Retirement calculator
Enter your age, the age you plan to retire, what you have saved and what you add each month. The calculator projects the balance and shows what it is worth after inflation. It is a simplified projection, not financial advice.
Runs in your browser: nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Enter your current age and the age you want to retire.
- Enter what you have saved and what you will add each month.
- Enter an expected yearly return and yearly inflation. Use cautious figures.
- Monthly return i = return ÷ 12 ÷ 100, months n = (retirement age − age) × 12
- Nominal balance = savings × (1 + i)^n + contribution × ((1 + i)^n − 1) ÷ i
- Real balance = nominal ÷ (1 + inflation)^years
- Investment growth = nominal − (savings + contribution × n)
Worked example
With a 0% return, 10,000 saved at 30 and 500 a month to 65 gives 10,000 + 500 × 420 = 220,000. If the return is 7% and inflation 2.5%, the same plan grows much more, and the real balance shows how much smaller it is in today’s money.
Limits
This is a simplified model: constant rates, monthly compounding, contributions at the end of each month, no taxes or fees. It does not model pensions, social security or changing contributions.
Frequently asked questions
How is the retirement balance calculated?
Savings grow at return ÷ 12 each month and the contribution is added at the end of every month: balance = savings × (1 + i)^n + contribution × ((1 + i)^n − 1) ÷ i, with i the monthly return and n the months. 1,000 at 12% for a year becomes 1,126.83.
What does the real balance mean?
It is the nominal balance divided by (1 + inflation)^years, which shows what the money would buy at today’s prices. At 10% inflation, 1,126.83 a year from now buys what 1,024.39 buys today.
Why is this a simplified projection?
It assumes a constant return and inflation, contributions that never change, no taxes, no fees and no market swings. Real returns vary year to year, and the order of good and bad years matters. Treat the result as an estimate.
Does it show how much I can spend in retirement?
No. It stops at the balance on your retirement date. Withdrawal planning depends on how long you need the money to last, your other income and taxes.