As always, before making any decisions about your retirement planning or withdrawals, you should consult with your personal tax advisor. This calculator assumes that you have a retirement savings account and you receive a monthly fixed income from, let’s say, social security. Also, you have monthly expenses that are greater than what you receive from social security so you have to withdraw from your retirement savings on a monthly basis. This information may help you analyze your financial needs. It is based on information and assumptions provided by you regarding your goals, expectations and financial situation.
She is a licensed insurance producer, and previously was an insurance writer for Bankrate specializing in home, auto and life insurance. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in creative writing at the University of California, Riverside. To retire at 67 with enough funds to last until age 90, the calculator suggests increasing monthly contributions to $5,650. After you’ve filled out the required fields, our tool will show how your retirement savings might grow over the years.
To use the MoneyGeek Retirement Calculator, enter details about your finances and plans. Include your age, annual income, current retirement savings, monthly contributions, retirement age and life expectancy. Add information on pre- and post-retirement return rates, inflation and other income sources. An investment account is a general brokerage account that offers the ability to buy and sell a wide range of investments, from stocks and bonds to mutual funds and ETFs. Unlike retirement accounts, these accounts don’t carry special tax incentives or restrictions tied to when you can access your money. Instead, they give investors flexibility to pursue short- or long-term goals.
In order to calculate how much income you’ll need in retirement, get a handle on your current spending. While some retirees find their budget shrinks during retirement, others say that they spend more on leisure activities and travel, at least in the early years. A portfolio with an equal blend of stocks, bonds and cash (in accounts like a certificate of deposit, or CD) typically yields a bit over 6 percent. A riskier portfolio (with more in stocks) might return more, and a more conservative one (with more in CDs) might earn less. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. Ben is the former Retirement and Investing Editor for Forbes Advisor.
Retirement Income Calculator
Are you out of debt with a fully funded emergency fund in place? You’re ready to start investing and saving for retirement. But even if you’re currently working your way out of debt or piling up cash, we still want you thinking about retirement—this is what you’re working toward, after all. Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger’s advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more.
What rate of return can I expect?
A modest lifestyle might be possible, but you must carefully manage withdrawals to avoid running out of money too soon. A common measure of inflation in the U.S. is the Consumer Price Index (CPI). From 1925 through 2024 the CPI has a long-term average of about 3.0 percent annually. Over the last 50 years highest CPI recorded was 13.5 percent in 1980.
- There are several different types of retirement accounts, each with its own rules and benefits.
- Our calculator takes into account salary increases, compound interest, inflation, and rates of return to arrive at the final estimate (“What you’ll need”).
- It also provides suggestions (such as reduced spending) to make your plan sustainable.
- This amount and social security will be deducted from “annual income required” to calculate the amount of income your retirement fund will have to support.
Tax Deferral Evaluator
It provides actionable insights, such as when your savings could run out and what changes — like contributing more or retiring later — can help improve your finances. Try various scenarios to tailor a retirement plan to your needs. When it comes to retirement planning, there are only 4 paths you can choose. Our flagship wealth planning course teaches you how to secure your financial future with certainty. There are several different types of retirement accounts, each with its own rules and benefits. Employer-sponsored plans, such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s, allow workers to contribute directly from their paychecks, often with an employer match.
This is not an offer to buy or sell any security or interest. All investing involves risk, including loss of principal. Working with an adviser may come with potential downsides, such as payment of fees (which will reduce returns). There are no guarantees that working with an adviser will yield positive returns. The existence of a fiduciary duty does not prevent the rise of potential conflicts of interest.
Related content
For some people, the progression toward retirement is natural. Your retirement date is predetermined and there is no question when you will stop working. The IRS adjusts the limit savers can contribute to retirement each year, but in general, the contribution limit for an IRA is about a third of what can be contributed to a workplace plan. You can use the AARP Social retirement savings calculator Security Calculator (which estimates your benefit at different ages) along with the AARP Retirement Calculator to help with your planning. We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. Explore your health care options—and the potential costs.
Current retirement savings — if you have already started saving, enter the total amount in your retirement account. Annual contribution toward retirement — enter the amount you plan to save for your retirement fund. Generally speaking, the older you are, the higher the amount will have to be for you to reach your retirement income goal. You can’t control how long you’ll live in retirement or what your investment returns will be, but you can control how much you save.
Investment
You’ll owe federal income tax on withdrawals from a tax-deferred savings account such as a traditional 401(k) or IRA. If your federal, state and local taxes are 30 percent, a $1,000 withdrawal will leave you with $700 after taxes. Understanding how much income you need to replace in retirement is a key concept for planning. Nobody aims to replace 100% of their pre-retirement income from their investments, and the 55% to 80% range cited above is very common. This is in part because Social Security benefits will cover a portion of your pre-retirement income. But even then, the 15% rule of thumb assumes that you begin saving early.
Ages 65+: Living it
- While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.
- For those who struggle with technology, it’s easy to make a mistake or enter a number in the wrong spot.
- The AARP Retirement Calculator will let you adjust your rate of return.
- Plus, they’ll help you understand all your investment options and help you navigate the ups and downs of the market.
- You’re ready to start investing and saving for retirement.
If you’re not sure when is the right time to retire, you’re not alone. You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply. Get an evaluation of your current plan, with next steps to consider.
MoneyGeek is dedicated to providing trustworthy information to help you make informed financial decisions. Each article is edited, fact-checked and reviewed by industry professionals to ensure quality and accuracy.

