Retirement Calculator

Retirement planning is the process of estimating how much money you'll need to live comfortably once you stop working, and building a savings and investing plan to get there. Because retirement can last decades, the goal is to accumulate enough that your savings, combined with other income sources, can cover your expenses for the rest of your life.

The main levers are your retirement age, your expected spending, how much you save each year, and the returns your investments earn along the way. Small adjustments to any of these — retiring a little later, saving a bit more, or starting earlier — can meaningfully change the outcome. The estimates below are guidelines to help you plan, not guarantees.

Estimating how much you'll need

A common starting point is income replacement: many planners suggest aiming to replace roughly 70–80% of your pre-retirement income each year, though your real number depends on your lifestyle. Building an estimate from your expected annual expenses — housing, food, healthcare, travel — is often more accurate. Multiplying your target annual spending by the number of retirement years gives a rough sense of the nest egg you're working toward.

The 4% rule and safe withdrawal rates

The 4% rule is a well-known guideline suggesting you can withdraw about 4% of your savings in your first year of retirement, then adjust for inflation each year, with a reasonable chance of not running out over a 25–30 year retirement. It's a useful planning shortcut, not a promise: your safe withdrawal ratedepends on market conditions, how long you live, and how flexible your spending is.

Compounding and starting early

Time is the most powerful factor in retirement saving. Thanks to compounding, your returns earn their own returns, so money invested in your 20s or 30s has decades to grow. Starting early often matters more than the exact amount you save, because a longer runway lets even modest contributions grow into a much larger balance by retirement age.

Tax-advantaged accounts, Social Security, and inflation

Saving inside tax-advantaged accounts such as a 401(k) or IRA can boost your results, since they offer tax benefits and many employers match 401(k) contributions — effectively free money. Social Security is one piece of the picture rather than a full plan, so it's wise to treat it as a supplement to your own savings. Finally, remember inflation gradually erodes purchasing power, so your target and withdrawals should account for rising costs over a long retirement.