Retirement Calculator
How much do you need to retire, and will you get there? Enter where you are today and the life you want; we size the nest egg, check your trajectory and tell you what it takes to close any gap.
at age 65 to spend $60,000 a year in today’s money until 92. You’re on course for $1,462,967.
79% funded. Saving about $324 more per month would close the gap. At the current pace, money runs out around age 84.
Year-by-year table
| Age | Added | Growth that year | Total contributed | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | $9,600 | $4,651 | $69,600 | $74,251 |
| 37 | $9,600 | $5,682 | $79,200 | $89,533 |
| 38 | $9,600 | $6,786 | $88,800 | $105,920 |
| 39 | $9,600 | $7,971 | $98,400 | $123,491 |
| 40 | $9,600 | $9,241 | $108,000 | $142,332 |
| 41 | $9,600 | $10,603 | $117,600 | $162,535 |
| 42 | $9,600 | $12,064 | $127,200 | $184,199 |
| 43 | $9,600 | $13,630 | $136,800 | $207,429 |
| 44 | $9,600 | $15,309 | $146,400 | $232,338 |
| 45 | $9,600 | $17,110 | $156,000 | $259,048 |
| 46 | $9,600 | $19,041 | $165,600 | $287,688 |
| 47 | $9,600 | $21,111 | $175,200 | $318,399 |
| 48 | $9,600 | $23,331 | $184,800 | $351,330 |
| 49 | $9,600 | $25,712 | $194,400 | $386,642 |
| 50 | $9,600 | $28,264 | $204,000 | $424,507 |
| 51 | $9,600 | $31,002 | $213,600 | $465,108 |
| 52 | $9,600 | $33,937 | $223,200 | $508,645 |
| 53 | $9,600 | $37,084 | $232,800 | $555,329 |
| 54 | $9,600 | $40,459 | $242,400 | $605,388 |
| 55 | $9,600 | $44,078 | $252,000 | $659,066 |
| 56 | $9,600 | $47,958 | $261,600 | $716,624 |
| 57 | $9,600 | $52,119 | $271,200 | $778,342 |
| 58 | $9,600 | $56,581 | $280,800 | $844,523 |
| 59 | $9,600 | $61,365 | $290,400 | $915,488 |
| 60 | $9,600 | $66,495 | $300,000 | $991,582 |
| 61 | $9,600 | $71,996 | $309,600 | $1,073,178 |
| 62 | $9,600 | $77,894 | $319,200 | $1,160,672 |
| 63 | $9,600 | $84,219 | $328,800 | $1,254,491 |
| 64 | $9,600 | $91,001 | $338,400 | $1,355,093 |
| 65 | $9,600 | $98,274 | $348,000 | $1,462,967 |
Ask about your numbers
Get a plain-English read of the result above: what drives it, what to try changing. It sends only the numbers in this calculator and your question. Educational only, not financial advice.
Watch the 4% rule play out
Start with $1,000,000. Take 4% in year one, then raise the withdrawal with inflation every year no matter what markets do. The balance earns a steady return between withdrawals. Real markets are bumpier, and a crash in the first few years (sequence risk) hurts far more than one later on.
Money runs out in year 34
How this retirement calculator works
- Grow what you have. Your current savings and monthly contributions compound at your pre-retirement return until your retirement age.
- Find the income gap. Spending minus Social Security and pensions, inflated to the year you retire.
- Size the nest egg. The amount that funds that gap, rising with inflation every year, until your plan-to age, while the remainder keeps earning your in-retirement return. This is usually more precise than the 4% shortcut, which assumes a 30-year retirement.
- Close the gap. If you fall short, it solves for the extra monthly saving that gets you there by your retirement date.
Ways to close a gap
- Capture the full employer match first. It is an instant 50–100% return on those dollars (see the 401(k) calculator).
- Work a little longer. Each extra year adds a year of saving and growth and removes a year of withdrawals, and delaying Social Security past full retirement age raises the benefit 8% a year up to age 70 (SSA).
- Trim planned spending. Every $1,000 a year less you need cuts the target by roughly $25,000.
- Use tax-advantaged accounts. Compare a Roth vs Traditional contribution for your tax rate.
Questions people ask
How much do I need to retire?
Work out the yearly spending your savings must cover (spending minus Social Security and any pension), then multiply. At a 4% withdrawal rate that is 25× the gap; at 3.5% it is about 28.6×. This calculator also does the precise version: the present value of inflation-adjusted withdrawals over your retirement at your expected real return.
What is the 4% rule?
It comes from William Bengen’s 1994 study of US market history: withdrawing 4% of the starting balance in year one, then raising that dollar amount with inflation each year, survived every 30-year period he tested with a stock/bond mix. It is a rule of thumb, not a guarantee, and longer retirements usually call for a lower rate.
What is a FIRE number?
In the Financial Independence, Retire Early movement, your FIRE number is the portfolio that could fund your spending indefinitely, usually annual expenses × 25 (the 4% rule). Early retirees often use 28–33× because their money must last 40+ years.
Should I count Social Security?
Yes. Your estimated benefit is on your my Social Security statement at ssa.gov. Subtract it from your spending before sizing the nest egg; it is inflation-adjusted, which makes it very valuable.
What return should I assume in retirement?
Portfolios usually get more conservative near and in retirement. A real (after-inflation) return of 3–5% is a common planning range. The calculator uses your return minus inflation for the retirement phase.