Retirement Calculator
This retirement calculator projects how your savings could grow by retirement age using compound growth on your current balance plus a steady stream of monthly contributions. Enter your current age, target retirement age, current savings, monthly contribution, and expected annual return, and the tool estimates your total balance at retirement along with total contributions and estimated investment growth. It is built for quick scenario planning, not a substitute for a full financial plan.
Quick answer
Future value combines two parts: your current savings compounded over time, plus your monthly contributions compounded as they are added.
What this tells you
- •Future value combines two parts: your current savings compounded over time, plus your monthly contributions compounded as they are added.
- •Time in the market matters more than most people expect. Starting ten years earlier at the same contribution rate can roughly double the final balance.
- •Small changes in expected annual return compound into large differences over 20 to 40 years, so test a few return scenarios rather than trusting one number.
- •This tool shows nominal dollars. It does not subtract inflation, taxes, or fees, so treat the result as a starting point, not a spendable figure.
- •Use it for planning scenarios and comparisons, not as a guaranteed outcome or a promise of future account value.
How to Use
- 1Enter your current age and the age you plan to retire. The gap between them sets how many years your money has to grow.
- 2Enter your current retirement savings balance across all accounts you want to include.
- 3Enter how much you plan to contribute each month going forward.
- 4Enter your expected annual return as a percentage. A common planning range for a diversified portfolio is 5% to 8% before inflation.
- 5Calculate to see your projected retirement balance, total contributions, estimated growth, and years remaining until retirement.
How It Works
Formula
Future Value = Current Savings x (1 + r)^n + Monthly Contribution x [((1 + r)^n - 1) / r]The calculator converts your annual return into a monthly rate (r = annual return / 12) and counts the number of months until retirement (n = years remaining x 12). The first term compounds your current savings for the full period. The second term is the future value of an ordinary annuity, which compounds each monthly contribution from the month it is made until retirement. The two totals are added together for the final projected balance. Total contributions and estimated growth are then shown separately so you can see how much of the final number came from your own deposits versus compounding.
Calculation note: values are processed in the order shown above, using the current input units.
Worked Examples
Starting early at age 30
Over 30 years, $180,000 in total contributions plus the starting $20,000 grows to more than $772,000. Estimated growth of about $572,315 makes up roughly three-quarters of the final balance, which shows how much compounding contributes over a long time horizon.
Starting from zero at age 25
With 40 years to grow, a modest $300 monthly contribution and a small starting balance can still cross $1 million. Total contributions are $149,000, so estimated growth accounts for over $1 million of the final total, which highlights why starting young matters more than starting with a large balance.
Catching up at age 45
A larger existing balance and higher monthly contribution can offset a shorter 20-year timeline. Total contributions of $510,000 plus the starting balance still leave a smaller share of the final total coming from growth compared to the 40-year example above, since compounding has less time to work.
No starting balance, disciplined contributions
Starting with nothing saved is not a barrier if contributions start early and stay consistent. A relatively small $200 monthly contribution over 45 years produces a projected balance of over $758,000, with roughly $650,519 of that from estimated growth rather than deposits.
Later start, higher balance, shorter horizon
A shorter 17-year window still produces a strong result when the starting balance and contributions are both substantial. Here total contributions reach $708,000, and estimated growth adds another $633,705, showing that a lower expected return can still work well when combined with meaningful existing savings.
Common mistakes
- Using an overly optimistic return assumption, such as 10% or 12%, without accounting for market downturns, sequence-of-returns risk, or fees that reduce net performance.
- Treating the projected value as a spendable, inflation-adjusted number. This tool shows nominal dollars, so $1 million at retirement in 30 years buys less than $1 million today.
- Forgetting to revisit the plan after raises, job changes, or new financial goals. A projection made at age 25 rarely still fits at age 40 without updates.
- Ignoring employer matching or other contribution sources when entering the monthly contribution amount, which understates the realistic growth path.
- Assuming a single flat return rate for decades instead of testing a conservative, moderate, and optimistic scenario side by side.
Limitations
This calculator assumes a constant monthly contribution and a constant annual return compounded monthly, which is a simplification. Real investment returns fluctuate year to year, contributions often change over time, and this tool does not account for taxes, investment fees, employer matching, Social Security, or inflation. The projected value is shown in nominal (non-inflation-adjusted) dollars.
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