Retirement Calculator – See If Your Savings Are on Track

This calculator projects your retirement savings from today's balance to your target retirement age, factoring in monthly contributions, an optional annual step-up, investment returns before and after retirement, and inflation. The result shows both your projected nest egg and what that amount is really worth once inflation is stripped out.

Beyond the projection, it checks whether your savings can sustain your desired monthly income throughout retirement, and shows how your progress compares to your FIRE number — the amount needed to live off a safe withdrawal rate indefinitely.

02How the projection works

Each year until retirement, your balance grows by your assumed pre-retirement return and is topped up by your contributions, which can increase annually to reflect raises or inflation. After retirement, the calculator switches to your post-retirement return assumption and models withdrawals against your desired income.

• Pre-retirement growth: compounds your balance plus contributions at your expected return before retiring
• Contribution step-up: increases your monthly contribution by a fixed percentage each year
• Inflation adjustment: converts your future balance into today's purchasing power so the number is meaningful
• Post-retirement drawdown: tests whether your sustainable monthly income covers your desired spending

03Understanding your FIRE number

The FIRE number is typically calculated as 25 times your annual expenses, based on the idea that withdrawing 4% of your portfolio per year has historically been sustainable over long retirements. It's a useful benchmark, but a more conservative withdrawal rate (3–3.5%) gives extra safety margin if you plan to retire very early or markets underperform.

04Example

Starting with $20,000 saved at age 30, contributing $800/month with a 3% annual increase, at a 7% pre-retirement return, could realistically build a substantial nest egg by 65. The projection also converts that figure into today's dollars using your inflation assumption, so you can judge whether it will actually cover your desired lifestyle.