Estimate how your current investments, regular contributions, compound returns and retirement timeline could affect your future savings. Adjust the assumptions to build a clearer retirement savings target.
Calculate My Retirement Savings
Enter your current position and investment assumptions.
Your Retirement Projection
Estimated results based on the assumptions you entered.
Where your retirement balance comes from
Retirement target
Your estimated retirement target will appear here.
| Age | Annual Contribution | Total Contributions | Estimated Balance |
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Plan Your Retirement With an Investment Growth Estimate
Retirement planning starts with a simple question: how much could your money become if you keep investing for the long term? This investment calculator gives you a forward-looking estimate using your current balance, regular contributions, expected return, investment timeline and inflation assumption.
The goal is not to predict the stock market. The goal is to make the relationship between saving, time and compound growth easier to understand. Changing your retirement age or monthly contribution can quickly show how different choices affect your projected retirement savings.
Start With Your Balance
Enter what you have already saved. Existing investments have more time to compound when you stay invested.
Add Regular Contributions
Set the amount you expect to invest and increase it over time if your income or savings rate rises.
Test Retirement Scenarios
Change your retirement age, return and inflation assumptions to compare different planning scenarios.
How This Investment Calculator Works
The calculator estimates future investment value by applying compound growth over the number of years between your current age and retirement age. Regular contributions are added throughout the investment period, while the expected annual return determines how the balance grows.
Current investment balance
Your current balance is the starting point. A larger starting balance gives compound growth more capital to work with over the remaining years before retirement.
Monthly or periodic contributions
Regular contributions represent the new money you expect to invest. The calculator increases the contribution annually according to the percentage you enter. This models a situation where your savings rise as your income increases.
Expected investment return
The expected return is an assumption, not a promise. A small difference in the assumed annual return can produce a large difference over several decades because investment growth compounds over time.
Inflation adjustment
A future dollar will not necessarily have the same purchasing power as a dollar today. The calculator therefore shows an inflation-adjusted estimate so you can compare the projected retirement balance with today's money.
Retirement income estimate
The calculator applies your selected withdrawal rate to the projected retirement balance. For example, a 4 percent withdrawal assumption means an estimated annual retirement income equal to 4 percent of the projected portfolio.
AARP Investment Calculator, Dave Ramsey and NerdWallet Comparisons
People searching for an AARP investment calculator, Dave Ramsey investment calculator or NerdWallet investment calculator are often trying to answer a similar question: how much might their investments grow and how much should they save for retirement?
The tools are not identical, so the inputs and results can differ. AARP's retirement calculator focuses on retirement timing, savings and income factors. Ramsey Solutions provides an investment calculator for estimating investment growth. NerdWallet offers separate investment-growth and retirement calculators with inputs covering contributions, return assumptions and retirement planning.
AARP Retirement Calculator
AARP's retirement tool focuses on retirement planning, including savings, income and retirement timing. This page is an independent calculator inspired by the same planning questions.
Dave Ramsey Investment Calculator
Ramsey Solutions offers an investment calculator for exploring how investments might grow over time. Our calculator adds retirement-focused inputs such as inflation and retirement income.
NerdWallet Investment Calculator
NerdWallet provides investment-growth and retirement calculators. Its tools include inputs for contributions, investment timeline and expected returns.
Important distinction
ComfortSkillz is not affiliated with AARP, Dave Ramsey, Ramsey Solutions or NerdWallet. The names above describe well-known calculator searches and comparison topics. This calculator is independently developed for educational retirement planning.
How Much Should You Save for Retirement?
There is no single retirement savings number that works for everyone. Your target depends on your retirement age, expected lifestyle, income, savings rate, investment return, inflation, taxes, Social Security, pensions and how long your money needs to last.
A retirement calculator helps turn those variables into a scenario you can inspect. Instead of relying on one target number, run several versions of your plan.
- Retire at your planned age with your current savings rate.
- Increase monthly contributions by 5 percent or 10 percent.
- Delay retirement by several years.
- Compare a conservative return assumption with a higher assumption.
- Increase the inflation assumption to test purchasing-power risk.
- Compare your projected balance with your desired retirement income.
These scenarios can show which variables have the greatest effect on your projected retirement savings.
Why Compound Growth Matters for Retirement
Compound growth means your investment returns can generate additional returns when those earnings stay invested. Over a long retirement-planning horizon, the effect becomes more noticeable.
Time is one of the biggest factors. Two investors who contribute similar amounts can end up with different balances if one starts earlier. Increasing contributions can also have a substantial effect because each new contribution gets additional time to potentially grow.
The calculator separates your contributions from estimated investment growth so you can see how much of the projected balance comes from money you put into the portfolio versus modeled growth.
How to Use the Retirement Savings Calculator
1. Enter your current age
Start with your current age. This establishes the number of years available for investment growth.
2. Choose your retirement age
Enter the age when you expect to retire. Moving retirement farther into the future gives contributions and investment returns more time to compound.
3. Add your current investments
Include the money already invested for long-term or retirement purposes.
4. Enter your contribution
Enter how much you expect to invest regularly. The calculator lets you select the contribution frequency and model annual contribution increases.
5. Set an expected return
Use a reasonable long-term planning assumption rather than assuming every year will produce the same return. Real markets fluctuate.
6. Account for inflation
Inflation reduces purchasing power. The calculator displays an inflation-adjusted estimate alongside the projected future balance.
7. Review the retirement income estimate
The projected balance is converted into an estimated annual and monthly retirement income using your selected withdrawal rate.
What Can Change Your Retirement Savings Result?
- Starting balance: More money invested today gives compound growth a larger base.
- Contribution amount: Investing more increases the amount available for future growth.
- Time: More years give contributions and returns more opportunity to compound.
- Investment return: Higher modeled returns produce a larger projection, but also involve assumptions about risk.
- Inflation: Higher inflation reduces the future purchasing power of a fixed dollar amount.
- Retirement age: Delaying retirement can provide additional years of saving and investment growth.
- Contribution increases: Raising your investment amount as income grows can materially change the final balance.
- Fees and taxes: Actual investment outcomes can be lower than a simplified projection after expenses, taxes and other costs.
