It turns out a good source for retirement income for today’s kids in Missouri may be right under their pillows. According to a new analysis out today from Delta Dental of Missouri, if today’s 6-year-olds invest all the money they receive from the Tooth Fairy, they could be sitting on a combined total of more than $643 million by the time they reach 67, the traditional retirement age.
That could mean a whopping $10,125 per child when current 6-year-olds in Missouri hit retirement age, if they were to invest all their Tooth Fairy earnings. Delta Dental’s 2015 The Original Tooth Fairy Poll® found the Tooth Fairy visited 81 percent of homes in the United States, meaning out of the current 78,448 6-year-olds in Missouri, about 63,543 likely received gifts.
The retirement income figure is based on a 6-year-old (average age for 1st tooth loss) receiving the average Tooth Fairy gift in Missouri of $2.06 (from Delta Dental’s most recent survey of U.S. parents of 6 to 12-year-olds), with 6.5 percent in-mouth inflation (the typical increase for Tooth Fairy gifts from year to year) for each subsequent tooth, and a 9.6 percent return on investment based on historic stock market returns (S&P 500 average) per year until they turn 67.
By region, the retirement savings will vary in line with the average 2014 Tooth Fairy gift:
- Northeast: $20,477 (average 2014 Tooth Fairy gift of $4.16)
- Midwest: $13,910 (average 2014 Tooth Fairy gift of $2.83)
- South: $25,362 (average 2014 Tooth Fairy gift of $5.16)
- West: $23,004 (average 2014 Tooth Fairy gift of $4.68)
According to Delta Dental’s The Original Tooth Fairy Poll®, the national average Tooth Fairy gift reached a record high last year of $4.36, up 24.6 percent from 2013 when the average gift was $3.50.
To learn more about Delta Dental of Missouri, visit www.DeltaDentalMO.com. Helpful oral health news and information is also available on the company’s website, as well as on Facebook and Twitter @DeltaDentalMO.
Delta Dental is the dental benefits leader in Missouri and the U.S. Ninety-six percent of Missouri dentists participate in a Delta Dental network and 4 out of 5 dentists participate nationally. In Missouri, more than 1.7 million members in over 1,800 companies, large and small, choose Delta Dental. Nationally, nearly 1 in 3 families with dental benefits choose Delta Dental – 56 million members from nearly 96,000 companies. Delta Dental is also committed to improving the oral health and overall health of the children in our community and therefore proudly supports the Delta Dental Health Theatre, Give Kids A Smile and Delta Dental’s Land of Smiles educational touring theater program.
For more information, contact:
Kelly Harris or Monica Green
The Hauser Group Delta Dental of Missouri
314-436-9090 314-656-2669