Q: How little can I invest a day and still retire in 30 years?A: Want to live well in old age? You’d better get cracking: $82.28 a day to be exact.Investors might be surprised to hear that for the average, typical person making a number of back-of-the-envelope assumptions, $82.28 a day may be what you should be shooting for, based onan analysis done for USA TODAY by investment management firm T. Rowe Price. If you save $82 aday and invest it in a fairly aggressive but not crazy portfolio, in 30 years you could amass enough wealth to generate the U.S. average household income for 30 years, even after adjusted for inflation.The calculation makes a variety of big assumptions which may not be appropriate for everyone. It works on the idea retirees will need$50,000 a year, adjusted by 3% a year to handle thecost of living increases in retirement. The calculation also assumes the investor has 30 years to save and invest and will get a 7% averageannual return.Remember: This $82 a day figure is just an estimate. Many people need more than $50,000 a year in current dollars, even adjusting for inflation, yet many need much less. You might also be a much more conservative investor and need to invest more. Remember, too, the $82 a day is not adjusted for inflation. That means it’s be a struggle if not impossible to save that much now, but it will be easier in the future as $82 won’t seemso high. If you need more guidance, consult a variety of online calculators or a financial advisor.USA TODAY markets reporter Matt Krantz answers a different reader question every weekday. To submit a question, e-mail Matt atmkrantz@usatoday.com or on Twitter @mattkrantz
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