Retirement Savings Calculator
Project your retirement balance and the annual income it could support under the 4 percent rule.
About this tool
Retirement planning reduces to one question: will the balance you accumulate support the income you need? This calculator projects your savings to retirement age using monthly compounding, then applies the widely cited 4 percent rule to translate that balance into a sustainable annual withdrawal.
The projection is in nominal dollars and does not subtract inflation. A common way to handle that is to enter a real return instead: if you expect 7 percent growth and 2.5 percent inflation, enter 4.5 percent and read the results in today's purchasing power. Time in the market dominates every other input, which is why starting age changes the outcome so dramatically.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 4 percent rule?
A guideline from the Trinity study suggesting that withdrawing 4 percent of a balanced portfolio in the first year of retirement, adjusted for inflation thereafter, has historically lasted at least 30 years.
What return should I assume?
Long run US stock returns average about 10 percent nominal, around 7 percent after inflation. A diversified portfolio with bonds will be lower. Conservative planning often uses 5 to 7 percent.