🏖️ Retirement Calculator
Project your retirement savings balance and estimate how long it will last based on your contributions and expected returns.
Your Retirement Plan
Your Projection
Inflation-adjusted value shows your balance in today's purchasing power. "Savings will last" assumes continued 4% annual growth during retirement while withdrawing your desired monthly income.
How the Retirement Calculator Works
This calculator projects your retirement balance using monthly compounding on both your current savings and ongoing monthly contributions, then adjusts for inflation to show today's equivalent purchasing power.
Formula
FV = P × (1 + r)ⁿ + PMT × [((1 + r)ⁿ − 1) / r]
Inflation-Adjusted Value = FV / (1 + inflation)^years
Years Savings Will Last: balance depleted month-by-month while
withdrawing desired income and growing remaining balance at 4%/yr
Worked Example
Starting at age 35 with $40,000 saved, contributing $500/month, retiring at 65 (30 years, 360 months) with a 7% expected annual return: the projected balance at retirement is $934,645 — $180,000 from contributions and $714,645 from investment growth. Adjusted for 2.5% average inflation over those 30 years, that balance is worth $445,585 in today's purchasing power. Withdrawing $3,000/month in retirement while the remaining balance keeps growing at 4%/year, the savings in this example are projected to last more than 50 years.
Frequently Asked Questions
What return rate should I assume?
A common assumption for a diversified stock/bond portfolio is 6-8% annually before inflation, though actual returns vary and are never guaranteed.
Why does inflation matter for retirement planning?
Inflation erodes purchasing power over time, so a dollar amount decades from now buys less than it does today. The inflation-adjusted figure shows your projected balance in today's dollars.
How is "years savings will last" calculated?
Starting from your projected balance, the calculator subtracts your desired monthly income each month while growing the remaining balance at an assumed 4% annual return, until the balance reaches zero.