Retirement Calculator
See how your retirement savings grow over time, what that's worth in today's dollars after inflation, and roughly how much monthly income it could support.
Your numbers Free
Growth over time
| Age | Years from now | Balance (nominal) | Balance (today's $) |
|---|
"Today's dollars" shows what each future balance would actually buy at today's prices, after accounting for the inflation rate above.
Quick answers
What is the 4% rule?
A common (though debated) retirement planning guideline: if you withdraw about 4% of your portfolio in your first year of retirement, then adjust that dollar amount for inflation each year after, your savings have historically had a good chance of lasting 30 years. It's a starting estimate, not a guarantee — market conditions, sequence of returns, and how long you live all affect whether it actually holds up.
Is 7% a realistic annual return to assume?
7% is a commonly used estimate for long-term diversified stock market returns after adjusting for inflation is sometimes baked in differently depending on the source — some use 10% nominal (before inflation) and 7% real (after inflation). This calculator treats your input as a nominal return and separately adjusts for inflation at the end, so make sure you're not double-counting inflation in your return assumption.
Does this account for employer 401(k) matching?
Not automatically — if your employer matches contributions, add that match amount into your "monthly contribution" field to include it in the projection. Free employer match money is one of the highest-return moves in personal finance; always try to contribute at least enough to get the full match.