Land a dream job at 29. Buy your first home at 30. Earn six figures by 35.
Realistic or not, those are the ages Americans ascribe to some of life’s financial milestones, according to a new survey from Empower, the retirement services provider.
Empower asked roughly 1,000 Americans to set target ages for six life milestones: retirement saving, landing a dream job, earning six figures, buying a home, becoming debt-free, and retiring.
The findings, published in August, are tinged with regret. Nearly half of respondents said they wish they had started saving sooner. Nearly one quarter said they felt behind in reaching money milestones. Many respondents said there’s no set timeline for reaching big financial goals.
And some dates on the timeline seem more dream than reality. Buy a first home at 30? These days, the average first-time buyer is pushing 40.
USA TODAY asked several experts to comment on the six milestones in the survey. Here’s what they said.
Age to start saving for retirement: 27
If you start saving for retirement any time in your 20s, retirement planners say, you’re doing great.
“I didn’t personally start until I was 29,” said Andrew Herzog, a certified financial planner in Plano, Texas. “Now, that is absolutely one of my regrets.”
In a perfect world, however, 27 might be a tad late to start saving for retirement.
“Especially if you’re entering the workforce at 16, 17, 18, you’re depriving yourself of 10 years of saving,” said Catherine Collinson, CEO of the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies.
The good news, Collinson said, is that younger Americans are saving for retirement early. Transamerica research shows the typical Gen Z worker started saving at 20. Millennials started at 26, Gen X at 30, boomers at 35.
And why wait till 20?
“I’m a big believer in trying to get your kids set up for retirement when they’re teenagers,” said Catherine Valega, a certified financial planner in Winchester, Massachusetts.
Age to land your dream job: 29
The average American changes jobs a dozen times between ages 18 and 56, according to a Labor Department report on boomer workers.
That data point suggests that most of us don’t find a dream job by 29: If we did, presumably, we’d stay put.
“Dream jobs don’t expire at 29,” said Randy Bruns, a certified financial planner in Naperville, Illinois.
“Putting a deadline on something so personal risks discouraging the very people who are still on their way,” he said. “Imagine someone telling Colonel Sanders he should’ve had it all figured out by age 29. He didn’t start serving fried chicken until he was 40.”
Age to buy your first home: 30
First-time home buyers are getting older. The average first-time buyer was 38 in 2024. That’s the highest age the National Association of Realtors has ever recorded.
Home prices have spiked dramatically since 2020. Mortgage rates have risen, as well, making homes less affordable to first-time buyers.
“It’s still possible to buy your first home by 30, but it’s much harder now than it was for previous generations,” said Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin.
Buying a home by 30 used to be a realistic goal. The average first-time buyer was 30 in 2010 and 33 in 2020, according to the Realtors association.
Today, however, many young buyers are priced out.
“Some are making it work by getting help from family, opting for a condo instead of a house, or choosing to live in a neighborhood that’s affordable on their income,” Fairweather said. “So, it’s still possible, but it takes a lot of planning and often support from friends or family.”
Age to earn six figures: 35
Many Americans will never earn a six-figure income. The average full-time American worker earned about $1,200 a week in the second quarter of 2025, or about $62,500 a year, according to federal data.
For some workers, a six-figure income is a realistic hope. People with doctoral or professional degrees earn more than $100,000 a year in median pay, according to a NerdWallet analysis. And income tends to rise with age, peaking around 50.
Even so, reaching a six-figure salary by your mid-30s “seems more aspirational than realistic for most jobs,” said Lonnie Golden, an economist at Penn State University’s Abington campus.
Age to become debt-free: 41
There are different kinds of debt, and not all are bad.
A financial adviser might frown on a $10,000 credit card balance with a 20% interest rate. But a homeowner who nabbed a 3% mortgage in the low-interest years might still be bragging about it to the neighbors.
“Debt can serve a good purpose, depending on its use,” Herzog said. “If you can strategically use your debt, there’s no problem with carrying it.”
Financial planners typically urge consumers to work on reducing “bad” debt, especially credit card debt.
A mortgage, by contrast, can function as a massive piggy bank, with your equity rising every time you make a payment.
“Some people prioritize paying down debt over other goals for psychological reasons, and that’s fair — it doesn’t feel good to have a big number hanging over your head,” said Sam Taube, lead investing writer at NerdWallet. “Mathematically speaking, however, prioritizing debt over all else may not always be the optimal strategy.”
Age to retire: 58
Retirement plans can change over time. Younger Americans generally aspire to retire earlier. Older Americans plan to retire later. According to a 2025 Schwab survey, the average Gen Zer expects to retire at 62, while the average Gen Xer plans to wait until 66.
“The reality is, as people get older, they realize how much they need to save,” said Collinson of Transamerica.
By most measures, retirement experts said, 58 is a little early to pack it in.
“To retire at 58, you’d need millions of dollars in a brokerage account, or very low living expenses in retirement,” said Taube of NerdWallet. “Possibly both.”
