Retirement Planner
37 years of saving ahead
6–7% for equity-heavy, 5% for balanced
3% is the standard planning figure
Nest egg at 67
$2,028,260
≈ $679,433 in today's purchasing power
4%-rule income / yr
$81,130
≈ $27,177 in today's money
4%-rule income / mo
$6,761
≈ $2,265 today
You and your paychecks put in $405,200; compounding contributed $1,623,060 — 80% of the final balance.
Accumulation by age
| Age | Contributed | Growth | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 31 | $59,600 | $3,640 | $63,240 |
| Age 32 | $69,200 | $8,166 | $77,366 |
| Age 33 | $78,800 | $13,639 | $92,439 |
| Age 34 | $88,400 | $20,121 | $108,521 |
| Age 35 | $98,000 | $27,680 | $125,680 |
| Age 36 | $107,600 | $36,388 | $143,988 |
4%-rule income is a planning anchor, not a guarantee — it assumes a diversified portfolio and flexible spending.
The retirement question has two steps: what will your savings grow to by the date you stop, and what income can that balance safely support? This planner runs both — in nominal terms and in today's purchasing power — so the gap between where you are and where you need to be is a number, not a worry at 3 a.m.
Retirement planning is compound interest plus a countdown. Every year of delay does three things at once: adds a year of contributions, adds a year of growth on the whole balance, and removes a year the money must later sustain. That triple effect is why "work two more years" moves projections more than almost any other lever — and why starting small at 25 beats starting big at 40. The math rewards time more than it rewards intensity. It's not fair. It's just true.
Nest egg → income = Nest egg × withdrawal rate- Nest egg
- projected balance at retirement (contributions + growth)
- withdrawal rate
- typically 4% (the '25×' rule), adjusted for inflation annually
- real value
- nominal nest egg ÷ (1 + inflation)^years — today's purchasing power
Worked example: age 30, $50,000 saved, $800/month
Start at 30 with $50,000, add $800 a month, earn 6.5%, retire at 67: the balance reaches roughly $2.0 million. Under the 4% rule that's about $81,000 a year — but priced in today's dollars, that income is worth about $27,000 of current purchasing power. Both numbers are true. Only the second one describes the life you'll actually be living, which is why every serious projection carries an inflation adjustment beside the headline instead of burying it.
| Retire at | Years saving | Nest egg (nominal) | Income (4% rule) | In today's dollars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 30 | ≈$1.15M | ≈$46,000 | ≈$19,000 |
| 67 | 37 | ≈$2.0M | ≈$81,000 | ≈$27,000 |
| 70 | 40 | ≈$2.7M | ≈$109,000 | ≈$33,000 |
The seven extra years from 60 to 67 roughly double the nominal outcome — the triple effect at work.
Am I on track? The savings-by-age benchmarks
Guidelines published by major plan providers suggest multiples of salary saved: roughly 1× by 30, 3× by 40, 6× by 50, 8× by 60 and 10× at retirement. They assume a retirement around 67, a career of steady contributions and moderate returns. Landing below a multiple is diagnostic information — it tells you which lever (rate, age, or spending target) needs to move — not a verdict.
| Age | Multiple | Target balance | Typical actions if behind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 1× | $80,000 | Raise contribution to the full match; automate increases |
| 40 | 3× | $240,000 | Add Roth/IRA; redirect raises before lifestyle absorbs them |
| 50 | 6× | $480,000 | Use catch-up contributions; check asset allocation |
| 60 | 8× | $640,000 | Plan claiming age; consider working to 67 |
The four levers, ranked by power
- Retirement age — moves savings, growth and withdrawal years simultaneously; nothing else does three jobs at once
- Contribution rate — the only lever fully under your control every single month; the match cap is its minimum
- Spending target in retirement — each $10,000/year you do not need is $250,000 you do not have to save at a 4% rate
- Return assumption — the least controllable; chasing an extra point of return usually means chasing risk you cannot time
Sources & review
Reviewed by The Numberridge Editorial Team
Fact-checked · methodology documented
Every formula on this page is checked against the primary source documentation listed below before publication.
Last updated October 2026
Frequently asked questions
How much do I need to retire?
The common anchors are 25× your desired annual spending (the 4% rule) or 10–12× your final salary. A $60,000 retirement lifestyle implies a $1.5M target under 25×. Both rules assume a diversified portfolio; neither is a guarantee — they are calibration tools, not laws.
What is the 4% rule?
A withdrawal guideline from historical market data: withdrawing 4% of the initial portfolio, inflation-adjusted thereafter, survived 30 years in most US historical sequences. It assumes stock-heavy allocation and, crucially, flexibility — rigid spending through a crash is where the rule breaks.
How does inflation change my retirement number?
Enormously. At 3% inflation, prices double roughly every 24 years, so a 35-year-old planning for 65 needs today's cost of living roughly doubled. The planner shows both nominal and today's-dollar figures — plan against the real one, because that's the life you'll actually live.
What return should I assume in retirement planning?
During accumulation, 6%–7% nominal for an equity-heavy portfolio is standard. But returns near and after retirement matter more than the average — a bad sequence in the first five years of withdrawals does damage that later booms cannot fully repair. Conservative planning uses 5% or models both.
Does Social Security count in this planner?
Not automatically — add its value by reducing your target income. The average retired-worker benefit is meaningful (check ssa.gov for your estimate), and claiming age shifts it: claiming at 70 versus 62 can raise the monthly check by around 75%. It's inflation-indexed income — the only part of a retirement plan with a built-in raise, which makes it worth more than its sticker number.
Am I behind on retirement savings?
Common benchmarks (from Fidelity's and similar guidelines): about 1× salary saved by 30, 3× by 40, 6× by 50, 8× by 60, 10× at retirement. Behind a benchmark is information, not doom — the levers are contribution rate, retirement age and target spending, and this planner shows how each moves the answer.
Should I pay off my mortgage before retiring?
Often yes, at least by early retirement: eliminating the payment cuts required income and therefore required savings. But draining retirement accounts to do it can trigger taxes and forfeit growth. The balanced move is usually finishing the mortgage as retirement approaches, not raiding the 401(k) at 55.
What if I start saving late?
Later starters compensate with contribution rate, retirement age and spending target. Catch-up contributions (allowed from 50) plus working two or three extra years — which adds savings, growth years and fewer withdrawal years simultaneously — move the projection dramatically. Run your numbers before assuming it is out of reach.
Still unsure? Ask us a question — we answer within two business days.
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