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Retirement calculator

For a retirement from 65 to 90 you typically need savings of 18 to 25 times your first-year spending in retirement, less any pensions. Enter your numbers, in any currency, to see your own target and the monthly investment that builds it. Everything runs in your browser.

Free · any currency · no sign-up · method last reviewed

Sets typical inflation and returns
yrs
yrs
30 years from now
$
$4,000 · Everything you spend, incl. insurance. Leave out loan payments that end before then.
$
$80,000 · Index funds, stocks, bonds, pension and retirement accounts
$
$1,600 · Including workplace pension contributions
Assumptions · 3% inflation · 7% stocks · plan to 90
%
Typical for developed markets
%
Yearly, after tax
%
Yearly, after tax
%
As your income grows
%
Share of what's already invested
yrs
90+ if retiring early

Your retirement target at 65: $2.2M. On track.

Your retirement target at 65

On track

$2.2M

About 19× your first-year spending of $117K at 65 (that's $48,000 a year in today's money).

At your current investing you'd have about $2.3M at 65.

Invest each month to be retired at 65
$1,516
Rising 2% a year
At your current investing
Age 65
Earliest retirement age investing $1,600/month
Coast FIRE number today
$419K
You have $80,000
Your investments vs your retirement targetAt your current investingRetirement savings needed
$0$575K$1.15M$1.72M$2.3M3640444852566065

In future money (prices rise 3% a year). Assumes steady returns; real markets go up and down.

Will $2.2M last until 90?

Expected returns
Lasts past 90
Stocks earn the expected return every year
Crash in the first year
Runs out at 87
Stocks fall 35% right after you stop working

The target is sized so the money lasts until 90 at expected returns. It uses a bucket strategy: 10 years of spending in bonds and cash, the rest invested for later years. A crash right after you stop working is the biggest risk; the full planner shows how to prepare for it.

Make it a full plan

Add pensions, health costs, children's education and other goals, a year-by-year cash flow, and a bucket strategy for after you stop working. Your numbers from here carry over.

Quick answer: how much do you need to retire?

For a retirement from 65 to 90, you typically need savings of about 18 to 25 times your first-year spending in retirement, with that spending grown by inflation from today, minus whatever pensions will pay. For example, $4,000 a month today is about $116,500 a year in 30 years at 3% inflation, so roughly $2.1 to 2.9 million at retirement before pensions. Retiring earlier, or planning to 95, needs more.

How this retirement calculator works

  1. Your spending at retirement. Today's monthly spending grows with inflation until your retirement age.
  2. Your target. We add up every year of spending from retirement to your plan age, allowing for what the money earns while it waits: the first 10 years in bonds and cash, later years in a mix with more stocks.
  3. What you already have. Your current savings grow at the returns you enter.
  4. Monthly investment. We find the monthly amount, rising each year, that closes the gap, with stocks reduced gradually as retirement gets closer.
  5. Will it last? We check the plan at expected returns and after a 35% stock crash in your first year.

Frequently asked questions

How much money do I need to retire?

It depends on what you spend, inflation and how long retirement lasts. As an example, $4,000 a month today becomes about $9,700 a month ($116,500 a year) in 30 years at 3% inflation. For a retirement from 65 to 90, that typically means savings of roughly 18 to 25 times your first-year spending, less any pension or state benefits. Enter your own numbers above for an exact figure.

How do I calculate how much I need for retirement?

Take your monthly spending today and grow it with inflation until your retirement age. Add up every year of spending from retirement to your plan age, still rising with inflation, and discount each year by the return the money earns until it is spent. That total is your target. Subtract what your current savings will grow to, and the rest is what your monthly investing must build.

What inflation rate should I use?

Around 2 to 3% is a common long-term assumption in developed economies, and higher in many emerging markets. Medical costs usually rise faster. If you are unsure, test 1 percentage point higher to see how much more you would need.

Until what age should my retirement plan last?

Plan until at least 90. Running out of money at 85 is a much bigger problem than leaving some behind, and people who reach 65 in good health often live well into their late 80s or 90s.

Should I include state pensions or Social Security?

Yes, if you expect them. This quick calculator assumes no other income, so it shows the full amount your own savings must cover. The financial planner lets you add pensions, rental income or part-time work from any age, which lowers the savings you need.

Why increase my monthly investing every year?

Raising what you invest by 2 to 5% a year, in line with pay rises, can cut the starting amount you need by a lot, because later, larger contributions do much of the work.

Is my data stored anywhere?

No. The calculator runs in your browser and your numbers are not sent to any server. The inputs appear in the page address only so you can bookmark or share a result yourself.

Sources

Rules and rates change. Check the current figures with the official source before acting.

For education only, not financial advice. Results depend on your inputs and on assumed returns and inflation, which will differ from reality. Read the disclaimer.