What return rate should I use?

Use a nominal return you would be comfortable defending to a sceptic. Many planners use 5% to 7% for a diversified portfolio and lower it as the allocation moves to bonds. The result is a projection, not a promise.

Should I include my home?

Only if you genuinely intend to sell it and spend the proceeds. Otherwise leave it out and treat it as a legacy asset in estate planning.

Is the answer my actual retirement date?

No. It is the earliest age at which a straight-line projection clears your target. Treat it as a starting point, then stress-test it against market volatility, taxes and health costs.

Is this financial advice?

No. Wealth Vista is planning software and this tool is informational only. Confirm decisions with a certified professional.

Free tool

Retirement Calculator

Enter what you have, what you save and what you plan to spend. The calculator projects your balance year by year and shows the first age at which your portfolio can cover the gap between your spending and your guaranteed income.

Your numbers

Current age

Invested savings today

Annual contribution

Annual spending in retirement

In today's money

Pension & Social Security

Annual, in today's money

Expected return

Inflation

Withdrawal rate

Your result

Earliest realistic retirement age

That is 19 years from now.

Portfolio needed then: $1,998,313
Projected portfolio: $2,037,439

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How this calculator works

The spending gap, not the total spend

Your portfolio only has to fund the part of your spending that pensions and Social Security do not cover. That gap is what gets multiplied up into a target balance, which is why claiming decisions move a retirement date so much.

The withdrawal rate

A 4% starting withdrawal rate is the common rule of thumb from the original Trinity/Bengen research. Lower it to 3.5% for a long retirement or a conservative portfolio, raise it if you are retiring later or willing to cut spending in bad years.

Inflation is applied to both sides

Contributions and spending both grow with inflation, so the target balance shown is in future dollars for the year it applies to. That keeps the comparison honest.

What this does not do

It uses one straight-line return. Real markets do not behave that way, and the order of returns in the first few years of retirement matters enormously. Wealth Vista runs thousands of market paths, models taxes on each withdrawal and sequences accounts — see the full retirement planner.

Sources and further reading

The assumptions behind this tool are drawn from public, primary sources. Check them yourself:

IRS — Retirement plans
Contribution limits, required minimum distributions and account rules in the US.
Social Security Administration — Retirement benefits
Estimate the guaranteed income to enter in the 'other income' field.
Investor.gov — Compound interest calculator
SEC's own tool if you want to sanity-check the growth maths.

More free tools

Vista ScoreA 2-minute retirement and estate readiness score with a full emailed report.Retirement Income CalculatorTurn a portfolio balance into a safe monthly income, before and after tax.Compound Growth CalculatorSee how contributions and compounding split your future balance.

Frequently asked questions

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Wealth Vista is software, not a fiduciary. Professionals remain responsible for advice delivered to their clients; consumers should consult a certified professional before acting.