Retirement Savings Calculator
Projection — not a guaranteed outcome
Project a future savings balance from starting balance, contributions, assumed annual return, optional yearly contribution increases, and inflation you enter. Investment returns are not guaranteed.
Loading calculator…
How this calculation works
Horizon = retirement age − current age. Savings are modeled month by month:
- monthlyRate = (expected annual return ÷ 100) ÷ 12
- monthly contribution = annual contribution ÷ 12
- each month: balance = balance × (1 + monthlyRate) + monthly contribution
If you enter an annual contribution increase, the annual contribution rises once per year on the anniversary — not every month. Estimated value in today's dollars = nominal balance ÷ (1 + inflation)^years.
This MVP does not invent a withdrawal-rate or income-replacement figure (for example, no undocumented 4% rule).
Assumptions
- Expected return and inflation are constant user assumptions, not forecasts.
- Order each month: grow the balance, then add the contribution.
- No fees, taxes, or contribution limits are modeled in this MVP.
- Total contributions exclude starting savings; estimated growth = nominal balance − starting − contributions.
Limitations
- Investment returns are uncertain and are not guaranteed.
- Inflation-adjusted value is a purchasing-power estimate, not a second cash account.
- Ignores sequence-of-returns risk, fees, and taxes.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the projected balance guaranteed?
- No. It is a projection from the return and contribution assumptions you enter. Actual markets and contribution patterns can differ.
- Does this show how much I can withdraw in retirement?
- Not in this MVP. Income-replacement or safe-withdrawal estimates are omitted until a methodology is explicitly documented in the product specs.
Related calculators
Related reading
- How retirement compound growth is calculated — Monthly compounding, contribution growth, and today’s-dollars value.
- How to estimate life insurance needs
- Methodology