What are good net-worth-by-age benchmarks to aim for?

Benchmarks are rough guides, not verdicts, but they help you sanity-check progress. One widely cited rule of thumb targets net worth equal to your annual salary by 30, three times salary by 40, six times by 50, eight times by 60, and ten times by 67 — figures popularized by Fidelity's retirement guidelines. A blunter formula from "The Millionaire Next Door" is age times pretax income divided by ten. Both ignore your real situation: late career starts, kids, high-cost cities, or business equity all shift the picture. Use benchmarks to spot whether you're roughly on, ahead of, or behind pace, then adjust savings rate accordingly — don't treat them as pass/fail. Compare your trajectory at wealthserene.com/tools/net-worth.