If you earn 100,000 a year, how much should you save each month? Financial experts provide the answer.

Earning an annual salary of 100,000 sounds like a lot, but how much do you actually need to save to be considered adequate? Research shows that 58% of people believe that 100,000 is the starting point to avoid daily financial pressure—in other words, many people feel that this figure is just average.

The key question arises: How much should be saved every month?

At least save 20%

The CEO of the financing company suggested a specific figure: starting at 20% of the monthly salary. In other words, if the monthly salary is calculated as 8333, one would need to save over 1600 each month.

The allocation plan is as follows:

• 15% into 401(k) or IRA-type retirement accounts
• The remaining 5% should be kept in a demand deposit for emergencies.

It sounds simple, but here's the catch—someone followed this plan for several years and later found out they wanted to retire early. After readjusting the plan to save 30%, they achieved financial freedom 10 years earlier instead.

Don't put all your money in “dead savings”

This is a common misconception: some people lock all their savings in retirement accounts, only to find that they have no available funds when it comes time to start a business or change jobs. A client of a consulting advisor encountered this situation—wanting to resign and start a business but all the money was in 401(k), and taking it out early would incur penalties. Later, they adjusted their strategy and put some money into a regular investment account, which gave them the confidence to start their business.

The key is to find balance

The ideal savings framework should have a three-layer structure:

1. Retirement Account — Long-term Compound Interest
2. Liquidity Savings — Emergency + Opportunity
3. Investment Account — Flexible Growth

A salary of 100,000 looks substantial, but the habit of saving money is what truly brings peace of mind—this is how one can cope with the various uncertainties in life.