Investment and Retirement Calculator
Project your savings at retirement
This free Investment and Retirement Calculator projects how your savings could grow between now and the day you retire. Enter your current age, the age you hope to stop work, what you have saved already, a monthly contribution and an expected yearly return, and it compounds everything month by month to a projected pot at retirement, split honestly into the money you put in and the growth that returns added. An optional inflation field also shows the result in today's money, which is usually the sobering and most useful number of all.
The year-by-year table, capped at fifty rows, shows why time is the most valuable ingredient: in the early years your contributions do nearly all the work, but later the balance itself starts generating more each year than you deposit. Small changes compound too — starting five years earlier, or adding a modest amount monthly, often beats chasing a higher return. Remember that real markets do not deliver a smooth fixed return: they swing, charge fees and are taxed differently in every country, so treat this projection as a planning illustration, not financial advice or a guarantee. The calculation runs entirely in your browser, and your financial details are never uploaded or stored.
How to use
- Enter your current age and the age you plan to retire.
- Type your current savings and a realistic monthly contribution.
- Set an expected yearly return, keeping it modest and honest.
- Optionally add inflation to see the result in today's money.
- Click Project my savings and follow the table towards retirement.
Frequently asked questions
What return should I assume?
Long-run stock market returns have historically averaged around seven to ten percent a year before inflation in the US, but past performance guarantees nothing and bonds or cash pay far less. Many planners test a cautious figure like five or six percent and check the plan still works.
Why does inflation change the answer so much?
Inflation quietly shrinks what future money buys. A pot that looks large in forty years may purchase only half as much as the same amount today. The inflation-adjusted line translates the projection into today's spending power so you can judge it realistically.
How much difference does starting early make?
A large one, because compounding needs time. Money saved in your twenties may double several more times than money saved in your forties at the same return. Try the same figures with your age five years lower to see the gap in hard numbers.
Does this include pensions, tax or fees?
No. It projects the savings you enter at the return you choose, before any tax, fund charges or pension rules, which differ widely by country and product. Use it to size your monthly saving habit, then review the details with a qualified adviser for decisions that matter.