Americans’ perceptions of a financially secure retirement have undergone a seismic shift, with the amount deemed necessary for a comfortable post-career life skyrocketing to unprecedented levels. According to Northwestern Mutual’s 2024 Planning & Progress Study, the average individual now believes they’ll need a staggering $1.46 million to retire comfortably – a 15% surge from the previous year and a jaw-dropping 53% increase since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This rapidly escalating retirement savings target, far outpacing the current inflation rate, has widened the chasm betwe…