Retirement Readiness Calculator
See if you are on track to retire: how much you will have versus what you need, the monthly savings gap, how long your money lasts, and how your Social Security claiming age changes the picture.
Built for normal retirement (ages 60–70) — not early/FIRE retirement
Planning note
Estimate whether your savings can support retirement after Social Security, pension income, inflation, tax, healthcare, and withdrawal-rate assumptions. Change the inputs below to see the readiness answer update instantly from the calculator results.
Your retirement plan
The results update live as you type. Most people only need the essentials.
Example plan loaded
The essentials
401(k), IRA, brokerage...
Today's dollars
Advanced assumptionsaccounts, returns, inflation, taxes — optional
Your retirement readiness
Headline figures are shown in today’s dollars: inflation-adjusted purchasing power, not future nominal dollars.
Based on your current inputs, you appear on track. At age 67, your projected portfolio is about $953,024, compared with an estimated need of $845,000. Your estimated surplus is about $108,024.
Your projected savings meet the estimated portfolio target for this plan.
This estimate assumes your portfolio must last until age 95; projected legacy is about $722,100 in today's dollars.
Annual, today’s dollars, at the start of retirement.
The PDF is generated from your current plan, in your browser.
Your portfolio over time
How your savings are projected to grow, then draw down through retirement (today’s dollars).
How “am I on track?” is actually answered
This calculator compares two numbers. What you’ll have is your current savings plus future contributions, grown to your retirement age and adjusted for taxes. What you’ll need is the portfolio required to cover your desired spending after Social Security and any pension — at a safe withdrawal rate. If your projected savings meet that target, you are on track; if not, the tool shows the gap and the extra monthly saving that would close it.
Because Social Security and a pension are paid for life, they shrink the portfolio you need — which is why a retirement number is usually smaller than a simple spending-times-25 figure. The tool also runs your plan forward to show how long the money is projected to last, and how claiming Social Security at 62, 67, or 70 changes your monthly check. It does not model required minimum distributions, state taxes, or Medicare IRMAA surcharges; see the methodology for the full list of assumptions.
Frequently asked questions
How much do I need to retire?
It depends on your spending, not a single magic number. A common starting point is the portfolio that funds your annual spending — after Social Security and any pension — at a safe withdrawal rate (often around 4%). This calculator works that out for your inputs and compares it to what you are projected to have at your chosen retirement age.
Does this calculator include Social Security?
Yes. You enter your estimated monthly benefit and the age you plan to claim (62, full retirement age 67, or 70), and the tool subtracts that guaranteed income from the spending your portfolio has to cover. The Social Security figures are your estimates — verify your actual benefit with the Social Security Administration.
How does this differ from a FIRE calculator?
This tool is built for normal retirement around ages 60–70, where Social Security, Medicare at 65, and required minimum distributions matter. A FIRE calculator focuses on retiring early — bridging the years before 59½ and 65, ACA health coverage, and Roth conversion ladders. If you are planning to retire early, the FIRE calculator is the better fit.
What inflation and return rates does it assume?
Inflation defaults to 2.5% and is fully adjustable — it is a planning assumption, not a forecast. Returns before and during retirement are also editable in the advanced settings. The methodology page explains every default and its limits.
Does it calculate required minimum distributions (RMDs)?
Not yet. The calculator flags that RMDs may apply later in retirement, but it does not compute them. The beginning age and amount depend on your birth year, account type, employment status, and IRS life-expectancy tables.
Plan the rest of your retirement
Short guides that turn the numbers above into decisions you can act on.