Dave Ramsey: Almost 50% of Americans are making 1 massive Social Security blunder. How to fix it in 2026

"Even among savers, few are setting aside enough to afford a truly secure retirement. In fact, only 1 in 10 Americans save 15% or more of their income — the amount industry experts recommend individuals set aside in order to build adequate savings — for retirement," according to the Ramsey Solutions study.

This “alarming” information could indicate that many people are facing dire retirement prospects.

“Instead of packing their bags for their dream vacations in their 60s and 70s, millions of Americans will be packing their lunch for another day at the office,” Ramsey’s team wrote in a March 2025 update on average retirement savings in the United States (4).

Nearly 60% of retired Americans say Social Security is a “major source” of their retirement income, according to Gallup (5).

But these benefits are designed to replace just 40% of pre-retirement income. The estimated average monthly Social Security retirement benefit for August 2025 was $2,008 (6), which translates to an annual income of just over $24,000 — much less than what a comfortable retirement would usually require.

What’s more, recent moves by the Trump administration have raised concerns about the future of Social Security payments. About 59% of non-retired Americans are worried that Social Security won’t be available by the time they retire, according to a survey from DepositAccounts (7).

Here are three steps you can take to start stitching together a safety net that can protect your golden years.

1. Create a saving benchmark

The first step for anyone looking to retire with a comfortable nest egg is to set a benchmark for minimum monthly savings to help secure your future.

As of August 2025, the U.S. personal savings rate was just 4%, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (8). This is the ratio of personal savings to disposable personal income, and it is simply too low to fund a robust retirement. Ramsey recommends setting the benchmark significantly higher, at 15% of gross income. This also assumes you already have an emergency fund and you're out of debt.

For example, a person earning $100,000 a year who manages to save 15% of their income and invests it in an asset that delivers 10% returns annually could accumulate roughly $1.5 million within 25 years. This means it’s possible to retire as a millionaire even if you start saving and investing in your early 40s.

When the market shifts, investors of all stripes look for reliable and safe savings vehicles to cushion their nest egg. SoFi’s high-yield checking and savings account is designed for those savers.

You could get a boosted APY of 4.00% on your savings. Plus, SoFi charges no account, monthly or overdraft fees. High-yield accounts are useful for storing cash while you develop an investment strategy, or for emergency funds, due to their high APY and ease of access.

The best part? You can get up to $300 when you sign up with SoFi and set up a direct deposit.

How to invest with less

If you feel like you can’t set aside enough of your income to invest each month, you can still make your purchases productive with Acorns.

Acorns is an automated investing and saving platform that simplifies the process of setting aside extra funds.

By signing up and linking your bank account, Acorns automatically rounds up the price of each of your purchases to the nearest dollar and deposits the difference into a smart investment portfolio, allowing you to grow your wealth without even thinking about it. If that’s not enough, you could also set up a recurring monthly deposit, which nets you a $20 sign up bonus

2. Max out tax-advantaged accounts

Reducing your tax liability could be just as important as maxing out your savings rate. Every penny saved in taxes is another penny that can be used to invest and compound your wealth over time.

For most people, the best way to mitigate taxes is to utilize tax-advantaged accounts like 401(k)s and Roth IRAs.

Unfortunately, many people neglect these accounts. About 40% of Americans don’t have a retirement savings account, according to a recent survey by Gallup (9).

As of year-end 2024, the average participant account balance was $148,153, while the median balance was just $38,176, according to Vanguard (10).

None of these balances is close enough to the estimated $1.26 million an average American needs to comfortably retire (11). But raising your contributions and maxing out these accounts can help you get ahead of your peers.

How to get going with gold

However, retirement is a long game, and you may want some protection from market shifts as you’re gearing up to retire once and for all. One option would be to invest in gold through a self-directed gold IRA with the help of Priority Gold.

Gold IRAs allow investors to hold physical gold or gold-related assets within a retirement account, which combines the tax advantages of an IRA with the protective benefits of investing in gold, making it an attractive option for those looking to potentially hedge their retirement funds against economic uncertainties.

To learn more, you can get a free information guide that includes details on how to get up to $10,000 in free silver on qualifying purchases.

3. Go beyond the bare minimum

Saving 15% of your gross income and maximizing your tax-advantaged accounts are the bare minimum for a comfortable retirement, according to Ramsey. However, if you’re looking to retire sooner, want a better lifestyle in retirement or simply waited too long to get started, you may need to go beyond this minimum threshold.

Consider adding sources of passive income, such as rental property, to augment your annual earnings.

If diversifying into multifamily rentals appeals to you, you could consider investing with Lightstone DIRECT, a new investing platform from the Lightstone Group, one of the largest private real estate companies in the country with over 25,000 multifamily units in its portfolio.

Since they eliminate intermediaries — brokers and crowdfunding middlemen — accredited investors with a minimum investment of $100,000 can gain direct access to institutional-quality multifamily opportunities. This streamlined model can help reduce fees while enhancing transparency and control.

And with Lightstone DIRECT, you invest in single-asset multifamily deals alongside Lightstone — a true partner — as Lightstone puts at least 20% of its own capital into every offering. All of Lightstone’s investment opportunities undergo a rigorous, multi-stage review before being approved by Lightstone’s Principals, including Founder David Lichtenstein.

How it works is simple: Just sign up with your email, and you can schedule a call with a capital formation expert to assess your investment opportunities. From here, all you have to do is verify your details to begin investing.

Founded in 1986, Lightstone has a proven track record of delivering strong risk-adjusted returns across market cycles with a 27.6% historical net IRR and 2.54x historical net equity multiple on realized investments since 2004. All told, Lightstone has $12 billion in assets under management — including in industrial and commercial real estate.

As such, even if multifamily rentals don’t appeal to you, Lightstone could still serve you well as an investment vehicle for other real estate verticals.

Get started today with Lightstone DIRECT and invest alongside experienced professionals with skin in the game.

Investing in rental and vacation properties

Another way to invest in real estate is by purchasing rental properties and becoming a landlord. But for the average American who wants to avoid the need for a hefty down payment or the burden of property management, platforms like Arrived make it easier to slice yourself up a piece of that pie.

Backed by world-class investors like Jeff Bezos, Arrived allows you to invest in shares of rental homes with as little as $100, all without the hassle of mowing lawns, fixing leaky faucets or handling difficult tenants.

The process is simple: Browse a curated selection of homes that have been vetted for their appreciation and income potential. Once you find a property you like, select the number of shares you’d like to purchase, and then sit back as you start receiving any positive rental income distributions from your investment.