President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week expanding access to retirement savings plans for workers without employer-sponsored 401(k)s. Then he put a number on it: During an Oval Office event, Trump bragged that a participant in a plan through TrumpIRA.gov could amass an estimated $465,000 nest egg.
“In other words, they’ll be rich,” he said. “And there’s something awfully nice about that.”
Trump IRAs are certainly a step in the right direction for Americans who would otherwise not be saving for retirement, but Trump’s claim — especially coming from a man with a $6.5 billion net worth — raised eyebrows in the financial community.
Does retiring with less than half a million dollars really make someone “rich”? Money asked retirement experts to weigh in.
Retirement savings are relative. Being ‘rich’ is not
Starting Jan. 1, 2027, workers without retirement plans should be able to use TrumpIRA.gov to research and enroll in what the White House is calling “high-quality, low-cost, private-sector IRAs,” or individual retirement accounts. The platform will integrate the Saver’s Match program established by the SECURE 2.0 Act in 2022 and will offer a 50% contribution matching up to $1,000 into eligible workers’ IRAs.
The White House used the following example in the executive order: “A 25-year-old low-income worker who steadily saves around $165 per month and qualifies for the Saver’s Match of around $1,000 per year could, at a 6% rate of return, end up with around $465,000 by the age of 65.”
That would be a commendable accomplishment for a low-income worker. But it’s hard to say that $465,000 alone would provide a comfortable retirement, let alone make someone rich.
“It’s a good head start,” says Kelly Regan, vice president of Girard, a Univest Wealth Division. “But consider what other sources of income they may have.”
That may be a pension, 401(k), annuity or Social Security benefits. It’s important for retirees to create a blended income strategy and not solely rely on a single account.
Mitch Hamer, founder and lead advisor at Intersecting Wealth, says that even with an additional source of retirement income, retirees who are dependent on Trump IRAs could struggle to make ends meet.
“It can work as part of a broader income plan, but at a 5% withdrawal rate, $465,000 doesn’t even get you $25,000 in spending money,” he says. “Assuming that figure is doubled with Social Security or some sort of pension income, one really has to have a pulse on their values and intentions in retirement to make this work.”
Inflation and healthcare costs present big challenges
Increasing costs and unexpected medical expenses are two of the biggest threats to retirees’ financial well-being. Over the course of decades, both could significantly diminish the real value of the retirement nest egg the White House used in its example.
Assuming for 3% annual inflation — the historical average since 1914 — in 30 years, $465,000 will have the same purchasing power as $191,573.84 today. That’s a nearly 59% reduction in inflation-adjusted terms.
“When you’re dependent on your retirement assets for daily living — your fixed expenses — this account would deplete rather soon,” Regan says. “That’s not going to last long for $465,000, not to mention long-term healthcare costs.”
Even with its full purchasing power today, that figure would be difficult for a retiree to subsist on. Hamer warns that a $465,000 balance leaves very little margin for inflation, healthcare shocks or a long retirement that stretches into the 90s.
“If someone retires at 67 with $465,000, the 4% rule points to about $18,600 in first-year annual withdrawals,” Hamer says. “Roughly $1,550 per month. It would be hard to call that a comfortable retirement.”
For context, the average annual household spending for Americans ages 65 to 74 was $65,149 last year, according to Fidelity. That’s about $5,400 a month.
Another concern about Trump IRAs is the comparatively high cap on expense ratios — the administrative, management and operating fees of funds — which could further erode balances. According to the executive order, net expense ratios will be limited to 0.15%.With a balance of $465,000, those fees could amount to nearly $700 in the first year alone.
While low compared to expense ratios for actively managed mutual funds, 0.15% is notably higher than expense ratios for passively managed index funds that investors can access through self-directed IRAs. The world’s largest exchange-traded fund — the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF — carries an expense ratio of just 0.03%, meaning it charges 80% less than the Trump IRAs’ expense ratio cap.
Would $465,000 make you a rich retiree?
While Trump IRAs can play a role in a well-diversified retirement plan, it’s important to take the president’s assertion with a grain of salt.
“There’s no magic to this number,” Hamer says. “If one hears $465,000 and assumes they’re set, they’re relying on a very rosy outlook.”
Trump’s claim demonstrates a common disconnect of ultra-high-net-worth individuals from everyday Americans’ financial realities. The president’s net worth has increased $1.4 billion just in the past year to $6.5 billion, according to Forbes, or 1,397,750% higher than the amount he described as making retirees rich.
Meanwhile, survey results from Charles Schwab show that across adult generations, Americans believe a net worth of $2.175 million qualifies someone as being rich. Yet according to the National Institute on Retirement Security, the typical U.S. worker has just $955 saved for retirement — a far cry from millionaire status, let alone the few hundred thousand that Trump IRAs could be worth after three decades.
That shouldn’t discount Trump’s branded IRA effort. Expanding plan access to those who need it the most could help alleviate the looming retirement crisis Americans face. But prospective plan participants should not expect $465,000 in retirement savings to make them rich — not today and certainly not in 30 years.
“For most retirees, $465,000 would be more meaningful as a supplement,” Hamer says. “Not a target.”
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