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Retirement Savings Calculator

Retirement savings projection

Accumulation to your retirement date, measured against a capital target built from the retirement income you actually have to fund.

Timeline
How far the retirement income has to stretch. It is a planning choice, not a life expectancy Quantus estimates for you.
Savings and contributions
A flat amount per period, if someone else contributes alongside you. This page is account-agnostic: it models no match formula, contribution limit or catch-up rule.
Optional. Applied at the start of each subsequent saving year, to the combined contribution.
Accumulation assumptions
An assumption, not a forecast. Treated as a nominal annual rate compounded at your contribution frequency; the effective annual rate that produces is reported with the results.
Restates the balance in today's money, and projects your income target to the retirement date.
Retirement income target
In today's money. It is projected to each retirement year at your inflation assumption.
Pension, Social Security, annuity, rent — in today's money, and entirely your figure. Quantus estimates none of these.
What the portfolio is assumed to earn after you stop working. Keeping it separate from the accumulation return matters — using one figure for both is a large hidden assumption.
Whether each year's income is drawn at the start or the end of that year.
Sensitivity band
Projected shortfall against the target
$353,460

A projected $1,250,483 at age 65 against a capital target of $1,603,943 — 78.0% funded. Both figures are nominal, at the retirement date.

Projected balance$1,250,483At age 65, after 30 years
Worth in today's money$596,159After 2.50% inflation for 30 years
Retirement capital target$1,603,943Funds $75,512 in the first retirement year, for 27 years
Shortfall$353,46078.0% of the target funded
Total future contributions$288,000$800 monthly, level
Assumed investment growth$902,48372.2% of the projected balance
Required monthly contribution$1,131.26$331.26 more than you contribute now
Target reached at age69On the current contribution, 34 years from now
Effective annual return6.50%What 6.50% compounded monthly actually delivers

Below target on these assumptions. Raising the monthly contribution to $1,131.26 closes the gap; so does working to age 69, or lowering the income target.

This projection stops at the retirement date. It sizes the capital an income stream requires; it does not test how long a balance actually lasts once you start drawing on it, which depends on withdrawal timing, frequency and the order returns arrive in. The periodic withdrawals calculator models that phase properly.

What the projected balance is made of
  • Savings you already have: $60,000 (4.8%)
  • Future contributions: $288,000 (23.0%)
  • Assumed investment growth: $902,483 (72.2%)

Solver check. With a level contribution the annuity formula applies, and it gives $1,131.26 against the solver's $1,131.26. Re-running the full schedule at the solved figure lands within $3.04 of the target after 18 bisection steps.

Shortfall or surplus under different assumptions (return ±1.5 points, inflation ±1 points)
Inflation ↓ / Return →5% return6.5% return8% return
1.5% inflation$155,751 short$183,114 spare$663,231 spare
Selected inflation (2.5%)$692,326 short$353,460 short$126,657 spare
3.5% inflation$1,502,769 short$1,163,904 short$683,787 short

A higher return raises the projection; higher inflation raises the target without changing the nominal projection. They pull in opposite directions, which is why they are shown together rather than one at a time.

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How the income you want changes the capital it requires
Annual income (today's money)Portfolio-funded needFirst retirement yearCapital targetAgainst your projection
$40,000$16,000$33,561$712,864$537,619 spare
$50,000$26,000$54,537$1,158,403$92,080 spare
$60,000$36,000$75,512$1,603,943$353,460 short
$70,000$46,000$96,488$2,049,483$799,000 short
$80,000$56,000$117,464$2,495,023$1,244,540 short
$90,000$66,000$138,439$2,940,562$1,690,079 short

Other retirement income of $24,000 is subtracted before the portfolio need is priced, which is why the capital target falls faster than the income target does.

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Accumulation, year by year
Agemonthly contributionStarting balanceContributionsGrowthEnding balanceIn today's money
36$800$60,000$9,600$4,183$73,783$71,983
37$800$73,783$9,600$5,079$88,461$84,199
38$800$88,461$9,600$6,033$104,094$96,662
39$800$104,094$9,600$7,049$120,743$109,387
40$800$120,743$9,600$8,131$138,474$122,391
41$800$138,474$9,600$9,284$157,358$135,689
42$800$157,358$9,600$10,511$177,469$149,298
43$800$177,469$9,600$11,818$198,887$163,236
44$800$198,887$9,600$13,210$221,697$177,519
45$800$221,697$9,600$14,693$245,990$192,167
46$800$245,990$9,600$16,272$271,862$207,198
47$800$271,862$9,600$17,954$299,416$222,633
48$800$299,416$9,600$19,745$328,761$238,490
49$800$328,761$9,600$21,652$360,013$254,791
50$800$360,013$9,600$23,684$393,297$271,558
51$800$393,297$9,600$25,847$428,744$288,813
52$800$428,744$9,600$28,151$466,495$306,578
53$800$466,495$9,600$30,605$506,700$324,879
54$800$506,700$9,600$33,218$549,518$343,739
55$800$549,518$9,600$36,001$595,119$363,184
56$800$595,119$9,600$38,966$643,685$383,241
57$800$643,685$9,600$42,122$695,407$403,938
58$800$695,407$9,600$45,484$750,491$425,301
59$800$750,491$9,600$49,065$809,156$447,362
60$800$809,156$9,600$52,878$871,634$470,151
61$800$871,634$9,600$56,939$938,173$493,699
62$800$938,173$9,600$61,264$1,009,037$518,039
63$800$1,009,037$9,600$65,870$1,084,507$543,206
64$800$1,084,507$9,600$70,776$1,164,883$569,233
65$800$1,164,883$9,600$76,000$1,250,483$596,159

Growth is credited each period before the contribution is added. The final ending balance is the projected balance in the summary above.

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How the capital target is built, retirement year by retirement year
AgeIncome targetOther incomePortfolio must fundDiscount factorPV at retirementCumulative PV
65$125,854$50,342$75,5121.0000$75,512$75,512
66$129,000$51,600$77,4000.9569$74,067$149,580
67$132,225$52,890$79,3350.9157$72,650$222,229
68$135,531$54,212$81,3190.8763$71,259$293,489
69$138,919$55,568$83,3520.8386$69,895$363,384
70$142,392$56,957$85,4350.8025$68,558$431,942
71$145,952$58,381$87,5710.7679$67,246$499,187
72$149,601$59,840$89,7610.7348$65,959$565,146
73$153,341$61,336$92,0050.7032$64,696$629,842
74$157,174$62,870$94,3050.6729$63,458$693,300
75$161,104$64,442$96,6620.6439$62,244$755,544
76$165,131$66,053$99,0790.6162$61,052$816,596
77$169,260$67,704$101,5560.5897$59,884$876,480
78$173,491$69,396$104,0950.5643$58,738$935,217
79$177,828$71,131$106,6970.5400$57,614$992,831
80$182,274$72,910$109,3650.5167$56,511$1,049,342
81$186,831$74,732$112,0990.4945$55,429$1,104,771
82$191,502$76,601$114,9010.4732$54,368$1,159,140
83$196,289$78,516$117,7740.4528$53,328$1,212,468
84$201,197$80,479$120,7180.4333$52,307$1,264,775
85$206,227$82,491$123,7360.4146$51,306$1,316,081
86$211,382$84,553$126,8290.3968$50,324$1,366,405
87$216,667$86,667$130,0000.3797$49,361$1,415,767
88$222,083$88,833$133,2500.3634$48,416$1,464,183
89$227,635$91,054$136,5810.3477$47,490$1,511,673
90$233,326$93,331$139,9960.3327$46,581$1,558,254
91$239,160$95,664$143,4960.3184$45,689$1,603,943

Both amounts are your today's-money figures projected at 2.50% inflation, then discounted at the 4.50% retirement-phase return. The final cumulative figure is the capital target — no withdrawal-rate rule is applied anywhere.

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