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Retirement & Financial Freedom Calculator

Project your retirement savings across three real-return scenarios and see your financial independence date — free, no sign-up.

US~3 minData verified 12 Jul 2026MethodologyPrivacy

Starting amount

$25,000
$0$1,000,000

Monthly contribution

$400
$0$5,000

Totals are used as entered; account-level limits may apply — switch to account breakdown to check.

0.0%
0.0%5.0%

Your age today & at retirement

30 → 65
Today 30Retire 65
1880

Expected annual return

7.5%
0.0%12.0%

Nominal, before inflation.

Expected inflation

2.5%
0.0%Used to show everything in today's purchasing power6.0%
Advanced settings
0.5%
0.0%2.0%
4.0%
2.5%5.0%
$4,000
$0$15,000
$0
$0$2,000
Example resultin today's money
Your hypothetical balance at 65
$507,867

≈ $1,693/mo illustrative retirement withdrawal · funds last beyond age 90

Your contributionsGrowth
Contribution vs. growth projectionProjected balance at age 65 (today's money): $360,565 conservative, $507,867 base, $727,039 optimistic. Financial independence in the base scenario is not reached by your chosen retirement age. Funds last beyond age 90 in the base scenario at the illustrative withdrawal rate.$0.0$127.0K$253.9K$380.9K$507.9K303234363840424446485052545658606264
Total contributions$193,000
Expected growth$314,867
Assumptions & sources
  • Conservative real return:3.5%(editorial planning scenario, not a forecast)
  • Base real return:5.0%(editorial planning scenario, not a forecast)
  • Optimistic real return:6.5%(editorial planning scenario, not a forecast)
  • Annual fee (subtracted from each scenario):0.50%
  • Withdrawal rate:4.0%
  • Contribution timing:Year-end(contributions land once per year and stop at your chosen retirement age)
  • Inflation (documentation only):2.5%(not applied a second time — every figure above is already in today's money; this rate only shows nominal ≈ real + inflation)
Find more money to put toward this plan — scan for hidden monthly leaks
Your plan adds up to $507,867 by 65 — about $1,693/month in today's money, $2,307 short of your $4,000 goal.

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Methodology

Every figure on this page is in today’s purchasing power. Growth uses three real (already inflation-adjusted) return scenarios — conservative, base and optimistic — so nothing is inflated a second time. Your annual fee is subtracted from each scenario exactly once.

The three scenarios are editorial planning ranges, not forecasts or regulatory figures. We derive them by triangulating the published nominal return ranges of diversified portfolios from three research providers — the Vanguard Capital Markets Model, the BlackRock Capital Market Assumptions and the J.P. Morgan Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions — then subtracting a documented 2.5% inflation assumption and rounding to three deliberately wide scenarios (nominal ≈ real + inflation). We do not claim probabilities for any scenario, and we review this methodology at least annually against fresh publications from the same three providers.

You enter a nominal return and expected inflation; we subtract inflation to project in today’s purchasing power (real return ≈ nominal − inflation). Conservative and optimistic scenarios are a ±1.5 percentage point editorial range around your own real-return figure, not a second set of inputs.

Any expected Social Security, State Pension or other retirement benefit comes entirely from your own official estimate — see “How is my Social Security benefit calculated?” below — and counts only from the age you say it starts.

Not financial advice. This tool is for education and planning only. It does not know your full financial picture, tax situation or risk tolerance — consult a licensed financial advisor before acting on retirement decisions.

Worked example

A 30-year-old planning to retire at 65 with $20,000 in tax-advantaged savings and $5,000 in a taxable account, contributing $400/month at a 0.5% annual fee, targeting $4,000/month in today’s money at a 4.0% withdrawal rate — these are the same numbers already filled in above, shown as the “Example result” until you change anything.

Your official benefits estimate

Wealth Horizon never estimates entitlement or benefit amounts automatically. Get your own personalized estimate from the SSA’s “Get a benefits estimate” tool and enter the monthly amount and starting age in the Assumptions step — the projection counts it only from that age onward.

FAQ

Is this financial advice?

No. Wealth Horizon is an educational planning tool, not personalized financial, tax or retirement advice. It illustrates three scenarios from the numbers you enter — talk to a licensed advisor before making retirement decisions.

Why is everything shown in today's money instead of nominal dollars?

All figures use real (inflation-adjusted) returns, so a result of "$3,000/month" means $3,000 of today's purchasing power — not a bigger nominal number that buys less in the future. This avoids the illusion of growth from inflation alone.

What happens if I enter a contribution above the IRS limit?

In simple mode, your total is used exactly as entered and never clamped — you'll see an informational note that account-level limits may apply. In account breakdown mode, a statutory cap is only applied when you've also entered that account's year-to-date contribution, and the clamp is always shown with the amount applied.

How is my Social Security benefit calculated?

It isn't — Wealth Horizon never estimates your Social Security or pension entitlement. Get your own estimate from the SSA's official benefits estimator and enter the monthly amount and the age it starts; the calculator counts it only from that age onward.

What does "financial independence" mean here?

The financial independence (FI) date is the first projected year in which your illustrative withdrawal plus any benefit you've entered would cover your target monthly income, for the scenario shown. If that never happens by your chosen retirement age, we say so instead of showing a date.

Can I change the withdrawal rate?

Yes — the withdrawal rate is adjustable from 2.5% to 5.0% (default 4.0%) in the Assumptions step, and every result recalculates immediately using the rate you choose.

Why do you subtract inflation?

You enter a nominal return and expected inflation; we subtract inflation to project in today's purchasing power (real return ≈ nominal − inflation). A 9% nominal return during 4% inflation buys the same as a 5% real return during 0% inflation — showing the real number avoids the illusion of growth from inflation alone.

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