Why does starting to save earlier matter so much for retirement?

Compound growth means money has more time to grow the earlier it's invested. Someone starting 10 years earlier can end up with a substantially larger balance than someone contributing more per month but starting later.

Does a retirement projection account for inflation?

A basic projection typically shows nominal future value without adjusting for inflation, which erodes purchasing power over decades — worth keeping in mind when interpreting a large future balance.

Why should I run the projection at more than one growth rate?

Future market returns are never guaranteed, and even a few percentage points of difference in assumed annual growth compounds into a large difference in the final projected balance over decades.

Retirement Calculator

Project your retirement savings and estimate your monthly income in retirement.

Current Age

Retirement Age

Current Savings ($)

Monthly Contribution ($)

Expected Annual Return (%)

Inflation Rate (%)

Year-by-Year Growth

Age	Contributions	Interest Earned	Balance

For educational purposes only — not financial advice. Consult a financial advisor for personalized guidance.

How to use

Enter your current age and the age you plan to retire.
Input your current retirement savings balance.
Add your monthly contribution amount (include employer match if applicable).
Set your expected annual return — 7% is a common estimate for diversified index funds.
Set inflation rate — 2.5–3% is typical for long-term US planning.
The 4% rule estimates safe annual withdrawal as 4% of your retirement balance.

About this Retirement Calculator

Retirement projections combine several compounding variables — current savings, ongoing contributions, expected growth rate, and time horizon — and small changes in any one of them compound into large differences in the final projected balance.

Why time matters more than almost any other variable

Because of compound growth, money invested earlier has dramatically more time to grow than the same amount invested later, even at the identical contribution amount and rate of return. Someone who starts saving 10 years earlier can end up with a substantially larger balance than someone who contributes more per month but starts later — time in the market is often more powerful than the size of individual contributions.

Why the growth rate assumption matters so much

A projection assuming 5% annual growth versus 8% annual growth over 30 years can differ by well over 50% in final balance, since the gap compounds every year. Because future market returns are never guaranteed, it's worth running a projection at more than one growth-rate assumption (conservative and optimistic) rather than relying on a single number.

What a basic projection doesn't include

Simple retirement projections typically don't account for inflation eroding purchasing power over decades, taxes on withdrawals (which vary by account type), or irregular contribution changes over a career. These projections work best as a rough directional estimate, not a precise financial plan.