See the exact age you can retire — when your portfolio crosses the corpus you need to fund a lifetime of spending.
Free retirement-age planner. Enter today's savings, your contribution rate, expected return, and target spending — see the year your portfolio meets the inflation-adjusted goal.
Direct answers to the most common questions, in plain language. Skim if you're in a hurry; dig deeper below.
When your portfolio can fund your spending at a safe withdrawal rate.
The most-used rule is the 4% rule — you need roughly 25 years of expenses saved. Enter your spending target and the calculator shows the age your portfolio crosses that threshold, adjusted for inflation.
About 25× your annual expenses, in today's dollars.
For a 4% safe withdrawal rate, multiply your expected annual retirement spending by 25. For a more conservative 3.5% rate, multiply by ~29. The calculator lets you adjust the rate and shows the dollar target either way.
Yes — if your savings rate is high enough.
Early retirement is a math problem, not a luck problem. A 50% savings rate puts most workers within ~17 years of financial independence, regardless of income. The retirement age above is what your numbers say.
You can safely withdraw 4% of your starting portfolio each year for 30+ years.
Based on the Trinity Study and updates since, a portfolio of 60/40 stocks/bonds historically supported a 4% inflation-adjusted withdrawal for at least 30 years in nearly all market environments. The rule is a starting point, not a guarantee.
The mechanics in short answers — no jargon, no upsell.
Your annual retirement spending divided by your safe withdrawal rate is your target portfolio. At 4% SWR, that's 25× your spending.
Starting from today's savings, the calculator adds your annual contributions and compounds at your expected return — year by year.
A $40k/yr spend in today's dollars is more in tomorrow's. The target line grows with inflation, so the finish line moves slightly each year.
The age your balance first meets or exceeds the inflated target is your retirement age. Earlier crossings happen with higher contributions, returns, or lower target spending.
Designed so anyone can model their situation in under a minute, with or without a finance background.
Not a vague decade — the specific age where your portfolio hits the target corpus.
Add $500/mo and watch the age move. Powerful proof that small increases compound into years.
Your spending goal grows with inflation, so the corpus you need at retirement is bigger than today's number.
Use 4% for a balanced estimate or 3.5% for a more conservative one. The math updates instantly.
See exactly when your balance line crosses the rising target line — your freedom day.
The target represents lifetime sustainability, not the bare minimum to walk away.
Everything you might ask before, during, or after using this tool.
A reasonable nominal return for a balanced portfolio is 6–8% over long horizons. After inflation (a "real" return), use 4–5%. The default of 7% is moderate; if your portfolio is more bond-heavy, drop it to 5–6%.
Enter your retirement spending in today's dollars and let the calculator inflate the target. The result is the actual age you can retire, not "the age your nominal balance hits a specific number."
Because inflation makes the same purchasing power cost more dollars each year. A $1M target today might be $1.6M in 20 years. The calculator inflates the target to keep your spending power constant.
Recent research suggests 3.5% is more bulletproof for 40+ year retirements, but 4% remains a reasonable working assumption for 25–35 year horizons with a balanced portfolio. The slider lets you stress-test both.
A 4% withdrawal rate typically preserves the inflation-adjusted principal in most market environments. Use a more conservative 3% or 3.5% if leaving a meaningful inheritance is a priority.
No. The calculator is pure portfolio math. Social Security and pensions reduce the portfolio income you need — model them as a reduction in your "annual spend" number rather than as a contribution.
If you plan to retire before Medicare (age 65), bump your retirement spending estimate up by $10,000–$20,000/yr for ACA premiums or COBRA. Then re-run the calc.
It's a deterministic projection — actual returns will vary year-to-year. For most planning purposes, deterministic projections within ±5 years of the answer here are the realistic envelope. Run a Monte Carlo simulation for tighter bounds.
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Your retirement number is the portfolio size that can sustainably fund your spending forever. At a 4% withdrawal rate, that's 25× your annual spending. At 3.5%, it's about 29×. At 3%, it's 33×.
The most common mistake is calculating it once, in today's dollars, and treating it as fixed. Inflation moves the target — what costs $50k/yr today will cost about $75k/yr in 20 years at 2% inflation. The calculator above adjusts the target line as it walks forward.
Mr. Money Mustache popularized this insight: if you save 25% of your take-home, you can retire in ~32 years. Save 50%, and it's ~17. Save 75%, and it's ~7.
Income matters too, but only insofar as it enables savings. A high earner who spends every dollar is in worse shape than a moderate earner saving aggressively. The math is uncomfortably democratic.
The deterministic age above assumes a smooth return path. Reality is bumpy. A bear market in the first 5 years of retirement does much more damage than the same loss in year 25 — the early withdrawals lock in losses on a shrinking base.
Hedges: 2–3 years of cash, a bond ladder, or a "guardrails" withdrawal strategy that flexes spending in down years. The calculator does not model these — it gives you the central estimate.
1) Spending — the single biggest lever. Spending less reduces the target and increases the savings rate simultaneously. 2) Savings rate — the next biggest. 3) Investment returns — meaningful, but partly outside your control. 4) Working longer — least powerful per year, but useful at the margin.
Two short notes worth reading before you trust any number on this page.
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Results are not financial, legal, or tax advice. Please consult a qualified professional before any decision about your loan, investments, or personal finances. Actual loan terms and charges depend on your bank and individual circumstances.
