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Retirement Calculator

Project what your 401(k) and savings will be worth at retirement, and see how long that balance actually lasts.

Retirement Calculator

7% is a common long-term assumption

Beyond Social Security

Real return, after inflation

Balance at age 65

$1,926,099

$365,000 contributed over 35 years · $1,561,099 of growth

Total contributed

$365,000

Investment growth

$1,561,099

Money lasts

60+ yrs

4% rule income

$77,044

First-year withdrawal

Your employer match is worth $450,264 by retirement - the highest-return item in the whole plan, and it costs you nothing beyond contributing enough to earn it.

How the balance was built

  • Contributions$365,000
  • Investment growth$1,561,099

Balance from now to retirement

Contributions rise in a straight line. Everything above that line is compounding.

ContributedGrowth

Age 65: $1,926,099

Retirement balance by age, split between contributions and investment growth
Retirement balance by age, split between contributions and investment growth
PeriodContributedGrowthTotal
Age 30$50,000$0$50,000
Age 31$59,000$3,909$62,909
Age 32$68,000$8,751$76,751
Age 33$77,000$14,594$91,594
Age 34$86,000$21,510$107,510
Age 35$95,000$29,576$124,576
Age 36$104,000$38,876$142,876
Age 37$113,000$49,499$162,499
Age 38$122,000$61,540$183,540
Age 39$131,000$75,103$206,103
Age 40$140,000$90,297$230,297
Age 41$149,000$107,239$256,239
Age 42$158,000$126,057$284,057
Age 43$167,000$146,886$313,886
Age 44$176,000$169,872$345,872
Age 45$185,000$195,169$380,169
Age 46$194,000$222,946$416,946
Age 47$203,000$253,381$456,381
Age 48$212,000$286,668$498,668
Age 49$221,000$323,011$544,011
Age 50$230,000$362,632$592,632
Age 51$239,000$405,768$644,768
Age 52$248,000$452,673$700,673
Age 53$257,000$503,619$760,619
Age 54$266,000$558,898$824,898
Age 55$275,000$618,825$893,825
Age 56$284,000$683,734$967,734
Age 57$293,000$753,986$1,046,986
Age 58$302,000$829,967$1,131,967
Age 59$311,000$912,091$1,223,091
Age 60$320,000$1,000,803$1,320,803
Age 61$329,000$1,096,579$1,425,579
Age 62$338,000$1,199,928$1,537,928
Age 63$347,000$1,311,400$1,658,400
Age 64$356,000$1,431,580$1,787,580
Age 65$365,000$1,561,099$1,926,099
Maximum value $1,926,099

How the retirement calculation works

Retirement planning is two calculations, not one. The first asks what your savings will be worth on the day you stop working. The second — the one people skip — asks how long that balance actually lasts once you start spending it.

Building the balance is compound growth with regular contributions. Each month your existing balance grows by one twelfth of your annual return, and your contribution is added on top. Over decades, growth comes to dwarf contributions.

A worked example. Someone aged 30 with $50,000 saved, contributing $500 a month with a $250 employer match, at a 7% annual return, retiring at 65:

  • Total contributed over 35 years: $365,000 (including $50,000 to start)
  • Balance at 65: about $1.72 million
  • Growth: roughly $1.36 million, nearly four times what was paid in

The employer match is the single highest-return item in the whole plan. That $250 monthly match is an immediate 50% return on the employee's $500 — no investment reliably offers that. Contributing less than the full match is leaving guaranteed money behind.

Spending the balance is the second calculation. The common starting point is the 4% rule: withdraw 4% of the balance in year one, then adjust for inflation. On $1.72 million that is about $68,800 in the first year. The rule came from research on historical 30-year retirements, and it is a planning heuristic rather than a guarantee — it can fail in a poor sequence of early returns, and it can leave a large surplus in a good one.

Three assumptions worth stress-testing above:

  • Return rate. Dropping from 7% to 5% on the example above cuts the balance from $1.72M to about $1.15M. Small changes compound into very large differences.
  • Starting age. Delaying the same plan by ten years, to age 40, ends at roughly $780,000 — less than half, for two thirds of the contributions.
  • Inflation. $68,800 in 35 years buys what about $24,500 buys today at 3% inflation. The drawdown model here uses a real return, so treat the income figure as a rough guide and plan for costs to rise.

Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates for informational purposes only and is not financial advice. Your actual rate, taxes, fees, and payment will vary - confirm figures with a licensed lender or financial professional.

Frequently asked questions

How much do I need to retire?

A common starting point is 25 times your expected annual spending, which corresponds to the 4% withdrawal rule. If you expect to spend $60,000 a year beyond Social Security, that suggests around $1.5 million. Your real number depends on your retirement age, health costs, and other income sources.

What is the 4% rule?

It suggests withdrawing 4% of your balance in the first year of retirement, then adjusting that amount for inflation each year, as a rate that historically survived 30 years in most market conditions. It is a planning heuristic, not a guarantee, and many advisers now treat 3.5% as safer for longer retirements.

How much should I contribute to my 401(k)?

At minimum, enough to capture your full employer match, which is an immediate guaranteed return. Beyond that, 15% of gross pay including the match is a widely used target. The 2025 elective deferral limit is $23,500, with an additional catch-up contribution allowed from age 50.

What return rate should I assume?

Long-term stock market returns have historically averaged around 7% after inflation, but any individual 30-year period can differ substantially. Running the projection at 5%, 6%, and 7% shows how sensitive the outcome is, which is more useful than trusting a single number.

Does this include Social Security?

No. This projects your personal savings only. Social Security is a separate income stream that reduces how much you need to withdraw from savings each year, so subtract your estimated benefit from your annual income need before judging whether your balance is sufficient.

What if I started saving late?

Later starts need higher contribution rates, and catch-up contributions from age 50 allow more than the standard limit. Working two or three years longer is unusually effective, because it adds contributions and growth while simultaneously shortening the drawdown period.

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