Retirement Calculator

How much income do you need in retirement, and how much do you need to save now so that you can have the kind of retirement you want? We created this tool to help you visualize what your finances might look like once you retire and how much you should save now to get the retirement you want.

To use the retirement calculator, enter the values manually, or move the sliders from left to right to change amounts.

Monthly Income Needed in Retirement*: $3,125

Total Expected Monthly Income in Retirement**: $2,580

Expected Monthly Income Shortfall: Expected Monthly Income Surplus: $545

  Need
  Social Security
  Retirement
  Shortfall
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
$5,000
$3,125
$1,500
$1,080
$545

 

Values shown are pre-tax, in today's dollars, and assume a 3% rate of inflation.***

The Retirement Planning Calculator is for educational use only. The results are hypothetical. It is not a predictive tool and does not guarantee any particular outcome. It illustrates how different user situations and decisions affect a hypothetical retirement income plan, and should not be the basis for any investment decisions. Investing in securities involves the risk of loss.

Please keep in mind these important points when using our calculator:

  • Assume accounts will be fully depleted at the end of the years you enter. So if you're planning to leave a legacy, you will need to withdraw less than reflected in this calculator.
  • The impact of inflation is not included in the estimation, so your purchasing power may be reduced significantly. Remember that today's inflation rate may change over a 20- or 30-year period.

Retirement Calculator Methodology

We created the Fisher Investments' retirement calculator tool to help illustrate hypothetical retirement income scenarios based on a core set of assumptions. Please remember, the projected values are intended only to provide a general guideline for planning purposes.

*Monthly Income Needed in Retirement

This is the estimated amount that you'll need each month during retirement, based on the percentage of current income that you chose. We take your current income, calculate what it will be by the time you retire (assuming an annual inflation rate of 3%), and multiply the result by the percentage of income replacement you chose. We then adjust that result to today's dollars.

**Expected Monthly Retirement Income

This is the amount of projected retirement income your investments may provide according to your inputs. To calculate Expected Monthly Retirement Income, we first determine how much you'll have saved by the time you reach retirement (your "nest egg"). Then, we assume that you can afford to spend approximately 4% of your initial nest egg each year in retirement with reasonable confidence that you won't outlive your savings. The result is then adjusted for inflation (3% annually). Your Total Expected Monthly Income includes the projected Social Security benefit you provided.

While the results are strictly hypothetical, the Retirement Planning Calculator can help you consider how to address the following questions:

  • Are your current assets likely to help you reach your retirement goals?
  • What anticipated annual rate of return will you need?
  • If you are still working, how many years will you need to continue saving before you can begin taking withdrawals?
  • How much should you be contributing to your investment accounts?
  • Will your assets survive your investment time horizon (i.e., the amount of time you'll need your portfolio to last in retirement)?
  • How much income can I expect in retirement?

We hope this information proves useful in weighing your retirement options. Our goal is to help ease the stress of planning for retirement, allowing you to decide if your investing strategies are doing enough for you to reach your goals. If your current retirement plan isn't yielding the results you need, we may be able to help. We have helped tens of thousands of investors navigate financial markets, developing strategies that can help them reach their goals. For detailed personalized recommendations on retirement planning, contact us to request an appointment.

***Please consult your tax advisor regarding your specific tax situation. Information within this calculator is not legal or tax advice. The impact of taxes is not included in the estimation. Returns after taxes can vary depending on your personal tax situation.

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