Most retirement calculators ask three questions and spit out a number. Ours does the work an actual financial planner would do — modeling sequence-of-returns risk, life events that shift your trajectory, the difference between safe-withdrawal-rate strategies, and the effect of Social Security claim timing.
You enter your current age, balances, savings rate, and target retirement age. We run a Monte Carlo simulation across thousands of market paths and tell you the probability your money outlasts you under each strategy you want to compare. Add a child's college payment, a paid-off mortgage, an inheritance, a career break — every life event flows through the projection.
When the answer changes — and it will — adjust the inputs and see the new probability immediately. Save scenarios, compare them side-by-side, and share read-only links with your spouse or advisor.
What you can do
- ✓Monte Carlo simulation across thousands of market paths
- ✓Sequence-of-returns risk modeling, not just average returns
- ✓Life events: college payments, inheritances, career breaks
- ✓Withdrawal strategies: 4% rule, guardrails, dynamic spending
- ✓Social Security claim-age comparison
- ✓Save and compare unlimited scenarios
- ✓Share read-only scenario links with anyone
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from a basic retirement calculator?+
Basic calculators assume an average annual return and project a straight line. Real markets move in waves, and the order of returns matters enormously when you're drawing down. Our calculator runs Monte Carlo simulations to surface that sequence-of-returns risk and gives you a probability of success rather than a single number.
Do I need to create an account?+
No. The calculator works without signing in. If you want to save scenarios or share them, sign-in is free with Google or email.
What withdrawal strategies do you support?+
The classic 4% rule, Guyton-Klinger guardrails, dynamic spending tied to portfolio performance, and a fixed-real-dollar strategy. You can compare any two side-by-side.
Can I model an early retirement / FIRE scenario?+
Yes — and we have a dedicated FIRE Calculator that surfaces additional metrics like Coast FIRE, Lean FIRE, and the bridge-to-59.5 problem.
Ready to run the numbers?
The Retirement Calculator runs entirely in your browser. Free, no sign-up required to use it.
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