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.