Retirement Calculator
Project retirement savings with current balance, contributions, return, and inflation-adjusted (real) future value.
How to Use
- Enter your current age and target retirement age.
- Enter your current retirement savings balance (across all accounts: 401(k), IRA, taxable brokerage).
- Enter your monthly contribution amount across all retirement accounts.
- Enter your expected annual return — historical U.S. equity is around 10% nominal, ~7% real.
- Enter expected inflation — historical U.S. average is around 3%.
- Read both nominal (future-dollar) and real (today's-dollar purchasing power) projected balances.
Show Work
Notes
About the Retirement Calculator
Need a hand with personal-finance and money decisions? The Retirement Calculator does the work for you — free, and right here in your browser. Project retirement savings with current balance, contributions, return, and inflation-adjusted (real) future value.
How it works
Type your numbers into the boxes. The answer shows up right away — you do not have to press a button. If you change a number, the answer changes too. So you can try different numbers and watch what happens, or check an answer you worked out yourself. Just make sure each box has the right kind of number in it.
Want the deeper story? The Knowledge Base explains the ideas behind the tools in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do I need for retirement?
Two common rules. (1) <strong>25× annual expenses</strong> — if you need $60k/year in retirement, target $1.5M. (2) <strong>4% rule</strong> — withdraw 4% in year one, adjust for inflation thereafter; this gives ~95% probability of not running out over 30 years per the Trinity Study (1998). For longer retirements (early FIRE), the safe withdrawal rate is closer to 3.5%.
What's the difference between nominal and real value?
Nominal is the future dollar amount. Real (inflation-adjusted) is the equivalent in today's purchasing power. $1 million 30 years from now feels like roughly $400k today after 3% annual inflation. Always plan in real dollars — what matters is what you can buy, not the headline number.
What return rate should I assume?
Conservative 5–6% real for diversified portfolios. Aggressive 7–8% real for stock-heavy portfolios. Cherry-picked 10%+ if you're using historical U.S. equity returns. Past performance doesn't guarantee future returns — many financial planners now use 5–6% real to be conservative.
Should I count Social Security?
Conservatively, count it but discount it. The Social Security Trust Fund's projected depletion is around 2034, after which scheduled benefits would automatically reduce by ~25% unless Congress changes the rules. Realistic planning: assume 75–100% of your projected Social Security benefit, depending on your political risk tolerance.
What's FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early)?
A movement aiming to retire decades earlier than the traditional 65 by saving aggressively (often 50%+ of income) and living below means. Lean FIRE = ~$25k/year living expenses. Fat FIRE = $100k+/year. Coast FIRE = saving enough early that you can stop contributing and let compound growth carry you to retirement. Pick the variant that matches your priorities.
How does inflation affect retirement planning?
Massively — and most underestimate. At 3% inflation, $50,000 today becomes about $121,000 in 30 years for the same purchasing power. Plan in real (inflation-adjusted) dollars and you avoid the most common retirement-planning error. Social Security is partly inflation-protected (annual COLA adjustments); pensions and TIPS are too. Most other income is not.
How do I use the Retirement Calculator?
Simply type your numbers and read the result, which refreshes the instant you change something. There is nothing to submit and nothing to wait for.
Is it free? Does it work without internet?
Yes to both. It is free with no sign-up, and once the page has loaded it keeps working even with no internet.
Where does my data go?
Nowhere — every calculation runs on your own device. Nothing you enter is uploaded, logged, or stored.
Common Use Cases
Are you on track at age 30?
Plug in your current balance and contribution rate to see whether you'll reach a comfortable retirement balance by 65.
Planning to retire early
Test retirement at 55 or 50 to see what additional contributions are needed to bridge the gap.
Catch-up after a late start
If you're 45 with little saved, see how aggressive contributions over 20 years can still produce a workable retirement balance.
Fixed-income retirees
Use the inflation adjustment to understand how much purchasing power your fixed income will have in 10–20 years.
Couples planning together
Combine both partners' balances and contributions to plan retirement at the household level.
Mid-career check-in
Run the numbers every 3–5 years with updated balances to see whether your savings rate is on track.
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