Does “yes” mean I’m safe to retire?
No. It only means projected savings clear this model’s target and neutral band. Markets, taxes, health, family, and flexibility still get a vote.
Big question. Tiny calculator.
Show me the nerdy bitRetirement math, minus the sales pitch.
CAN I
RETIRE?
Six numbers. Thirty seconds.
One blunt answer.
Your numbers never leave this device.
No signup. No weird follow-up email. The math happens right here.
Psst—use today’s dollars.
About 30 seconds
Okay. Gimme the numbers.
Compares projected savings with what your spending gap needs. Educational estimate—not advice.
Want the fine print?
Useful gut check, not a green light. This is an educational estimate—not financial advice—and real life can break the math in plenty of ways. What does it miss?
How much money do you need to retire?
Enough to cover the gap between what you want to spend and the reliable income you expect, month after month, through the ending age you choose. This is deterministic monthly math—not a full financial plan.
- Starting point
- 3% annual real return before retirement, 1% during retirement, and a plan through age 95. You can edit all three.
- Cautious check
- 1% real return before retirement, 0% during retirement, and a plan through age 100. It is a sensitivity check, not a forecast or probability.
- Projected savings
- Current invested savings grow at the selected real return. Inflation-adjusted monthly contributions are added until retirement.
- Amount needed
- Desired spending minus reliable income becomes the amount the portfolio must fund through the ending age.
- Gap, buffer, and funding
- Gap or buffer is projected savings minus the amount needed. Funding percentage is projected savings divided by the amount needed.
- Why “close” exists
- A ±10% neutral band, with a $1,000 minimum, keeps one stray dollar from flipping a confident answer. It is not a confidence interval.
Actual formulas
Projected savings = current savings × (1 + monthly real return)months + the future value of monthly contributions.
Amount needed = the present value at retirement of monthly spending minus reliable income, through the selected horizon.
At 0% return, the model uses straight addition. Choosing “Now” means no additional contribution or pre-retirement growth period.
What this retirement calculator leaves out
Constant returns are not real market paths. This estimate does not state the chance of success and cannot decide whether retirement is safe or right for you.
- Taxes and accounts: taxes, account types, withdrawal ordering, and required distributions.
- Markets and costs: investment fees, volatility, and sequence-of-returns risk.
- Health and obligations: healthcare, Medicare choices, long-term care, debt, mortgages, and emergency reserves.
- Other people: a spouse, survivor needs, divorce, and shared household income.
- Benefits: Social Security claiming details and pension start dates, taxes, survivor rules, inflation adjustments, guarantees, and solvency.
- Other money: home equity, inheritances, work income, and other assets.
- Later life: bequests, large one-time expenses, and living beyond the selected horizon.
Reliable income is modeled as starting at retirement, lasting for life, and rising with inflation. Real benefits are rarely that tidy. Before an irreversible decision, consider a fuller plan and qualified help appropriate to your situation.
Privacy: your numbers stay yours
Everything runs in this browser tab. The six values you enter and the result are not sent to analytics, a database, or any outside service.
No account. No saved plan. No lead form. No investment pitch. Reload the page and the numbers are gone.
Retirement calculator FAQs
What counts as reliable income?
Monthly income you reasonably expect in retirement, such as Social Security or a pension. Enter it in today’s dollars. The model does not verify start dates, survivor rules, cost-of-living adjustments, or taxes.
Why age 95 and age 100?
Every estimate needs an ending point. Age 95 is the editable baseline; age 100 makes the cautious comparison longer. Neither predicts lifespan.
What happens if I choose “Now”?
Retirement begins immediately in the model. Savings get no additional contribution or pre-retirement growth period, so the “save more each month” scenario is unavailable.