Planning for a Comfortable Retirement
Retirement planning has two distinct phases: the accumulation phase (saving and growing your money before retirement) and the drawdown phase (spending that money in retirement). This calculator models both, so you can see not just how much you will have when you retire, but how long it will actually last.
The savings growth chart shows how your contributions and investment returns combine over the years leading to retirement. The power of compounding means that the final years before retirement often contribute the most to your balance — which is why it pays to stay invested even when markets are volatile.
Switch to the "Retirement Income" view to see how long your savings last given your planned monthly withdrawal. If the balance hits zero before you expect to need it, the calculator will warn you — giving you time to adjust now rather than later. Common adjustments include increasing contributions, reducing planned withdrawals, or retiring slightly later.
The withdrawal rate shown in the summary is one of the most important numbers in retirement planning. Financial planners widely consider a withdrawal rate of 4% or below to be sustainable over a 30-year retirement. If yours is higher, consider whether adjustments are needed.