Retirement Calculator

Cripto Adicto, finance and investing content creator
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See how big your retirement nest egg could grow and what monthly income it might provide. This retirement calculator projects your savings to your chosen retirement age using compound growth, then applies the 4% rule to estimate your income.

Your retirement plan

How the retirement calculator works

This tool grows your current savings plus your monthly contributions at your expected return until your chosen retirement age, compounding every month. The result is your projected nest egg. It then applies the 4% rule to estimate the annual and monthly income that pot could safely provide. It is the fastest way to see whether your current saving is on track — and how much a small change today alters the outcome decades from now.

How much is enough?

The classic target is 25 times your annual spending. Spend $40,000 a year and you need roughly $1,000,000; spend $60,000 and you need about $1,500,000. Because of compounding, the earlier you start, the smaller the monthly contribution needed to get there. Use the FIRE calculator to explore retiring early, and read our retirement planning guide for the full picture.

Ways to reach your number faster

  • Start today. A decade of extra compounding beats a larger contribution later.
  • Use tax-advantaged accounts so more of your growth stays invested — see tax-advantaged accounts.
  • Keep costs low with broad index funds; fees compound against you.
  • Automate your monthly contribution so it never depends on willpower.

See the raw power of compounding behind these numbers in our compound interest calculator.

How to Calculate Retirement Savings

Formula: Nest egg = FV of current savings + FV of monthly contributions

  1. Project your current savings forward with compound growth.
  2. Add the future value of every monthly contribution until retirement.
  3. Apply an expected annual return as a decimal.
  4. The 4% rule turns the nest egg into a safe monthly income.

Frequently Asked Questions

A common rule is 25 times your annual spending (the flip side of the 4% rule). If you expect to spend $40,000 a year, aim for about $1,000,000. This calculator projects what your current plan will build so you can compare it to that target.
For a diversified, stock-heavy portfolio, 5-7% after inflation is a reasonable long-term assumption. Being conservative here protects you from over-optimistic projections; you can always end up with more.
It suggests you can withdraw about 4% of your portfolio in your first year of retirement, adjusting for inflation after that, with a strong chance of your money lasting 30+ years. We use it to turn your nest egg into an estimated monthly income.
No. It projects income from your own invested savings only. Any state pension or Social Security is a bonus on top, which could let you retire earlier or spend more.
Increase your monthly contribution, start earlier, keep fees low with index funds, and use tax-advantaged accounts. Even small increases compound into a much larger nest egg over decades — try different numbers above.