[pandler]

Just to put things into perspective:

According to [1], 25k/year is about 21k take home wages per year, or ~$1755 per month. $5.5k/year is ~$460/month, so you budget is essentially $1300/month for everything: living expenses, food, transportation, everything else. In other words, you’re living on what is pretty close to minimum wage.

I’ll leave it up to you to make your own decisions about that, but I question the practical utility of having a million dollar retirement fund when you’ve spent your life living a minimum wage lifestyle, even if you have the fortitude to save that much at those wages.

[1] https://www.taxformcalculator.com/tax/25000.html

[leifaffles]

It's extremely rare to make only $25k/year for your entire life. Most people improve their earnings over time. Most people get married at some point.

The important point is that even under the most pessimistic assumptions people can get by AND build a secure retirement.

The "it can't be done" mentality is not justified in 2017 America.