Retirement Calculator
Planning for retirement means answering two questions: how big a nest egg will I build, and how long will it last once I start spending it? This retirement calculator models both phases. In the accumulation phase, your current balance and monthly contributions grow at an expected return until you retire. In the drawdown phase, the nest egg keeps earning a typically lower return while you withdraw a fixed amount each year, and the calculator reports how many years the balance supports those withdrawals. It also shows the nest egg in today's dollars so you can judge its real spending power.
Calculate
Default result: $691,150.47
Retirement Calculator · Materials
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Nest egg at retirement
10000 × 500 × 7 × 30 × 80000 × 4 × 2.5
Shopping list
- Years the balance lasts
- 11 years
- Nest egg in today's dollars
- $329,500.93
Est. total
$691,150.47
Estimate — confirm w/ supplier · calculators.dev
Withdrawal-phase projection
Adjusts the projected balance for inflation so it reflects today's spending power.
- Nest egg at retirement
- $691,150.47
- Years the balance lasts
- 11 yr
- Nest egg at retirement (today's dollars)
- $329,500.93
- Years the balance lasts
- 11 yr
This calculator provides estimates for general informational purposes only and is not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Results are projections based on the figures you enter and the stated assumptions, and actual outcomes will differ. Consult a qualified financial professional before making borrowing, saving, or investment decisions.
Reviewed by the calculators.dev team · Last updated 2026-06-24
Formula reviewed against U.S. SEC Investor.gov compound-interest calculator — accumulation-phase reference
How to calculate
Enter your current balance, monthly contribution, the return you expect before retirement, and how many years until you retire. Then enter your planned annual withdrawal, the more conservative return you expect during retirement, and an inflation rate. The calculator grows your savings to a nest egg, then draws it down year by year until it runs out, reporting how long it lasts. The today's-dollars view discounts the nest egg by inflation. For $10,000 plus $500 a month at 7% over 30 years, the nest egg is about $691,150 and lasts roughly 11 years at an $80,000 annual withdrawal.
Accumulation: nest egg = FV of the current balance plus the monthly contributions at the pre-retirement return. Drawdown: each year the balance grows at the post-retirement return, then the annual withdrawal is subtracted; the years-lasted count is how many such years complete before the balance reaches zero (floored at zero, never negative). Today's dollars: real nest egg = nominal nest egg ÷ (1 + inflation)^years. Two-phase model: contributions grow until retirement, then the balance is drawn down at the withdrawal rate.
Example calculation
Starting with $10,000 and adding $500 a month for 30 years at a 7% annual return builds a nest egg of about $691,150. In retirement that balance earns a more conservative 4% while you withdraw $80,000 a year, so the funds last about 11 years. Adjusted for 2.5% inflation, the nest egg is worth roughly $329,501 in today's dollars.
- nestEgg
- $691,150.47
- yearsLastedLabel
- 11 years
- nestEggReal
- $329,500.93
Assumptions
- Two-phase model: contributions grow until retirement, then the balance is drawn down at the withdrawal rate.
- Returns are constant within each phase; real market returns vary and can be negative in some years.
- Withdrawals are a fixed annual amount; the model does not adjust them for inflation during the drawdown, and taxes and fees are not included.
Common mistakes
- Using the same return for accumulation and drawdown. Retirees typically hold more conservative, lower-returning assets, so the post-retirement return should usually be lower.
- Forgetting inflation. A nest egg that looks large in future dollars buys less in today's terms — check the today's-dollars view.
- Treating the years-lasted figure as a guarantee. Sequence-of-returns risk and variable spending can make the real outcome shorter or longer.
Frequently asked questions
How much do I need to retire?
Enough that your nest egg supports your annual spending for your expected retirement length. Try different annual-withdrawal amounts and watch how the years-lasted figure changes to find a level your savings can sustain.
Why are there two different return rates?
Before retirement you can usually take more investment risk for a higher expected return. After retiring, most people shift to more conservative holdings, so the drawdown phase uses a separate, typically lower return.
What does the today's-dollars view show?
It discounts the future nest egg by your inflation rate so you can see its real purchasing power in money you understand now, rather than an inflated future number.
What happens if my withdrawal is larger than the nest egg can support?
The years-lasted figure simply gets smaller, and the balance is floored at zero — it never goes negative. That is a signal to lower your withdrawal, save more, or plan for a shorter drawdown.