Retirement Calculator — Savings, Income & Timeline
Project retirement savings in today's dollars, compare required total monthly contributions with your current plan, and test how long income may last.
Retirement savings planner
Model accumulation and retirement income in today's purchasing power.
Timeline and current savings
Choose how long you will contribute and how many retirement years to test.
Returns and inflation
Rates are assumptions, not forecasts. The model converts nominal returns into real returns after inflation.
Retirement spending
Enter amounts in today's money. Use an estimate from your official Social Security account as other monthly income.
Capital through retirement
Plan details
| Scenario | Return before / in retirement | At retirement | Funded | Capital lasts |
|---|
How much do I need to retire?
The target is the present value of annual portfolio withdrawals needed after other income, over your selected retirement period, using an inflation-adjusted return.
Retirement savings projection
Current savings and monthly contributions compound until retirement. Because results are shown in today's dollars, the model assumes your entered monthly contribution rises with inflation. “Required monthly contribution” is the total monthly amount needed under the assumptions, not an extra amount on top of your entry.
Today's dollars and inflation
Nominal return is converted to a real return with (1 + return) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1. Spending, benefits, balances, and targets are displayed in today's purchasing power.
Social Security and pensions
Enter an external estimate as other income. For personalized Social Security estimates, SSA recommends using your my Social Security account rather than relying on a generic formula.
Frequently asked questions
Does the calculator guarantee my retirement income?
No. It is a deterministic illustration based on constant assumptions. Real returns and inflation vary year to year.
Why use today's dollars?
Today's dollars make future spending easier to compare with current living costs by removing assumed inflation from returns.
Does this calculate my Social Security benefit?
No. Enter your official estimate from SSA because benefits depend on your earnings record and claiming age.
What does funded percentage mean?
It is projected savings at retirement divided by the modeled target capital. It is not a probability of success.
Is the required monthly contribution additional?
No. It is the total monthly contribution the model requires from now until retirement. The surplus or shortfall compares that amount with your entered contribution.
