active savings flow gated / closed lever catch-up segment participation segment
How the 'ahead' gap is built: four stages gating retirement savings A causal topology showing participation, contribution rate, compounding, and catch-up as sequential gates that filter the flow of working-age households into a top-decile vs bottom-half terminal gap of 16x by age 60. working-age households, 55-64 Participation gate 57% hold an account 43% on Social Security only 43% exit Contribution-rate conduit median 6.6%, avg 7.6% target 12-15%, only 51% hit it Compounding threshold Fidelity 8x-by-60 milestone 50%+ equity, 90% confidence Catch-up amplifier $7,500 at 50+, $11,250 at 60-63 17% of 50+ use it (9% at 60-63) to outcome
Terminal outcome: top decile vs bottom half retirement balances at age 60 Outcome at 60: who ends up 'ahead' mean retirement balance, working-age savers $0 $1.0M $250k $500k $750k bottom half $54,700 mean Social-Security-only top decile $913,300 mean participation contribution compounding catch-up gap ratio (top ÷ bottom) 16x
Toggle each lever to see how the 16x gap by age 60 collapses. Closing participation removes the largest segment; closing compounding or contribution shrinks the top bar further; catch-up is the smallest amplifier. Segment widths are illustrative attribution, not a literal decomposition.