By Anne McCabe & Atricia Roberts
We ask almost every woman who sits down with us: How much is enough?
It sounds simple, but it almost never is. We have met women with $3 million, $7 million, even more, who still lie awake wondering if they will be okay. We have also met women with far less who feel completely at peace. The difference is rarely the size of the account; it’s whether they have ever stopped to define their number, the amount that actually funds the life they want.
We call the process of finding that figure the freedom formula. It is less about a magic dollar amount and more about giving yourself permission to know when you have arrived. Because when you do not know what “enough” looks like, no amount ever feels like quite enough.
What “Enough” Really Means
Enough is not a competition number. It’s not what your neighbor has, what your former spouse walked away with, or what a headline says you should have by 55.
Your enough number is the amount of wealth that lets you live the life you want without trading your tranquility for it. It is the point where work becomes a choice instead of a requirement. For some women that means stepping back entirely. For others it means staying in a career they love, but on their own terms.
The reason this matters so much for the women we serve is that many of them are first-generation wealth builders. They earned their success without a road map, and no one ever taught them how to recognize the finish line. So they keep running, even long after they have already won the race.
Why So Many Successful Women Never Feel Like They Have Enough
If you are accomplished and still anxious about money, you are in good company. We see it constantly, and there are real reasons behind it.
The first is what we sometimes call the moving finish line. Each time you reach a goal, your mind resets the target a little higher over time. The raise that once felt like freedom becomes the new baseline within a year. We explored this idea in our podcast episode on rewriting your money story, and it resonated with so many listeners because the pattern is almost universal.
The second reason is that money carries emotion. The way you feel about a dollar today was shaped long before you earned it. Our episode on your money personality walks through the most common money types we see, and understanding yours is often the first step toward loosening money’s grip on your peace.
The third reason is specific to women, and we do not say it lightly. Women often live longer, are more likely to spend years managing money on their own, and frequently carry more caregiving responsibility along the way. We talked through what this can mean for planning in our episode on women and wealth. When you are planning for a longer, more independent road, “enough” naturally has to stretch further, and the uncertainty can weigh heavier.
None of this means you are doing something wrong. It means the question deserves a real answer instead of a vague worry.
The Freedom Formula: How to Calculate Your Enough Number
The good news is that your enough number is something you can actually estimate, and the math is more approachable than the financial industry tends to let on.
Before we walk through the three steps, one important note: what follows is a simplified, educational illustration, not a recommendation, a projection, or a guarantee. Everyone’s situation is different, and your real number depends entirely on the specifics of your life.
Think of this as a way to start the conversation, not finish it.
Step 1: Define the life you actually want.
Before any numbers, picture the life. Where do you live? Do you still work, and if so, how much? What do you want to be able to say yes to without flinching? Travel, a second home, helping your children, giving generously?
This is the step most people skip, and it’s the most important one. You cannot price a life you have not described. On our podcast, we come back to this idea again and again, because clarity about the life always comes before clarity about the money.
Step 2: Put a number on your annual cost of living.
Next, estimate what that life costs in a typical year. Not your bare-bones survival budget, the real number that includes the joy. For the women we serve, this figure often lands somewhere in the low-to-mid six figures once you account for travel, family support, and generosity, and it varies widely from one person to the next.
From there, subtract any reliable income you expect to keep, such as Social Security, a pension, or part-time work. What is left is the gap your portfolio needs to cover, and that gap is the figure worth getting right. The exact dollars matter far less than the habit of looking honestly at what your real life costs.
Step 3: Translate that income need into a range.
From there, some planners use simple rules of thumb to translate that income need into a rough portfolio target. One approach you may have heard of works backward from an assumed withdrawal rate, the idea being that your portfolio should be large enough that a modest annual draw could cover what your lifestyle needs.
We are not going to put a single dollar figure on the page here, and that is on purpose. The honest answer is that it depends, and for high-income women, it depends a great deal. When you have significant assets, a longer time horizon, real estate, business interests, equity compensation, or a concentrated stock position, your real number can land far from what a quick multiplication suggests. The questions that actually move it are about taxes, timing, and how the pieces fit together, not a tidy formula.
That is exactly why your number deserves a plan built around your life, one that accounts for taxes, inflation, market ups and downs, healthcare, how long you may live, and the specific timing of when you want to make work optional. Still, even a rough sketch can be powerful, because it turns a vague fear into something you can see, talk about, and work toward with guidance.
When You Hit Your Number and Still Feel Anxious
Sometimes the hardest part is not reaching the number, it’s believing it.
We have sat with women who appear to have more than enough and still cannot bring themselves to spend, give, or rest. The habits that built the wealth (vigilance, discipline, saying no) do not switch off on their own. This is where a plan does its most valuable work. When you can see in writing where you stand, you finally have permission to enjoy what you built.
Part of that is learning to set limits in both directions, knowing when you have enough to give and when to shield what is yours. Our episode on setting financial boundaries speaks directly to the women who give generously to everyone but themselves.
How We Help You Find Your Number
This is the heart of what we do at Curo Private Wealth. We are whole-life planners, not just financial planners, which means we start with your life and let the numbers follow.
When you work with us, we map out the life you want, translate it into a clear enough number, and build a financial plan designed to support it. Then we stay with you, adjusting as life changes, so the number always reflects where you actually are. The goal is simple; we want you to feel calm, organized, and confident about your money, and to feel genuinely reassured you are on the right path.
You worked hard for this. You deserve to know when you have arrived.
If you are ready to find your enough number, we would love to talk. Call (301) 652-9677 or email info@curoprivatewealth.com to start the conversation. |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money do I need to retire?
There is no single number that works for everyone, because the amount you need depends on the life you want to fund, not a one-size-fits-all target. A reliable way to estimate it is to start with what your ideal year actually costs, subtract any reliable income you expect such as Social Security or a pension, and identify what your savings need to cover for the rest. From there, a financial plan can pressure-test that figure against taxes, inflation, and how long you may live.
What is the 4% rule for retirement?
The 4% rule is a well-known rule of thumb suggesting that a retiree might withdraw about 4% of their portfolio in the first year of retirement, then adjust that amount for inflation in the years that follow. It is best understood as a rough planning reference, not a guarantee. It does not account for taxes, market ups and downs, health-care costs, or your specific timeline, which is why a personalized plan usually paints a more accurate picture than any single rule.
How do I calculate how much income I will need in retirement?
A common starting point is the income replacement guideline, which suggests many people need roughly 70-80% of their pre-retirement income to maintain their lifestyle. A more personalized approach is to look at what your life actually costs today and ask what will change once you stop working. Tracking your real spending for a few months tends to produce a far more accurate estimate than a general percentage, since everyone’s circumstances, health, and goals are different.
Do I need a financial advisor to plan for retirement?
You can estimate a retirement target on your own using rules of thumb, but a financial advisor helps turn that rough number into a plan built around your specific life, then keeps it current as circumstances change. At Curo Private Wealth, a female financial advisory firm in Washington, D.C., serving women across Rockville, MD, and Reston, VA, we are whole-life planners who start with the life you want and let the numbers follow. To talk through your retirement number, call (301) 652-9677.
About Atricia
Atricia Roberts is Chief Operating Officer and Partner at Curo, where she serves as lead advisor for Rockville clients and helps guide the firm’s growth and operations. With more than 15 years in financial services, Atricia is passionate about delivering human-centered financial planning and expanding access to comprehensive education for underserved communities. A CFP® professional, she focuses on helping clients align their finances with their life goals. To learn more about Atricia, connect with her on LinkedIn.
About Anne
Anne McCabe is Chief Executive Officer and Partner of Curo Private Wealth, where she sets the firm’s vision and leads its advisory practice. With more than two decades in the industry, Anne’s career began on Wall Street before evolving into a mission to build a firm rooted in purpose, integrity, and values-driven advice. A CFP® professional, she is widely recognized for her leadership, mentorship, and commitment to lifelong learning. To learn more about Anne, connect with her on LinkedIn.