Retirement Savings Goal Calculator

Work backwards from your retirement goal to find your required monthly savings

Retirement Goal

Common rule: 25x your annual expenses

Timeline

Years to retirement: {{ yearsToRetirement }} years ({{ yearsToRetirement * 12 }} months)

Growth Assumptions

Historical S&P 500: ~10% nominal, ~7% real (inflation-adjusted)

To reach your goal, you need to save:

{{ formatNumber(requiredMonthlySavings) }}/month

or {{ formatNumber(requiredMonthlySavings * 12) }}/year

Total Contributions

{{ formatNumber(totalContributions) }}

What you'll put in

Investment Growth

{{ formatNumber(totalGrowth) }}

What your money earns

Shortfall/Surplus

{{ shortfall >= 0 ? '+' : '' }}{{ formatNumber(shortfall) }}

vs your goal

🎉

You're Already on Track!

Your current savings of {{ formatNumber(currentSavings) }} will grow to {{ formatNumber(projectedFromCurrent) }} by age {{ retirementAge }}, which exceeds your goal of {{ formatNumber(retirementGoal) }}.

What If Scenarios

Return Rate Monthly Savings Yearly Savings Total Contributions
{{ scenario.rate }}% {{ formatNumber(scenario.monthly) }} {{ formatNumber(scenario.monthly * 12) }} {{ formatNumber(scenario.monthly * 12 * yearsToRetirement) }}

* Highlighted row shows your selected return rate

Progress Milestones

{{ milestone.percent }}%
{{ formatNumber(milestone.amount) }}
Year {{ milestone.year }}
Year Age Starting Balance Contributions Growth Ending Balance
{{ row.year }} {{ row.age }} {{ formatNumber(row.startBalance) }} {{ formatNumber(row.contributions) }} {{ formatNumber(row.growth) }} {{ formatNumber(row.endBalance) }}

How Much Do You Need to Retire?

A common rule of thumb is to save 25 times your annual expenses (based on the 4% safe withdrawal rate). Here are some examples:

Annual Expenses Retirement Goal (25x) Monthly Withdrawal
$40,000 $1,000,000 $3,333
$60,000 $1,500,000 $5,000
$80,000 $2,000,000 $6,667
$100,000 $2,500,000 $8,333

Tips to Reach Your Goal Faster

  • Maximize employer match: Free money you shouldn't leave on the table
  • Increase contributions with raises: Allocate 50% of each raise to retirement
  • Use tax-advantaged accounts: 401(k), IRA, HSA reduce your tax burden
  • Reduce investment fees: Choose low-cost index funds (0.03-0.20% expense ratio)
  • Automate savings: Set up automatic transfers to remove temptation to spend