Retirement Calculator
Retirement planning is three questions: what will your savings grow to, what is that worth in today's money, and what income can it safely pay you? This calculator answers all three as you type.
Nest egg at retirement
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- In today's dollars
- $0
- Monthly income (4% rule)
- $0
- Total you'll contribute
- $0
- Growth doing the rest
- $0
Constant nominal return, month-end contributions, pre-tax. A benchmark, not a forecast.
What you put in against what it earned
The split shows how much of the total is money you put in and how much is growth on top.
Move it and watch
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at {v} for already saved
And what you can change
Why your own figure may differ
How to use the retirement saving calculator
- Enter your current age and target retirement age - the gap is your compounding runway.
- Add what you've already saved across 401(k)s, IRAs, and brokerage accounts.
- Set your monthly contribution and expected return (6–8% is a common planning band for stock-heavy portfolios).
- Read three numbers: the nest egg, its value in today's dollars, and the monthly income the 4% rule suggests it could support.
How the projection works
The tool grows your current savings and every future payment month by month, at the growth rate you choose. It then shows the answer three ways:
- Nest egg (nominal). the raw future balance: FV = P(1 + i)m + PMT × [((1 + i)m − 1) ÷ i]
- Today's dollars. the nest egg deflated by inflation: FV ÷ (1 + inflation)years
- Sustainable income. the 4% rule: nest egg × 4% ÷ 12 per month
Worked example: age 30 → 65, $25,000 saved, $500/month at 7%
Direct answer: about $1.19 million at 65. You contribute $235,000 over 35 years; compounding adds roughly $953,000 more. In today's buying power (2.5% inflation) the nest egg is worth about $500,000, and the 4% rule suggests it could support roughly $3,960 per month in nominal retirement income.
The cost of waiting
Monthly amount needed to reach $1 million by age 65 at a 7% return:
| Starting age | Monthly needed | Total contributed | Growth does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $381 | $182,880 | $817,120 |
| 35 | $820 | $295,200 | $704,800 |
| 45 | $1,920 | $460,800 | $539,200 |
| 55 | $5,778 | $693,360 | $306,640 |
Each decade of delay roughly doubles the required monthly saving. That's not a moral lesson - it's just the exponent in the formula. See how compound interest works for why.
Retirement savings examples by starting age
Three retirement paths, projected by this calculator. Click a card to load it, then make it yours.
- Early starter, 25
Just $200/month, never increased
From 25 to 65 at a 7% average return - the minimum-effort baseline.
$524,963 at 65, from only $96,000 of deposits. Time did 82% of the work.
Load this scenario in the calculator → - Restarting at 40
$50,000 saved, $700/month to 67
A common reality: solid income, late start, 27 years of runway.
$999,130 at 67 - effectively the millionaire line - supporting about $3,330/month under the 4% rule.
Load this scenario in the calculator → - Early-retirement plan
Out at 55: $1,200/month from 30
Aggressive saving with $30,000 already banked - aiming to stop 10 years early.
$1,143,849 at 55. Note: early retirees often plan on 3.5% withdrawals ($3,336/mo) since the money must last longer.
Load this scenario in the calculator →
Common questions about retirement saving
How much do I need to retire?
A widely used starting point is 25× your expected annual spending (the inverse of the 4% rule). If you'll spend $60,000 a year, that suggests a $1.5 million nest egg. Social Security, pensions, or part-time income reduce the target - every $10,000 of reliable annual income replaces roughly $250,000 of savings.
What is the 4% rule?
A well-known rule of thumb. In your first year of retirement you take out 4% of your savings. After that you raise the amount each year in line with prices. It comes from studies of how past markets behaved, not from any guarantee about future ones. Treat it as a planning benchmark and nothing more. Some planners use a slightly lower figure to leave room for being wrong.
What return should I assume before retirement?
Honestly, nobody knows, and this is the input that moves the answer most. Whatever number you pick is a guess about decades you have not lived through yet. So try a range rather than one figure, and see how wide the spread of answers is. That spread is the real answer. A portfolio also usually shifts toward bonds as the date nears, which lowers both the risk and the expected return.
Is it too late to start saving at 40 or 50?
No, but the required monthly amount rises steeply. Reaching $1 million by 65 at 7% takes about $381/month from age 25, $820/month from 35, and $1,920/month from 45. Catch-up contribution limits for 401(k)s and IRAs after 50 exist precisely for later starters.
Should I count Social Security?
Yes, as a supplement. For many people, the state pension covers only part of what they used to earn. The rest has to come from savings. Check your projected benefit at ssa.gov and subtract that annual amount from the spending your portfolio must cover.
What does "in today's dollars" mean in the results?
A nest egg of $800,000 in 30 years won't buy what $800,000 buys now. Prices rise over time, so a million dollars will not buy in 30 years what it buys now. The tool adjusts for that, using the rate you set. It shows what the money would be worth in today's terms.