Retirement Calculator
Where your current savings and monthly contributions land you — and the yearly income that nest egg can pay.
Project your retirement
Two questions, one calculator
Retirement planning reduces to two numbers: what will I have, and what will it pay me. The first is compound growth — your current balance plus monthly contributions, compounding until your retirement age. The second uses a withdrawal rate: the famous 4% rule, from the Trinity study, found that withdrawing 4% of a diversified portfolio in year one (then adjusting for inflation) historically survived 30-year retirements in the large majority of scenarios.
A worked example
Age 40, $120,000 saved, adding $800/month at 7% until 65: the nest egg projects to about $1.31 million. At a 4% withdrawal, that's roughly $52,400/year ($4,370/month) — before Social Security, which for many households adds $20,000–40,000/year on top. Notice the anatomy: you contribute $360,000 total, growth contributes the other ~$950,000. Time in the market is doing two-thirds of the lifting.
The honest caveats
These are projections in future dollars — at 3% inflation, $52,000 twenty-five years from now buys what about $25,000 buys today, which is why many planners model returns at 4–5% "real" instead. The 4% rule is a guideline, not a guarantee; sequence-of-returns risk (bad markets early in retirement) matters, and many retirees use 3.5% for safety or flexible spending rules. This calculator gives you the shape of your trajectory — a fee-only fiduciary advisor can pressure-test the details as you get within ten years.
Frequently asked questions
Does this include Social Security?
No — the income shown is from your savings alone. Check your projected benefit at ssa.gov and add it for the full picture; for many households it covers a third to half of retirement income.
Is the 4% rule still valid?
It remains the standard starting point, based on historical US market data. Some researchers argue for 3.3–3.8% given today's valuations; others note flexible spending fixes most failure scenarios. Use the withdrawal field to test your own assumption.
Should I count my 401(k) match?
Absolutely — include the match in your monthly contribution. It's an instant 50–100% return and the single best deal in personal finance. Never leave match money unclaimed.
What if I'm behind?
The levers, in order of power: raise the contribution (catch-up limits help after 50), delay retirement a few years (each year adds savings AND shortens the drawdown), and reduce planned expenses. Small changes compound dramatically over 15+ years.