How Much Money Do You Really Need to Retire in America?

How much money do you really need to retire in America? There is no single number that fits everyone. This video gives you a simple four-step framework instead: write your monthly spending, check your own Social Security benefit, subtract it to find your monthly gap, and count your Medicare costs inside your spending. One worked example shows how claiming at 62, 67, or 70 changes that gap, with official 2026 figures from SSA, Medicare, and the IRS. Educational information only, based on ssa.gov, medicare.gov, and irs.gov. Not financial, tax, or legal advice, and not a recommendation about what to choose. Confirm your own numbers, plan rules, and statement before you decide. Chapters: 0:00 How Much Money Do You Really Need to Retire? 0:57 Meet Robert, and the One Gap 1:54 Step One: Your Monthly Spending 3:08 Step Two: What Social Security Actually Covers 4:30 Step Three: Your Monthly Gap 6:22 Step Four: Health Costs Inside Your Spending 7:37 Closing the Gap Without a Magic Number 9:23 Three Mistakes That Break the Math 10:30 Your Checklist 11:33 Recap, and What to Do Next Subscribe for Social Security, Medicare, and retirement explained in simple English for Americans 55+.