Retirement Calculator

Plan your retirement corpus — how much to save, and how long it will last

Currency

Current Age

yrs

1880

Retirement Age

yrs

1890

Life Expectancy

yrs

40120

Monthly Expenses at Retirement

$0$100K

Expected Annual Return

0%20%

Expected Inflation Rate

0%20%

Current Savings / Investments

$0$2M

Results

Fill in your details and click Calculate.

Frequently Asked Questions

A common rule of thumb is the 25x rule — multiply your expected annual retirement expenses by 25. This assumes a 4% safe withdrawal rate. For example, if you need $3,000/month ($36,000/year), you need a corpus of roughly $900,000. However, actual needs depend on inflation, investment returns, life expectancy, and lifestyle. This calculator accounts for all those factors.

A retirement corpus is the total pool of savings and investments you have accumulated by the time you retire. It is used to fund your living expenses, healthcare, and other costs throughout retirement. The corpus needs to be large enough to last your entire retirement — ideally with investment returns covering withdrawals so the principal doesn't run out too soon.

Inflation erodes purchasing power over time. A 6% inflation rate means your expenses double roughly every 12 years. If you retire at 60 and plan expenses of $3,000/month at today's prices, those same expenses may cost $6,000+/month 20 years later. This calculator uses inflation-adjusted (real) returns to project actual purchasing power accurately.

The 4% rule (Bengen rule) states that you can safely withdraw 4% of your portfolio per year in retirement without running out of money for at least 30 years, based on historical US stock and bond market returns. It's a useful starting point, but should be adjusted for individual circumstances, country-specific returns, and inflation expectations.

Compound interest is exponential — money invested early has more years to grow. For example, $10,000 invested at 8% becomes ~$100,000 after 30 years, but only ~$46,000 after 20 years. Starting 10 years earlier more than doubles the final amount. The monthly savings required also drops dramatically when you have more time to accumulate.

This depends on your asset allocation. Historically, diversified equity funds return 10–12% annually before inflation (7–8% real return in developed markets). Bonds return 4–6%. A balanced portfolio (60% equity / 40% bonds) might target 7–9%. It's prudent to use a conservative estimate (6–8%) for retirement planning to avoid overestimating your corpus.

The simplest method is the 25x Rule: multiply your expected annual expenses at retirement by 25. This assumes a 4% safe withdrawal rate that historically sustains a portfolio for 30+ years. For example, if you need $40,000/year in retirement, target a corpus of $1,000,000. This calculator uses a more precise approach by accounting for inflation-adjusted expenses and actual investment returns over your retirement horizon.

At 6% annual inflation, purchasing power halves every 12 years. A retiree spending $3,000/month today would need $6,000/month in 12 years just to maintain the same lifestyle. This is why retirement planning must account for inflation-adjusted withdrawals — your corpus must grow during retirement fast enough to offset both withdrawals and inflation. Keeping a portion of your retirement savings in equity even post-retirement can help beat inflation.

The 4% rule (from the Trinity Study) suggests withdrawing 4% of your initial portfolio in year one, then adjusting for inflation each year. Research shows this rate has a high probability of sustaining a portfolio for 30 years based on historical US market data. However, for retirements lasting 40+ years, a more conservative 3–3.5% rate is recommended. The appropriate rate also depends on your asset allocation and spending flexibility.

Yes. Social Security, pension, or annuity income reduces the amount your portfolio needs to cover. If you expect to receive $1,500/month from Social Security and your total retirement expense is $4,000/month, your portfolio only needs to cover the remaining $2,500/month. Enter this reduced figure as your "Monthly Expenses at Retirement" in this calculator to get the net corpus required after accounting for guaranteed income sources.

About This Retirement Calculator

This free Retirement Calculator offers three planning modes: How much corpus do I need? (enter expected expenses and it calculates the target savings), How much to save monthly? (enter your retirement goal and see the required monthly contribution), and How long will my savings last? (enter your corpus and monthly withdrawal to see when it runs out). All modes account for inflation and investment returns.

Quick Reference: Required Corpus (at 8% return, 6% inflation)

Monthly Need	20 yr retirement	30 yr retirement
$1,000	~$120K	~$150K
$2,000	~$240K	~$300K
$3,000	~$360K	~$450K
$5,000	~$600K	~$750K
$10,000	~$1.2M	~$1.5M

Monthly Savings Required (30 yr to retirement, 8% return)

Target Corpus	Monthly Savings
$100K	~$67/mo
$250K	~$168/mo
$500K	~$336/mo
$1M	~$671/mo
$2M	~$1,343/mo

Standards & References

Wikipedia — Retirement Planning

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