You're 50 with $30,000 in debt and nothing saved for retirement — here's how to hit $500K by 65
Key takeaways
- Picture this: You're 50, earning $70,000 a year and finally, after years of financial turbulence, in a stable enough place to take stock of where things stand.
- It's a situation that might feel embarrassing, but it's anything but rare.
- Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers.
You're 50 with $30,000 in debt and nothing saved for retirement — here's how to hit $500K by 65 Aditi Ganguly Sat, May 9, 2026 at 8:30 PM GMT+7 6 min read Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below.
Picture this: You're 50, earning $70,000 a year and finally, after years of financial turbulence, in a stable enough place to take stock of where things stand. The problem? You're staring at $30,000 in debt spread across student loans, a personal loan and a stubborn credit card balance, and your retirement savings are almost nonexistent.
It's a situation that might feel embarrassing, but it's anything but rare. According to an AARP survey, one in five Americans over the age of 50 has no retirement savings at all, and more than 60 percent worry they won't have enough money to last through retirement (1).