Secrets of extreme savers
You can put away a lot more than the average American without living a deprived life.
Automate savings
Savings Rate: 35%
Home: Rocky Mount, N.C.
Occupations: William is a pharmacist; Cynthia, retired from a sales job at Sprint, works at local library
William and Cynthia Foust sock away more than one-third of their take-home income by employing a simple but powerful technique: Making saving automatic. "We put everything on autopilot," says William. They max out William's 401(k) contribution, including the $5,000 catch up for people over 50 (all of which comes directly out of his paycheck). They have money transferred from their bank account into a Roth IRA every month and max out that contribution too, about $6,000 a year.
In addition, the Fousts have $600 a month transferred from their bank account into a brokerage account and $1,000 into a higher yielding online savings account. The payoff: They've amassed nearly $800,000 for retirement and were able to save $60,000 for their son Eliott's college education, allowing him to graduate debt free this year. Their only debt is a mortgage, which will be paid off in 10 months, and they're on track for William to retire by age 62. "We never see the money, so we don't miss it," says William.
More galleries
Last updated July 19 2010: 9:04 AM ET
