Retirement · 401(k) calculator
See where your savings are headed. Enter your age, what you’ve saved, and what you add each month to project your nest egg — and the income it could provide.
Rough retirement income (4% rule)
Nest egg growth — contributions vs. total
This calculator projects your retirement savings forward, one month at a time. It takes what you’ve already saved, adds your monthly contribution — your own plus any employer match — and compounds the balance at the annual return you choose, all the way to your target retirement age. Then it applies the 4% rule to translate that nest egg into a rough retirement income: roughly what you could withdraw in your first year and adjust for inflation thereafter. The chart shows your contributions climbing in a straight line while the total balance curves away above them — the visible work that compounding does on your behalf over the years.
The honest answer is that it depends on what you plan to spend, not on a single magic number. The 4% rule flips the question into something concrete: multiply the annual income you want from your portfolio by 25, and that’s your rough target. Want $60,000 a year? Aim for about $1.5 million. The point of this tool is to show whether your current saving rate is on track for your own target, and how much a change — retiring a couple of years later, or adding $200 a month — moves the result. Small, sustained adjustments compound into large differences by retirement.
Enter your current age and the age you’d like to retire, what you’ve saved so far, and how much goes in each month including any employer match. Set an annual return — 7% is a common long-run stock estimate before inflation, and a lower figure if you want the answer in today’s dollars. The headline shows your projected balance at retirement, the income panel translates it into per-year and per-month spending power, and the stats break out how much you contributed versus how much growth added on top. Model an optimistic and a conservative return to bracket the range.
Where you save matters as much as how much. The usual priority order is: contribute enough to your 401(k) to get the full employer match first — that’s an instant, guaranteed return you can’t beat anywhere else — then fund an IRA for its wider investment choices, then return to the 401(k) or a taxable account for anything extra. Tax-advantaged accounts let your money compound without a yearly tax bill, which over decades is worth a great deal. To see how a lump sum or monthly amount grows in a general account, use the investment growth calculator.
A seven-figure projection sounds reassuring until you remember that future dollars buy less than today’s. If you used a nominal return, mentally discount the result, or re-run it with an inflation-adjusted return so the number lands in today’s buying power. The goal isn’t to hit a big headline figure — it’s to fund the lifestyle you want at prices that will exist then. Our inflation calculator shows how far the cost of living can drift over a few decades.
Pair this with the investment growth calculator for non-retirement investing, the inflation calculator to keep the numbers honest, and the take-home pay calculator to find room in your budget to save more. For context, read why so many Americans fall short on retirement. This page is for general information and is not financial advice.
A common rule of thumb is to aim for about 25 times your expected annual spending, which pairs with the 4% rule — withdraw 4% of your savings in the first year and adjust for inflation after. So if you expect to spend $60,000 a year from your portfolio, you’d target roughly $1.5 million. This calculator projects your nest egg and shows the income 4% of it would provide, so you can see how your current pace measures up.
The 4% rule is a guideline suggesting you can withdraw 4% of your retirement savings in your first year of retirement, then adjust that amount for inflation each year, with a strong chance the money lasts about 30 years. It’s a planning shortcut, not a guarantee — market conditions, your time horizon and spending flexibility all matter. This tool uses it to translate a projected balance into a rough yearly and monthly income.
Yes. Your employer’s 401(k) match is part of what lands in your account each month, so include it in the monthly contribution field. An employer match is effectively a guaranteed, immediate return on your money, which is why capturing the full match is usually the first priority before investing anywhere else. If your employer adds 50% up to 6% of pay, count those dollars in your monthly total.
Not directly — it projects your balance at the return rate you enter. If you want the result in today’s buying power, use a lower, inflation-adjusted return (around 7% nominal becomes roughly 4–5% real). Either way, remember that a big future number will buy less than it would today, so judge the projected income against future costs, not current ones. Our inflation calculator can show how far prices may move.
As early as possible — time is the most powerful factor in retirement saving because of compounding. Money invested in your twenties has decades to grow, so even modest contributions can outpace much larger ones started later. If you’re behind, the next best time is now: increasing your contribution rate and capturing your full employer match can still move the needle significantly.
No. It’s an educational estimate that assumes a steady return every year, which real markets never deliver — actual returns are bumpy and unknowable in advance. Use it to understand the trajectory your savings are on and how changes to your contribution or timeline affect it, not as a promise of a specific balance. For personalized planning, consult a licensed advisor.
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Retirement and financial freedom aren't only about how to get there or amassing as much wealth as you can, but it's also about how you can maintain your retirement and live comfortably for the rest of
If you're reading this, then you are in one of two camps. Either you are nearing retirement and are wondering if you have enough to retire, Or you are not yet retiring but are planning ahead.
A 401k account is the most widely used form of retirement investing.
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