Retirement Calculator
Estimate how much your savings will grow by retirement and what that sum is really worth after inflation.
Example
A 30-year-old with $50,000 saved, adding $500/month until age 65 (35 years) at a 7% annual return projects to about $1,475,000. After 2.5% annual inflation, that is roughly $620,000 in today's dollars, with about $260,000 of it being personal contributions and the rest investment growth.
How it works
Enter your current age, target retirement age, current savings, monthly contribution, expected annual return and inflation rate. The tool compounds monthly to project your nest egg and discounts it to today's dollars.
Good to know
The Retirement Calculator projects how large your savings could grow by the time you stop working, then shows what that future sum is actually worth in today's money. You feed it six numbers — your current age, target retirement age, current savings, monthly contribution, expected annual return, and annual inflation — and it compounds your balance month by month until retirement. It is built for anyone doing a quick "am I on track?" gut check: early-career savers, mid-career people adjusting their contribution, or anyone comparing different return and inflation assumptions side by side.
Reach for it when you want to test scenarios rather than produce a precise plan. Bump the monthly contribution by $100 and watch the nest egg move, or drop the return from 7% to 4% to see how a cautious assumption changes the picture. Because everything runs locally and updates as you type, it is fast to iterate on without entering any personal financial details on a server.
Read the output in two layers. The big "projected nest egg" is the raw future-dollar total, but the inflation-adjusted figure is usually the more meaningful one, since it reflects what that money could buy at today's prices. The breakdown then splits the total into what you personally contributed versus investment growth, and the two bars show how much came from your starting savings growing versus your ongoing monthly deposits — a useful way to see when compounding starts doing the heavy lifting.
One caveat worth keeping in mind: the model assumes a single constant return every year and ignores fees, taxes, and contribution increases over time. Real markets rise and fall unevenly, so treat the result as a directional estimate, not a guarantee. A practical habit is to run it twice — once with an optimistic return and once with a conservative one — and plan around the lower number.
Frequently asked questions
What return rate should I assume?
A common long-term assumption for a stock-heavy portfolio is 6-8% annually before inflation. More conservative or bond-heavy mixes often use 4-5%. This tool keeps the rate constant, so lower it if you want a cautious estimate.
Why is the inflation-adjusted value so much lower?
Inflation erodes purchasing power over time. The inflation-adjusted figure shows what your future nest egg could buy in today's dollars, which is usually a more realistic gauge of your actual retirement lifestyle than the raw projected total.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
No — this calculator runs entirely in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Is this financial advice?
No. These are educational estimates — consult a qualified financial professional before making decisions.
People also ask
How much should I have saved for retirement by my age?
There is no single right number, but a frequently cited rule of thumb suggests saving roughly 1x your salary by age 30, 3x by 40, 6x by 50, and around 10x by retirement. These are general benchmarks only and your actual target depends on your spending, lifespan, and other income sources.
Does this calculator account for Social Security or a pension?
No. It only projects the growth of the savings and contributions you enter. Any Social Security, pension, or other retirement income would be in addition to the nest egg figure shown.
How does monthly compounding differ from annual compounding?
Monthly compounding applies a fraction of the annual return twelve times a year, so interest is added more often and the balance grows slightly faster than annual compounding at the same nominal rate. This tool uses monthly compounding to match the cadence of monthly contributions.
What is a realistic inflation rate to use?
Long-run inflation in many developed economies has averaged roughly 2-3% per year, though it can spike higher in some periods. The calculator defaults to 2.5%, and you can raise it for a more conservative view of future purchasing power.
Why does most of my nest egg come from growth rather than contributions?
Over long horizons, compounding lets earlier deposits and starting savings generate returns that themselves earn returns, so investment growth often outweighs total contributions. The longer the time to retirement, the larger that growth share tends to be.
Can I include annual contribution increases or a salary raise?
Not directly. The calculator assumes a fixed monthly contribution for the entire period, so you would need to re-run it with different figures or use an average to approximate rising contributions over time.
How accurate are retirement calculators?
They give useful estimates but cannot predict actual outcomes, because real returns vary year to year and factors like fees, taxes, and changing contributions are simplified or excluded. Their main value is comparing scenarios rather than producing an exact future balance.
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