Retirement Calculator
Project retirement savings, check if on track, and find out how much you need
Find out if retirement is on track
Knowing your number — how much you need and whether you are heading there — is the first step to retirement confidence.
Savings projection
See your nest egg at retirement based on current savings, contributions, and expected returns.
The number you need
Uses the industry-standard 4% rule to calculate the target based on your desired income.
On-track indicator
Instantly see whether your current path reaches your goal — and the surplus or gap.
Inflation adjustment
Adjusts your desired income for inflation so the target reflects actual future purchasing power.
Return rate control
Adjust the assumed annual return for conservative, moderate, or optimistic projections.
100% private
All calculations run in your browser. Your financial details stay on your device.
When to use it
Early career
Start with small numbers and see how compounding makes time your biggest asset.
Annual review
Check your progress each year and adjust contributions if you are falling behind.
What-if scenarios
Model different retirement ages, contribution rates, or return assumptions.
Goal setting
Find the monthly contribution needed to hit your retirement target on schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do I need to retire?
The most widely used guideline is the 4% rule: multiply your desired annual retirement income by 25. If you want $60,000/year in retirement, you need approximately $1.5 million saved. This rule assumes you can safely withdraw 4% of your portfolio per year, adjusted for inflation, without running out of money over a 30-year retirement. It is a starting point, not a guarantee.
What is the 4% rule?
The 4% rule comes from historical research showing that a diversified portfolio could sustain annual withdrawals of 4% of the initial balance, adjusted for inflation each year, for at least 30 years in nearly all historical market scenarios. It assumes a roughly 60/40 stock/bond allocation. More conservative planners use 3–3.5% for longer retirements or as a margin of safety.
Am I saving enough for retirement?
A rough benchmark: by age 30, have 1× your salary saved; by 40, 3×; by 50, 6×; by 60, 8×; by 67, 10×. These are medians, not targets set in stone — your actual need depends on desired retirement lifestyle, expected retirement duration, Social Security income, and other sources. Use this calculator to model your specific situation.
Does this include Social Security?
This calculator estimates what your invested savings need to cover. Social Security benefits are separate and typically add meaningfully to retirement income — the average 2025 benefit is around $1,900/month. For a fuller picture, estimate your Social Security benefit at ssa.gov and subtract it from your desired income before entering your number here.
What return rate should I use?
The US stock market has historically returned roughly 10% nominal, or 7% after inflation, over long periods. A mixed portfolio (stocks and bonds) has historically returned 5–7% nominal. Use 6–7% for a moderate assumption with a bond allocation; use 5% or less for a conservative estimate or if you are close to retirement and carrying more bonds. Never assume past returns guarantee future results.
Understanding Retirement Planning
Retirement planning is fundamentally a problem of time and compounding. The two most important variables in reaching a retirement goal are how early you start and how consistently you contribute — more so than investment returns, which you cannot control. Starting at 25 versus 35 can mean the difference of hundreds of thousands of dollars at retirement, even with identical contributions.
The 4% rule and sustainable withdrawals
The 4% rule, derived from the Trinity Study, found that retirees could withdraw 4% of their initial portfolio value per year — adjusted annually for inflation — with historical success rates above 95% over 30-year retirements. This gives the target formula: desired annual income ÷ 4% = needed portfolio. At $60,000/year, you need $1.5 million. At $80,000/year, $2 million. The rule has faced scrutiny in low-return environments, leading many planners to use 3–3.5% for longer retirements or added safety.
The power of tax-advantaged accounts
The difference between saving in a taxable account and a 401(k) or IRA is enormous over decades. Tax-deferred and tax-free compounding means far more of your growth stays working for you rather than going to annual taxes. Maximizing contributions to 401(k)s (up to $23,500/year in 2025, plus $7,500 catch-up over 50) and IRAs ($7,000/year) — especially if an employer matches — should be the priority before any other investing for retirement.
The sequence of returns risk
One of the most underappreciated retirement risks is sequence of returns risk: retiring into a market downturn dramatically increases the chance of running out of money, even if long-term average returns are fine. A portfolio that loses 30% in the first two years of retirement and then recovers is far more damaged than one that gains first and then loses the same 30%. This is why maintaining a cash buffer of 1–2 years of expenses and holding some bonds in retirement is standard advice — not for performance, but as a shock absorber against bad timing.