Enter your salary, savings rate and current savings. See your projected retirement wealth and annual income.
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Your Parameters
Live
Your Income & Savings
% of salary saved/invested each year
Assumptions
Estimated Retirement Wealth
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calculating…
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What This Really Means
Adjust the sliders to see your personalised analysis.
Total Wealth vs Contributions
Total wealth
Contributions only
Full Breakdown
Salary & savings rate
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Monthly / annual savings
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Current savings growth
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Future contributions growth
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Market return contribution
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Nominal vs real value
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Annual retirement income (4% SWR)
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Will You Have Enough to Retire?
The retirement adequacy question has two parts: how much will you accumulate by retirement, and will that amount sustain your lifestyle for 20–30+ years. This estimator tackles the first part — projecting your total retirement wealth based on your current portfolio, ongoing contributions, years until retirement, and expected returns.
Most people are surprised in one of two directions: either they're further behind than they thought (the most common case), or their savings rate will produce far more wealth than they need, suggesting they could retire earlier or spend more freely. Either insight is valuable — but you can't act on information you don't have.
The Three Retirement Wealth Drivers
Starting balance: What you have now. This is the base that compounds for the longest period — every additional dollar saved today has more impact than a dollar saved 5 years from now.
Monthly contribution: Your ongoing savings rate. Consistent contributions smooth out market volatility through dollar-cost averaging and continuously add to the compounding base.
Time: Years until retirement. This is the variable most people underestimate. Adding 2–3 years of working can increase retirement wealth by 15–25% through both additional contributions and additional compounding time.
Benchmarks by Age
Common benchmarks: by 30, aim for 1× annual salary saved; by 40, 3×; by 50, 6×; by 60, 8×; by 65, 10×. These are rough guides — the right number depends on your expected retirement spending, Social Security or pension income, and planned retirement age. Use this calculator to find your personalised target rather than relying on general rules.
What to Do If You're Behind
If the projection shows a shortfall, you have five practical options: increase your savings rate (most impactful), delay retirement by 2–5 years, reduce expected retirement spending, take on slightly more investment risk to target higher returns, or pursue additional income through a side hustle specifically earmarked for retirement savings. Most people find a combination of small adjustments across multiple levers closes the gap without requiring dramatic lifestyle changes.
Common Questions
How much do I need to retire?
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The 4% rule suggests you need 25× your annual retirement expenses. At $50,000/year in expenses, you need $1.25M. At $80,000/year, you need $2M. These figures assume a balanced portfolio, 30-year retirement, and no significant pension or Social Security income.
Am I on track for retirement?
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Common benchmarks by age: 30 = 1× salary saved; 40 = 3× salary; 50 = 6× salary; 60 = 8× salary. If you're below these, increase your savings rate, delay retirement by 1–3 years, or both. This calculator shows your projected balance vs your target so you can see the gap precisely.
How does delaying retirement by 2 years affect wealth?
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Delaying retirement by 2 years typically increases final wealth by 15–25% through: 2 more years of contributions, 2 more years of compounding on the existing portfolio, and 2 fewer years of withdrawal. It's one of the highest-leverage adjustments available to someone behind on retirement savings.
What return should I assume for retirement projections?
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7% is the standard inflation-adjusted historical average for a balanced stock/bond portfolio (S&P 500 historical real return ~7%). Use 5% for conservative planning, 6% for moderate, 7–8% for aggressive equity-heavy portfolios. Lower return assumptions result in needing to save more.
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Disclaimer: For educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Projections use historical averages and are not guaranteed. Consult a qualified financial advisor.
What Is the Retirement Wealth Estimator?
The Retirement Wealth Estimator projects how much your current savings and ongoing contributions will grow by the time you retire. It's built for anyone who wants to see — in today's dollars — whether their current savings rate puts them on track, or how much more they need to set aside each month to hit their target.
How the Calculation Works
The calculator uses the Future Value of a growing annuity formula: FV = P(1+r)^n + C × [(1+r)^n − 1] / r, where P is your current portfolio, r is the annual return rate, n is years to retirement, and C is your monthly contribution. The default assumes 7% annual growth — the historical average real return of a diversified US stock portfolio after inflation.
Why This Number Matters
Most people dramatically underestimate how much compound growth does the heavy lifting over time. Someone who starts with $10,000 at age 25 and contributes $500/month will accumulate roughly $1.4M by age 65 at 7% returns — with only $252,000 coming from their own contributions. The other $1.15M is pure compound growth. Seeing this projection early is what turns occasional savers into consistent investors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What return rate should I use?
The S&P 500 has returned an average of about 10% nominally and 7% after inflation over the past 50 years. For a conservative estimate, use 6%. For an all-stock portfolio with no inflation adjustment, 10% is historically supported — but past returns don't guarantee future results.
How much should I have saved by age 40?
Fidelity recommends having 3× your annual salary saved by age 40. If you earn $80,000, that's $240,000. However, the more actionable benchmark is whether your current trajectory hits your FIRE number or target retirement date — this calculator gives you that specific projection.
Does this account for inflation?
If you use the 7% real return assumption, the result is already inflation-adjusted — meaning the output is in today's purchasing power. If you use the nominal 10%, multiply the output by roughly 0.5 to get an approximate real value (assuming 3% average inflation over 25+ years).