Long-Term Savings
Retirement Savings Calculator
Project what your retirement account could grow to based on your age, current balance, monthly contributions, expected return, and any employer match.
Balance over time
What if you contributed more?
How this retirement calculator works
This calculator projects your retirement balance using monthly compounding: your current savings and every future monthly contribution earn your expected annual return, compounded month over month until your target retirement age. If you turn on employer match, a percentage of your monthly contribution (up to a dollar cap you set) is added on top each month, since matched contributions are effectively free money that also compounds over time. The "growth from returns" figure is simply your final projected balance minus everything you and your employer actually put in — it's the part that compounding contributed.
The inflation-adjusted toggle discounts your projected balance by an assumed 3% annual inflation rate to show what that future dollar amount would be worth in today's purchasing power — useful because a dollar decades from now buys less than a dollar today. The "what if" comparison recalculates your full projection at two other monthly contribution levels (roughly half and double your current one) so you can see, side by side, how sensitive your retirement outcome is to how much you save each month.
Why does a small change in monthly contribution make such a big difference?
Because of compounding — money contributed earlier has more years to earn returns on returns, so even modest increases in your monthly contribution can add up to a large difference by retirement age, especially over a multi-decade horizon.
What return rate should I assume?
7% annually is a commonly used long-run planning assumption for a diversified stock-heavy portfolio after accounting for typical historical inflation, but actual returns vary year to year and aren't guaranteed — try a few different rates to see how sensitive your projection is.
Should I count on my employer match?
Employer match is generally worth contributing enough to capture in full, since it's an immediate return on your contribution before any investment growth — but confirm your plan's actual match formula and vesting schedule with your employer, since they vary widely.