Retirement

Retirement Calculator

Will your savings be enough? Project your nest egg from today to retirement age using your current balance, monthly contributions, and an expected return — then see the monthly income it could sustain under the classic 4% withdrawal rule, and how much of the final balance is growth.

Tested against worked examplesHow we verify

Current age

Retirement age

Current retirement savings

Monthly contribution

Include employer match — it's part of what lands in the account.

Expected annual return

Long-run diversified portfolios have averaged 6–8% nominal; lower it to stress-test.

Projected savings at 67

$1,559,831

Sustainable monthly income (4% rule): $5,199
Total you'll contribute: $328,800
Investment growth: $1,231,031
Years until retirement: 32

Balance by age

Age	Balance	Contributed	Growth
40	$135,173	$102,000	$33,173
45	$241,739	$144,000	$97,739
50	$392,810	$186,000	$206,810
55	$606,973	$228,000	$378,973
60	$910,575	$270,000	$640,575
65	$1,340,969	$312,000	$1,028,969
67	$1,559,831	$328,800	$1,231,031

Compare scenariosTry three values of one input

Vary

Retirement Calculator results for three values of Current age
Current age
Projected savings at 67	$1,951,107	$1,559,831−$391,276	$1,150,623−$800,485
Sustainable monthly income (4% rule)	$6,504	$5,199−$1,304	$3,835−$2,668
Total you'll contribute	$354,000	$328,800−$25,200	$295,200−$58,800
Investment growth	$1,597,107	$1,231,031−$366,076	$855,423−$741,685
Years until retirement	35	32−3	28−7

Every other input stays at the value you set above — currently 35 yr for current age. Differences are measured against the first column.

Saved scenariosSave this calculation

Name this scenario

Saved in this browser only — no account, and nothing is sent to us. Clearing your browser data deletes them.

How this calculator works

The projection compounds monthly at your expected return with contributions deposited at month-end, in exact cents. Sustainable income applies a 4% annual withdrawal rate to the projected balance, divided monthly.

The model deliberately excludes inflation adjustment, taxes (which depend on account types — 401(k), Roth, taxable), and sequence-of-returns risk. It's an educational projection: real portfolios fluctuate, and a financial planner can stress-test your specific situation.

What this assumes

A constant return before and during retirement, and steady inflation. Neither is true year to year.
Contributions continue uninterrupted until your target age.
Social Security is not included unless you enter it. For a median earner it replaces roughly 40% of pre-retirement income, so omitting it overstates what your portfolio must cover.
No allowance for healthcare before Medicare eligibility at 65, the most underestimated cost of retiring early.

What changes this number

Years until retirement: Saving $500 a month at 7% produces about $1.52M from age 25 and about $312,000 from 45. Time is worth more than amount.
Contribution rate: The only lever fully under your control, and the one that still works after 45 when compounding has less room.
Assumed return: Stress-test it. A plan that works at 5% is a plan; one that only works at 7% is a hope.

A worked example

Take the starting at 25 with $200/mo scenario. These figures are produced by the calculator above, not written alongside it, so they always match what the tool returns.

What you enter

Current age: 25 years
Retirement age: 67 years
Current retirement savings: $5,000
Monthly contribution: $200

What it returns

Projected savings at 67: $702,516
Sustainable monthly income (4% rule): $2,342
Total you'll contribute: $105,800
Investment growth: $596,716
Years until retirement: 42

Try an example

Starting at 25 with $200/mo Catching up at 45 FIRE attempt: retire at 50

Frequently asked questions

How much do I need to retire?

A common target is 25× your desired annual spending from savings (the inverse of the 4% rule): wanting $40,000 a year from your portfolio implies roughly a $1 million nest egg, on top of Social Security. Fidelity's rule of thumb is about 10× your final salary by age 67.

What is the 4% rule?

A planning guideline from the Trinity study: withdrawing 4% of your starting balance in year one, then adjusting for inflation, has historically survived 30-year retirements in most market scenarios. It's a useful estimate of sustainable income — not a guarantee, and many planners now model 3.5–4% ranges.

What return should I assume?

US stocks have returned about 10% annually before inflation over the last century, but a diversified retirement portfolio with bonds lands lower — 6–8% nominal is a common planning band. Run the calculator at 5% too: if the plan works at 5%, it's robust.

Does this account for inflation?

Results are nominal — future dollars. To think in today's purchasing power, subtract expected inflation from your return (use a 4–5% 'real' return instead of 7%) and read the results as today's dollars. Our Inflation Calculator shows exactly how purchasing power erodes.

Should I count Social Security?

Yes, as a separate layer. The average retired-worker benefit replaces roughly 30–40% of pre-retirement income for middle earners. This calculator projects your savings only — add your estimated benefit (see your SSA statement at ssa.gov) on top of the 4%-rule income.

This calculator helps answer

How much do I need to retire?

Turn the spending you want into a number, check whether your current saving reaches it, and see what Social Security and a later claiming age take off the total.

Am I saving enough?

Check your savings rate, size your emergency fund on lean spending rather than income, and see whether the total is on track for what you want later.