Project your retirement nest egg from current savings and monthly deposits, compare it with the 25× target for your desired income, and see the deposit needed.
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FORMULA USEDRetirement Savings Calculator
What this projection does
Two future values, added: what your current balance grows to by retirement, and what a level monthly deposit grows to, both at a constant monthly-compounded return. The total is then held against the 25× target implied by the income you want — the inverse of the 4% safe-withdrawal rule that came out of William Bengen’s 1994 research and the Trinity study.
The math
Existing savings: FV = C × (1 + r)^m. Monthly deposits: FV = D × ((1 + r)^m − 1) ÷ r, an ordinary annuity. Here r = annual return ÷ 12 and m = months between now and retirement. The target is simply desired annual income × 25.
Inflation, taxes, and other realities
The balance is nominal — today’s dollars grown at a headline rate. At 2.5% inflation, $1 loses roughly 58% of its purchasing power over 35 years. Taxes on withdrawals, fund fees, and the sequence of returns (a crash early in retirement hurts more than a late one) all trim the real outcome.
Reading the result honestly
A projection is a ruler, not a promise. Use it to compare saving rates and start dates. The monthly-deposit row shows what it would actually take to fully fund the 25× target — often far above a default instinct of saving 5–7% of salary.
Worked example
Age 30, $10,000 saved, $500 a month, 7% return, retiring at 65 — 420 months.
Total ≈ $1,015,589 — about 81% of the $1,250,000 target for $50,000 a year.
How to use it
Enter your current age and target retirement age.
Add existing savings and the monthly amount you actually save.
Set a return assumption — 5–7% is a common long-run range for balanced portfolios.
Enter desired retirement income to get the 25× target and the deposit needed to hit it.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I save for retirement?
A common benchmark is 15% of gross pay, including any employer match, started as early as possible. The exact answer depends on your target income — this tool computes the monthly deposit needed to hit 25× that number.
What is the 25× rule?
Multiply your desired annual retirement income by 25. It inverts the 4% safe-withdrawal rate that emerged from William Bengen’s 1994 analysis and the Trinity study: want $50,000 a year, and the target is $1.25 million.
What age should I plan to retire?
The compounding years matter more than the exact date. Saving $500 a month at 7% from age 22 ends near $1.64 million at 65; starting at 32 ends near $772,000. Delaying retirement also shortens the drawdown period and boosts Social Security if you claim later.
How does inflation affect my nest egg?
This projection is in nominal dollars. At 2.5% inflation, a dollar loses about 58% of its value over 35 years — $1 million at the end buys what about $421,000 buys today. Think in real terms by lowering the return assumption toward 4–5%.
What if I start saving later in life?
The math still works with bigger inputs: a higher contribution rate, an employer match, catch-up contributions after 50, or working two extra years each close part of the gap. The catch-up preset shows a realistic version of that plan.
How much does compound growth contribute?
In the default scenario you deposit $220,000 of principal and contributions while the final balance reaches about $1.02 million — growth supplies roughly 78% of it. That share rises the earlier you start.