Retirement Calculator

A common rule of thumb is to have 25× your annual retirement spending saved. If you plan to spend $60,000 per year, you'd need $1,500,000. This assumes a 4% withdrawal rate.

However, the right number depends on your spending, Social Security income, health costs, debt, and how long you expect to live. The 25× rule is a starting point, not a guarantee.

The 4% rule (or "safe withdrawal rate") suggests that retirees can withdraw 4% of their portfolio in year one of retirement and adjust for inflation annually, with a high likelihood of the portfolio lasting 30 years.

It's based on historical research (the "Trinity Study") covering 30-year retirement periods. Some financial planners now recommend 3.5% for longer retirements or uncertain market conditions. 4.5% may work for shorter retirements.

Inflation erodes purchasing power over time. At 3% annual inflation, what costs $1,000 today will cost roughly $1,800 in 20 years. This means your retirement income needs to grow each year to maintain the same lifestyle.

The "today's dollars" figure shows you what your projected balance would be worth in current purchasing power, giving a more honest picture of what you'll actually be able to spend.

Using only optimistic return assumptions can give a false sense of security. Testing with 5–6% returns (instead of 8–10%) helps you understand how sensitive your plan is to a decade of lower market returns — which is common and historically expected at least once per 30-year career.

The premium planner includes Monte Carlo simulation, which runs 1,000 return scenarios to give you a probability of success range, not just one average outcome.