Is the 4% rule still safe?

Some researchers argue 3.5% for early retirement (40+ year horizon) given current valuations. For traditional retirement at 65, 4% is still a reasonable starting estimate.

Should I include Social Security?

No — this calculator is just for invested savings. Treat any pension, Social Security, or annuity income as a separate floor on top of this number.

Retirement Calculator

Projected nest egg + monthly retirement income at your target age.

Result

Projected balance at age 65

$1,670,966.72

At retirement

$1671k

Contributed$356,000(21%)

Growth$1,314,967(79%)

In today's dollars (after inflation)$593,833.83
Monthly retirement income (4% rule)$5,569.89
↳ in today's dollars$1,979.45
Total contributions over the period$356,000.00
Compounded growth$1,314,966.72
Years to retirement35 yrs

How to use this calculator

Enter your current age and the age you want to retire.
Add your existing retirement balance (401k + IRA + brokerage earmarked for retirement).
Type a realistic monthly contribution — including employer match if applicable.
Use 7% return for stocks, 5% for balanced, 3% for inflation.

About this tool

A simple retirement projection that respects the two things people forget: compound growth and inflation. The calculator grows your current balance plus monthly contributions at the expected rate of return all the way to your retirement age, then applies the 4% safe-withdrawal rule (Trinity Study, 1998) to estimate sustainable monthly retirement income. The "in today's dollars" line strips out inflation so you can see what that future amount actually buys at today's prices — a $2M nest egg in 35 years is closer to $700k in today's purchasing power if inflation runs at 3%.

Frequently asked

Trinity Study (1998) — analysis of historical US returns showing that withdrawing 4% of your initial balance, adjusted yearly for inflation, sustained a portfolio for 30+ years in 95%+ of historical scenarios.