Retirement Savings Calculator
Project your savings to retirement age, see the 4% guideline's monthly draw and the inflation-adjusted value — every assumption stated, nothing uploaded.
Balance by age (every 5 years)
| Age | Contributed so far | Projected balance |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | $80,000 | $106,678 |
| 45 | $110,000 | $187,025 |
| 50 | $140,000 | $300,928 |
| 55 | $170,000 | $462,400 |
| 60 | $200,000 | $691,307 |
| 65 | $230,000 | $1,015,810 |
| 67 | $242,000 | $1,180,825 |
How to use this tool
- Enter your current age, planned retirement age, savings balance, and monthly contribution.
- Set an assumed annual return — then try it 2 points lower and higher, because this guess drives everything.
- Read three numbers: the projected balance, what the 4% guideline would draw monthly, and the balance in today's purchasing power.
How it works
The projection compounds your balance monthly at the assumed return and adds contributions at each month's end: the same future-value math as our compound interest calculator, verified against the closed-form annuity formula FV = P(1+r)ⁿ + c[((1+r)ⁿ−1)/r]. The 4% figure comes from the Trinity study's classic safe-withdrawal research: withdrawing 4% of the starting balance annually, adjusted for inflation, historically survived 30-year retirements in US markets — it's a planning guideline, not a guarantee, and later research debates it in both directions.
The inflation adjustment divides the nominal balance by (1+inflation)^years to show purchasing power in today's dollars — the honest number, since a million dollars three decades out buys roughly half of what it does today at 2.5% inflation. What this tool deliberately does not do: predict returns, model taxes or account types (401(k)/IRA rules change), or simulate market crashes. Sequence-of-returns risk — bad years early in retirement — is the biggest factor a simple projection can't capture.
Sources & references
- Trinity study — Cooley, Hubbard & Walz (1998), sustainable withdrawal rates
- NYU Stern — historical returns on stocks, bonds and bills
- SEC Investor.gov — compound interest and saving
Content last reviewed: July 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What return should I assume?
Nobody knows — that's the honest answer. The long-run US stock market average is near 10% nominal (about 7% after inflation), which is why 7% appears in planning tools; bond-heavy portfolios earn less. Using a range (5-9%) and planning against the lower bound is sturdier than betting on one number.
What is the 4% rule?
A guideline from studies of historical US markets: withdrawing 4% of your balance in year one of retirement, then adjusting that dollar amount for inflation annually, survived essentially all historical 30-year periods. It's a useful sizing heuristic — multiply desired annual income by 25 — not a law of nature.
Why is the inflation-adjusted number so much smaller?
Compounding works against you on prices too: at 2.5% inflation, prices roughly double over 28 years, so a nominal balance decades away buys about half what the same number buys today. Planning on the adjusted figure avoids a false sense of security.
Does this account for my 401(k) match or taxes?
No — include your employer match in the monthly contribution yourself (it's part of what's invested), and remember taxes depend on account type: traditional accounts are taxed on withdrawal, Roth accounts aren't. A fee-only financial planner can model your actual tax picture.