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This calculator answers one question: if you keep saving the way you do now, how much will you have when you stop working? It compounds your current balance and every future monthly contribution at your expected return, month by month, until retirement. The headline formula is FV = P(1+i)ⁿ + PMT × ((1+i)ⁿ - 1)/i: the first term grows what you already have, the second is the future value of an annuity, the running total of all monthly deposits each compounded for the months remaining. The results split the nest egg into what you put in and what compounding earned: total contributed is your starting balance plus every deposit with no growth, and investment growth is the difference. A separate inflation-adjusted value deflates the projection into today's money, and the 4% rule monthly income translates the nest egg into a rough sustainable income. The worked example on this page: $20,000 saved plus $500 a month at 7% for 35 years grows to about $1,130,650. You contributed $230,000 and compounding supplied roughly $900,650, nearly four fifths of the total. These are estimates for planning, not professional financial advice: real returns vary, and taxes, fees, and account rules all affect the outcome.
A retirement savings calculator projects what your nest egg could grow to by retirement. You enter your current savings, monthly contribution, expected annual return, and years until retirement, and it compounds everything forward to show the future value, how much of it you contributed versus how much compounding earned, the inflation-adjusted value in today's money, and a rough sustainable monthly income under the 4% rule. It is a planning tool and retirement planning estimator for testing scenarios, not professional financial advice.
Start by picking your currency. Enter your current retirement savings balance, then your monthly contribution (include any automatic transfers). Enter your expected average annual return: 6 to 8% is the long-run range often used for a diversified stock and bond portfolio. Enter the years until you plan to retire, and the expected inflation rate (around 2 to 3%) for the inflation-adjusted figure. If you are unsure how much you need to retire comfortably, run two or three monthly-contribution scenarios and compare the outcomes. The calculator instantly shows your projected nest egg, total contributions, investment growth, the value in today's money, and the 4% rule monthly income.
The projection has two parts. First, your current savings compound: P × (1+i)ⁿ. Second, every monthly contribution compounds for the months remaining until retirement, which is the future value of an annuity: PMT × ((1+i)ⁿ - 1)/i, where i is the monthly return (annual return/12) and n is years × 12. Add them: FV = P(1+i)ⁿ + PMT × ((1+i)ⁿ - 1)/i. Total contributed = P + PMT × n, and investment growth = FV - total contributed isolates what compounding earned. The inflation-adjusted value = FV / (1 + inflation)^years, and the 4% rule monthly income = FV × 0.04 / 12. Worked example: $20,000 saved plus $500 a month at 7% for 35 years grows to about $1,130,650, of which you contributed $230,000 and compounding supplied roughly $900,650.
Time is the single biggest lever in retirement math because growth compounds on growth. Run the same plan, $20,000 plus $500 a month at 7%, over different horizons: 25 years reaches about $520,000, 35 years about $1,130,650, and 45 years about $2,359,000. The final decade alone more than doubles the result, because the largest balances earn the largest gains at the end. Each year you delay saving removes a year of compounding exactly where it counts most, which is why starting early beats contributing more later. Even small, consistent deposits started young outrun large deposits started late.
A nominal return gives you future dollars, whose buying power inflation quietly erodes. To see the result in today's money, either enter a real return (nominal minus inflation, for example 7% - 3% = 4%) or read the inflation-adjusted value, which deflates the projection by (1 + inflation)^years. Planning with the inflation-adjusted figure gives a more honest picture of the lifestyle your savings will actually support. A $1.13M nominal nest egg at 3% inflation over 35 years is worth about $402,000 in today's purchasing power, still life-changing, but a very different number to plan around.
Two adjustments make the projection more realistic. Employer match: if your employer matches part of your 401k or 401(k) contribution, add the match to your monthly contribution, because it is free money that compounds the same way. Fees: subtract the annual expense ratio from your expected return (use 6.5% instead of 7% for a 0.5% fee), since fees compound against you just as relentlessly. The 4% rule then translates the nest egg into income: withdraw about 4% in the first year of retirement and adjust for inflation after, which historically lasted about 30 years. It is a guideline from historical data, not a guarantee: market crashes early in retirement, fees, and longevity all affect the safe rate.
Every retirement projection rests on simplifications, and this one is no exception. It assumes a constant return, but real markets swing year to year; it ignores taxes, account rules, and changing contributions; and it models only the accumulation phase, not how you draw the money down. Treat the output as a scenario to compare against alternatives (save more, retire later, lower fees), not as a forecast of your exact balance. For decisions involving real money, check the numbers with a qualified financial professional.
It projects the future value of your current savings plus every monthly contribution you will make before retiring. The formula is FV = P(1+i)ⁿ + PMT × ((1+i)ⁿ - 1)/i, where P is today's balance, PMT is the monthly deposit, i is the monthly return, and n is the months until retirement. A 30-year-old with $20,000 saved adding $500 a month at 7% reaches about $1.13 million by 65.
Because compound growth needs time. The same $20,000 plus $500 a month at 7% becomes about $520,000 over 25 years, $1.13 million over 35 years, and $2.36 million over 45 years. The last decade adds more than the first two combined, so each year you delay removes compounding exactly where balances are largest. An early start beats a higher contribution rate later.
The 4% rule is a rule of thumb suggesting you can withdraw about 4% of your nest egg in the first year of retirement, adjusting for inflation each year after, with a low chance of running out over about 30 years. On a $1.13 million nest egg that is about $45,200 a year or $3,769 a month. It comes from historical US market data (Bengen 1994, the Trinity study); it is a planning estimate, not a guarantee.
A nominal return gives future dollars, whose buying power inflation erodes. A real return (nominal minus inflation, for example 7% - 3% = 4%) shows the result in today's money. This calculator shows both: the nominal future value and the inflation-adjusted value, so you can plan around the lifestyle your savings will actually support.
Add the employer match to your monthly contribution: a $500 personal deposit with a $250 match becomes $750 a month, and the match compounds identically. For fees, lower the expected return by the annual expense ratio (for example 6.5% instead of 7% for a 0.5% fee). Fees compound against you, so low-cost funds materially raise the projection.
Use a long-run average for a diversified stock and bond portfolio, commonly 6 to 8% nominal before inflation and fees. Be conservative rather than optimistic: a 1% lower assumed return is a stress test, not pessimism. Never use a guaranteed rate unless the product actually guarantees one.
The calculator handles it: with a 0% return the future value is simple addition, your current savings plus every contribution, with no compounding. Comparing that against an invested scenario shows exactly what compounding is worth to you.
A common starting point is 10 to 15% of gross income, including any employer match, and at minimum enough to capture the full employer match, which is free money. The honest answer depends on your age, current savings, and target lifestyle: enter your numbers above and adjust the contribution until the projected nest egg matches the life you want.
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