<prompt> Human: Title says it all, how do I know if I am saving enough? How much total nest egg will I need? I feel like I am doing things right, like contributing to a matched 401k, saving in IRA, etc. but I just dont feel like I have a solid plan. I have read the ELI30 post btw. Any help appreciated!  <response>: I think its best not to try to accomplish your goal at all. I wouldnt suggest thinking of retirement savings in terms of what is or isnt enough.Thinking about enough implies that retirement savings is an expense to be minimized.It would be better to say Am I spending enough on my lifestyle? Can I devote the rest to saving for retirement now?That would at least get you thinking correctly in terms of what needs to be minimized and what needs to be maximized.Its very difficult to pin down what enough is when you are talking about retirement savings. Once you pin that down, you still cant accurately predict if you will get there.You have to make a whole lot of risky assumptions to even try. Some of those assumptions:1. Social security programs will remain intact.2. Historical investment results will apply well into the future.3. Costs for things are known and can easily be projected accurately.4. Tax and other laws dont change considerably.5. EtcEvery one of those is vital to answering the question you asked and none of them are safe assumptions.To base your calculations on any one of them is risky. To base your calculations on the inherent risk of each of them combined is far beyond risky.Every retirement calculator uses assumptions based largely on those things and as a result none of them can be trusted.The easiest answer is just to say that, No, you arent saving enough.The only thing in your control in this process is how much you are personally saving. The only thing you can do to be more likely to have enough is to save more. There is ultimately no number that can be thrown out and pointed to as enough. No matter what number you pick out 1000m, 2000m, 3000m, 5000m, 10000m I can give you an example that is well within the realm of possibility where that amount will not be enough.It would, however, get progressively much harder every time the amount steps up, though. Thats the point. By saving more you dramatically minimize the likelihood of not having enough.The best way to ensure you dont have enough is to find some small monthly contribution amount and declare it to be enough and use that as a reason to spend more on lifestyle. 