full methodology + sources: Data provenance → Sources: Federal Reserve SCF 2022 · BLS OEWS May 2024 · BEA · SSA · Carta · Financial Engines · IRS/TIGTA. Figures representative, in today's dollars.