Use this retirement withdrawal calculator to estimate how long your savings can support your lifestyle. Enter your starting balance, monthly spending, any recurring monthly income, and return/inflation assumptions.
Assumes a steady monthly return and monthly inflation adjustment to spending. This is a planning estimate, not financial advice.
What this calculator helps you answer
The biggest retirement question is simple: Will my money last? This calculator estimates the longevity of your portfolio based on your withdrawal needs and basic market assumptions. It’s useful for retirement planning, early retirement scenarios, and anyone drawing from savings to cover monthly expenses.
Instead of using vague rules alone, this tool gives you a direct estimate in years and months so you can make clearer decisions about spending, saving, and risk.
How the calculation works
1) Monthly cash flow
Each month, the calculator adds any outside income (such as pension or rental income) and subtracts spending needs. If your spending is higher than outside income, the difference is funded from your portfolio.
2) Portfolio growth
Your remaining balance grows using the annual return you provide, converted to a monthly growth rate. This helps estimate how long compounding can offset withdrawals.
3) Inflation adjustment
Monthly spending is increased over time based on your inflation assumption. This reflects real life, where costs for housing, healthcare, food, and insurance typically rise.
How to interpret your result
- Estimated duration: your portfolio’s projected lifespan under the exact assumptions entered.
- Run-out date: if depletion occurs, the calculator gives an approximate month and year.
- Year-end snapshots: a table shows projected balances over time so you can see whether your plan is stable or fragile.
Ways to make your money last longer
- Reduce monthly spending, even modestly.
- Delay retirement by 1–3 years to keep contributing and reduce drawdown years.
- Increase guaranteed income streams where possible.
- Lower fees and taxes by optimizing account withdrawals.
- Build a flexible withdrawal plan instead of a fixed amount every year.
Important limitations
This is a deterministic model, meaning it uses a constant return and inflation rate. Real markets are volatile. The sequence of returns matters a lot—especially in the first decade of retirement. Use this as a baseline estimate, then test conservative and optimistic cases.
For better risk planning, run multiple scenarios:
- Lower returns + higher inflation (stress case)
- Moderate returns + moderate inflation (base case)
- Higher returns + lower inflation (best case)
Example planning workflow
A practical approach is to run this calculator monthly or quarterly and update:
- Current portfolio balance
- Actual spending trend
- New income sources (Social Security, pension, part-time work)
- Updated return and inflation assumptions
Small updates over time can prevent large planning mistakes later.
Final thought
A “how long will your money last” estimate is one of the most useful retirement planning numbers you can have. Use it to set a realistic lifestyle budget, pressure-test your plan, and adjust early while you still have options.