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To be fair Dave Ramsay says 15% for step 4 but then once 5&6 are done you can save more on step 7.
This chart is for FIRE, from Mr Money Mustache, but it is a good quick gut check. 15% is solid for 40 years, if you only have 30 years you probably want to target a little more.
If you hypothetically have no expenses or your expenses are fully covered by something/someone else then you would have no need to work.
I think you could look at it as wages only. If you had a rental property portfolio that generated $4k a month and your expenses were $48k your excess expenses are zero and you would have no need to work unless you wanted to create additional buffer.
I should also note the chart is assuming you are starting at zero. If you already have some saved you can reduce the years.
Also came here to mention his step 7. He's not telling you to never save more than 15%.
I started saving for retirement when I was 44, but really went gangbusters on it at 50.
Between maxing out my Roth IRA and contributing to my Roth 401(k), I’m personally contributing about 22% of my income towards retirement…26% if you want to include me maxing out my HSA.
I’m doing what I need to do in order to be able to afford to retire by 70, and I’m currently on track.
So yeah…screw him. Do what you feel is necessary to reach your retirement goals.
Oh, I don't disagree about his personality and style. He's a joke in that regard and his investment advice is off base. OPs comments were misrepresenting his 15% rule. That's my only point.