Retirement Calculator

Retirement planning is not a single calculation but a system of interconnected decisions made over decades. This calculator projects how your current savings, contribution rate, and investment returns will translate into usable retirement income.

The core question retirement calculators answer is: will I have enough? "Enough" depends on your desired income in retirement, your other income sources (Social Security, pension, rental income), your expected retirement age, and how long you'll live.

Social Security typically replaces 30–40% of pre-retirement income for middle-income earners and less for high earners. The remaining gap must come from retirement savings. The widely-used 4% rule says you can withdraw 4% of your portfolio in year one, then adjust for inflation each year, with historically high probability of the money lasting 30 years. A $1,000,000 portfolio under the 4% rule provides roughly $40,000/year in retirement income.

Starting earlier makes a dramatic difference. Someone who saves $500/month from age 25 to 65 at 7% returns accumulates about $1,317,000. Someone who starts at 35 with the same contributions accumulates about $605,000 — less than half — despite only missing 10 years of contributions.

Key milestones to target: At 30, aim to have 1× your annual salary saved. At 40: 3×. At 50: 6×. At 60: 8×. At retirement: 10–12× your final salary. These are benchmarks from Fidelity Investments based on historical return data.

Maximize tax-advantaged accounts first: 401(k) to the employer match, then Roth IRA ($7,000 limit in 2025), then max the 401(k) ($23,500 in 2025). These accounts provide significant tax benefits that compound over decades into major wealth advantages compared to taxable accounts.