BedrockCalc — bedrockcalc.com
Scenario link:
Retirement Calculator
Will the money last? This retirement calculator projects your nest egg, then keeps going where most tools stop — drawing it down year by year to show the monthly income it supports, how much you need to retire and any surplus or shortfall, in today's dollars if you prefer.
See how this works on one saver's retirement age — 3 real examples
Projected nest egg at retirement
$0
Nest egg needed
$0
Surplus / shortfall
$0
Monthly income supported
$0
Money lasts
—
Balance by age
Year-by-year accumulation & drawdownContributions, withdrawals, growth and balance for every age
| Age | Phase | Contribution | Withdrawal | Growth | End balance |
|---|
In today’s-dollars view, only the End balance column is inflation-adjusted; the yearly contribution, withdrawal and growth flows are shown in nominal dollars of that year.
How your retirement projection is calculated
The model runs in two phases, one year at a time. During accumulation, your current savings grow at the pre-retirement return and each year’s contribution is added on top; the contribution itself can rise with your raises. The balance at your retirement age is your nest egg.
Then drawdown begins. Your target spending — either a percent of your final salary or a fixed budget — is inflated to your retirement year, and any Social Security or pension income is subtracted, leaving the amount your portfolio must cover. Each retirement year you withdraw that amount first, then the remainder grows at the post-retirement return, and the withdrawal rises with inflation the next year. The schedule reports the exact age the balance would hit zero, or confirms it lasts through your planned age.
The nest egg needed and the sustainable withdrawal are not guessed by trial and error — they use a closed-form growing-annuity factor S = Σ ((1 + i) / (1 + r))k summed over the retirement years, where i is inflation and r is the post-retirement return. The nest egg needed to fund a first-year withdrawal W exactly to your planned age is W · S, and the largest withdrawal your actual nest egg supports is nest egg / S. That is the honest, personalized version of the 4% rule.
The Today’s dollars view discounts every figure by amount / (1 + i)years to show real purchasing power. All results assume steady returns and inflation, so treat them as a planning estimate, not a forecast — real markets vary year to year, and sequence-of-returns risk (a bad market early in retirement) can matter more than the average.
Retire at 62, 65 or 67 — the same saver
One 35-year-old with $50,000 saved and $500 a month, aiming at 75% of a growing salary. Only the retirement age moves.
Retiring at 65: barely on track
nest egg at 65$876,994
- The plan needs $847,933; the projection clears it with $29,061 to spare.
- That cushion is about 3% of the target — one rough market year could erase it.
- The money holds out through 95, finishing with $125,600 still in the account.
On track, but with the thinnest of margins — this plan has no room to slip.
Load this example (opens in a new tab)Retiring at 62: the money quits first
when the money runs outAge 87
- Three fewer earning years shrink the nest egg to $708,436 — $168,558 lighter than at 65.
- Meanwhile the target rises to $895,472, because retirement now runs 33 years instead of 30.
- The result is a $187,035 shortfall, and a balance that hits zero at age 87.
Retiring three years early costs the plan on both ends: less saved, more years to fund.
Load this example (opens in a new tab)Retiring at 67: room to breathe
nest egg at 67$1,007,996
- Two extra working years push the nest egg past the million mark — $131,002 above the age-65 run.
- The surplus swells to $196,227 while the drawdown shortens to 28 years.
- At 95 the plan still holds $769,236, money the age-65 version has mostly spent.
The strongest lever on the page is the retirement age itself — two years buys a real cushion.
Load this example (opens in a new tab)Illustrations only, not financial advice. Your own rate, taxes and insurance will differ — check with a qualified financial advisor before acting on any of this.
Making your savings last, in plain English
- Watch the surplus, not the nest egg. A big balance means little on its own — the surplus-or-shortfall figure compares what you’ll have against what your spending actually requires.
- Delaying retirement is the strongest lever. Working two more years adds contributions and growth while shortening the drawdown from both ends — it often beats saving far more each month.
- Two returns, not one. Modeling a growth-oriented rate while working and a safer rate in retirement is more realistic than a single flat return for 60 years.
- Other income shrinks the target. Social Security and pensions can cover a third or more of a typical budget, cutting the nest egg you need to build.
- Think in today’s dollars. A million-dollar balance decades out buys far less than it sounds; the real view keeps your expectations grounded.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need to retire?
A common rule of thumb is 25× your annual retirement spending — the flip side of the 4% withdrawal rule. If you expect to spend $60,000 a year and collect $24,000 from Social Security, you need to cover $36,000 from savings, or roughly $900,000. This retirement calculator does the exact version: it inflates your target spending to your retirement year, subtracts other income, and solves the nest egg needed to fund it through your life expectancy.
Will my savings last through retirement?
That is the question most calculators skip. This one simulates the drawdown year by year — spending first, then growth on what remains — and reports the exact age your balance would run out, or confirms it lasts through your planned life expectancy. If there is a shortfall, raising your contribution, delaying retirement a couple of years, or trimming spending usually closes it fast.
What is the 4% withdrawal rule?
The 4% rule says you can withdraw 4% of your nest egg in the first year of retirement and adjust that amount for inflation each year with a low chance of running out over 30 years. It is a useful starting point, not a guarantee. This calculator goes further: instead of a flat 4%, it uses your own pre- and post-retirement returns and inflation to compute the sustainable first-year withdrawal your portfolio actually supports.
How much should I save each month for retirement?
It depends on your age, current savings, and target. Enter what you can save today and watch the surplus-or-shortfall figure — if it is negative, nudge the monthly contribution up until you are on track. Starting earlier matters far more than the exact amount: a dollar saved at 30 has decades longer to compound than one saved at 50.
Does this retirement calculator account for inflation?
Yes. Your target spending and other income are inflated to your retirement year, and the drawdown assumes withdrawals rise with inflation every year. Flip the “Today’s dollars” toggle and every result — nest egg, income supported, and the year-by-year schedule — is discounted back to real purchasing power, so a seven-figure future balance is shown in money you understand today.
What rate of return should I assume before and after retirement?
Most planners model a higher return while working (a stock-heavy portfolio, often 6–8%) and a lower one in retirement (a more conservative mix, often 4–5%), because you generally de-risk as you age. This calculator keeps the two rates separate so your projection reflects that shift rather than assuming one flat return for 60 years.
Disclaimer: these calculators are educational tools, not financial advice. They model your inputs with published formulas, but they cannot know your full situation — for decisions with real stakes, talk to a qualified professional. Formulas and defaults last reviewed .