Finance
Retirement Calculator
Project your nest egg and estimate sustainable retirement income from monthly contributions and expected returns.
Retirement plan
Projected nest egg in 35 years
$1,188,181
Annual withdrawal
$47,527
Monthly withdrawal
$3,961
Total contributed
$235,000
Interest earned
$953,181
Sustainable years
Infinity yr
Frequently Asked Questions about the Retirement Calculator
How does this projection work?
The calculator runs two phases. In the accumulation phase, it compounds your current savings monthly at your assumed annual return, then adds your monthly contribution at the end of each month, repeating until your retirement age. In the withdrawal phase, it multiplies the resulting nest egg by your safe withdrawal rate (default 4%) to estimate yearly and monthly retirement income. It also estimates how many years that balance can sustain withdrawals at the chosen rate.
Can you walk through an example?
Take someone age 35 with $50,000 saved, contributing $800 per month, planning to retire at 65 with a 7% annual return. After 360 months of monthly compounding the nest egg grows to roughly $1.38 million. Applying the default 4% withdrawal rate produces about $55,300 per year, or around $4,610 per month, in retirement income. These are pre-tax, nominal-dollar figures.
What are the 2026 401(k) and IRA contribution limits?
For 2026, the 401(k) employee elective-deferral limit is $24,500. Workers age 50-59 and 64+ can add an $8,000 catch-up for a $32,500 total; workers age 60-63 get a higher SECURE 2.0 catch-up of $11,250, bringing their ceiling to $35,750. The IRA limit is $7,500 ($8,600 with the $1,100 catch-up for age 50+). Limits apply to traditional and Roth versions combined within each account type.
Is 4% really a safe withdrawal rate?
The 4% rule comes from the Trinity Study and historically gave a high probability of a 30-year portfolio surviving. For early retirees or longer horizons, many planners now recommend 3.3%-3.5% to add margin. The calculator lets you adjust the withdrawal rate, so try 3.5% or lower if you plan to retire before 60 or expect to live past 90. This is an estimate, not professional financial advice.
Does this account for inflation or taxes?
No. All returns are nominal (not inflation-adjusted) and pre-tax. To think in today's dollars, subtract your expected inflation rate from the assumed return before entering it, for example use 4% instead of 7% if you expect 3% inflation. Traditional 401(k) and IRA withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income; Roth withdrawals are generally tax-free. A tax advisor can model your specific situation.