Age-based retirement planning

Retirement Readiness Calculator

Model retirement assets month by month, compare the portfolio you may have with the amount your income target requires, and test three deterministic scenarios through your selected life expectancy.

Retirement planning details

Results reflect the last successful calculation. Editing any field does not change displayed totals, schedules, or charts until you calculate again.

Personal timeline

Whole-year ages define one monthly accumulation phase followed by one monthly retirement phase.

Current agei

Planned retirement agei

Life expectancyi

First projection monthi

Retirement income target

The target is gross retirement income before taxes, not an entered spending budget.

Current annual gross incomei

Desired income replacement ratei

Annual inflation ratei

Display basis iShow results in today's dollars

Retirement accounts

Add 1–20 accounts. Category is descriptive; it does not create tax or withdrawal-order rules.

Account namei

Account categoryi

Current balancei

Expected annual returni

Monthly personal contributioni

Monthly employer contributioni

Account namei

Account categoryi

Current balancei

Expected annual returni

Monthly personal contributioni

Monthly employer contributioni

Account namei

Account categoryi

Current balancei

Expected annual returni

Monthly personal contributioni

Monthly employer contributioni

Contribution assumptions

Each increase changes the monthly level once every 12 projection months. All contributions stop at retirement.

Annual personal contribution increasei

Annual employer contribution increasei

Fixed rule: personal and employer contributions stop when retirement begins.

Retirement income sources

Add up to 10 monthly income sources in today's dollars, or remove every source.

Income source namei

Income source categoryi

Monthly income in today's dollarsi

Starting agei

Annual cost-of-living adjustmenti

Retirement phase assumptions

After retirement, all accounts use this return and actual withdrawals occur at month end.

Expected annual return during retirementi

The retirement income target increases with the entered inflation rate. Withdrawal timing is fixed at end of month.

Scenario comparison

Returns change by percentage points; personal contributions change by a percentage. Employer contributions and all income assumptions remain unchanged.

Conservative

Pre-retirement return adjustmenti

Post-retirement return adjustmenti

Personal contribution adjustmenti

Optimistic

Pre-retirement return adjustmenti

Post-retirement return adjustmenti

Personal contribution adjustmenti

Base uses every entered value with 0 adjustments.

Readiness status

Projected surplus

The portfolio lasts through the selected life expectancy under the submitted base assumptions.

Retirement readiness results

Calculated from the last successfully submitted snapshot. All projected dollars are nominal unless labeled today's dollars.

Current snapshot

Current retirement savingsi

$110,000.00

Current annual gross incomei

$80,000.00

Desired retirement income in today's dollarsi

$60,000.00

Current monthly personal contributionsi

$1,000.00

Current monthly employer contributionsi

$300.00

Total current monthly contributionsi

$1,300.00

Current annual personal contribution ratei

15%

Years until planned retirementi

32 years

Planned years in retirementi

23 years

Largest retirement accounti

Workplace 401(k)

$75,000.00

Main retirement results

Projected portfolio at retirementi

$3,059,369.23

Projected portfolio at retirement in today's dollarsi

$1,388,251.66

Required portfolio at retirementi

$1,399,426.09

Required portfolio in today's dollarsi

$635,018.35

Projected funding surplus or gapi

+$1,659,943.14

Funding ratioi

218.62%

Additional monthly contribution neededi

$0.00

Mathematical estimate, not a recommended action.

Desired first-year retirement incomei

$134,009.21

Projected first-year income from other sourcesi

$53,603.69

Required first-year portfolio withdrawalsi

$80,405.53

Initial projected withdrawal ratei

2.63%

Total personal contributionsi

$530,724.36

Total employer contributionsi

$115,200.00

Total accumulation investment growthi

$2,303,444.88

Total retirement withdrawalsi

$2,459,157.04

Total retirement investment growth or lossi

$4,498,342.60

Ending portfolio at life expectancyi

$5,098,554.80

Ending portfolio in today's dollarsi

$1,311,096.01

Portfolio depletion datei

Portfolio lasts through selected life expectancy

Age at projected depletioni

N/A

Total unfunded retirement incomei

$0.00

Number of unfunded monthsi

Planned retirement datei

Sep 30, 2058

Projection end datei

Aug 31, 2081

Readiness statusi

Projected surplus

Projection statusi

Projection completed with projected surplus

Account breakdown

Base account values come directly from the monthly simulation, including proportional retirement withdrawals.

Account	Category	Current balance	Annual return	Personal / mo	Employer / mo	At retirement	Personal total	Employer total	Accumulation growth	Retirement withdrawals	Ending balance
Workplace 401(k)	401(k)	$75,000.00	7%	$600.00	$300.00	$2,077,803.00	$318,434.61	$115,200.00	$1,569,168.38	$1,670,162.53	$3,462,737.46
Traditional IRA	Traditional IRA	$25,000.00	7%	$200.00	$0.00	$556,147.65	$106,144.87	$0.00	$425,002.78	$447,038.03	$926,841.14
Taxable brokerage	Taxable brokerage	$10,000.00	7%	$200.00	$0.00	$425,418.59	$106,144.87	$0.00	$309,273.72	$341,956.47	$708,976.20

Category summary

Category	Current balance	Current share	At retirement	Projected share	Total contributions	Accumulation growth	Ending balance
401(k)	$75,000.00	68.18%	$2,077,803.00	67.92%	$433,634.61	$1,569,168.38	$3,462,737.46
Traditional IRA	$25,000.00	22.73%	$556,147.65	18.18%	$106,144.87	$425,002.78	$926,841.14
Taxable brokerage	$10,000.00	9.09%	$425,418.59	13.91%	$106,144.87	$309,273.72	$708,976.20

Retirement income breakdown

Income source	Category	Monthly today	Starting age	Projected start	Annual COLA	First nominal payment	Total projected income	Share of source income
Social Security	Social Security	$2,000.00	67	Sep 30, 2058	2.5%	$4,416.59	$1,639,438.03	100%

Monthly schedule

Base rows use the submitted snapshot. Expanding this table does not recalculate results.

Month	Age	Phase	Beginning portfolio	Personal	Employer	Growth / loss	Income target	Other income	Required withdrawal	Actual withdrawal	Unfunded income	Ending portfolio	Ending today
Sep 2026	35	Accumulation	$110,000.00	$1,000.00	$300.00	$621.96	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$111,921.96	$111,691.89
Oct 2026	35.1	Accumulation	$111,921.96	$1,000.00	$300.00	$632.82	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$113,854.78	$113,387.18
Nov 2026	35.2	Accumulation	$113,854.78	$1,000.00	$300.00	$643.75	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$115,798.53	$115,085.89
Dec 2026	35.3	Accumulation	$115,798.53	$1,000.00	$300.00	$654.74	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$117,753.27	$116,788.04
Jan 2027	35.3	Accumulation	$117,753.27	$1,000.00	$300.00	$665.79	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$119,719.07	$118,493.64
Feb 2027	35.4	Accumulation	$119,719.07	$1,000.00	$300.00	$676.91	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$121,695.98	$120,202.72
Mar 2027	35.5	Accumulation	$121,695.98	$1,000.00	$300.00	$688.09	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$123,684.06	$121,915.28
Apr 2027	35.6	Accumulation	$123,684.06	$1,000.00	$300.00	$699.33	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$125,683.39	$123,631.36
May 2027	35.7	Accumulation	$125,683.39	$1,000.00	$300.00	$710.63	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$127,694.02	$125,350.96
Jun 2027	35.8	Accumulation	$127,694.02	$1,000.00	$300.00	$722.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$129,716.02	$127,074.11
Jul 2027	35.8	Accumulation	$129,716.02	$1,000.00	$300.00	$733.43	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$131,749.46	$128,800.82
Aug 2027	35.9	Accumulation	$131,749.46	$1,000.00	$300.00	$744.93	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$133,794.39	$130,531.11

Showing 12 of 660 calculated months.

Yearly breakdown

Aggregated only from monthly rows. Calendar years containing retirement transition are split by phase.

Period	Starting age	Ending age	Phase	Starting portfolio	Personal	Employer	Growth / loss	Income target	Other income	Withdrawals	Unfunded	Ending portfolio	Ending real
Sep–Dec 2026	35	35.3	Accumulation	$110,000.00	$4,000.00	$1,200.00	$2,553.27	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$117,753.27	$116,788.04
2027	35.3	36.3	Accumulation	$117,753.27	$12,080.00	$3,600.00	$8,737.80	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$142,171.07	$137,566.52
2028	36.3	37.3	Accumulation	$142,171.07	$12,321.60	$3,600.00	$10,454.66	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$168,547.33	$159,110.75
2029	37.3	38.3	Accumulation	$168,547.33	$12,568.03	$3,600.00	$12,308.77	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$197,024.13	$181,456.78
2030	38.3	39.3	Accumulation	$197,024.13	$12,819.39	$3,600.00	$14,310.08	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$227,753.60	$204,642.19
2031	39.3	40.3	Accumulation	$227,753.60	$13,075.78	$3,600.00	$16,469.22	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$260,898.61	$228,706.13
2032	40.3	41.3	Accumulation	$260,898.61	$13,337.30	$3,600.00	$18,797.62	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$296,633.53	$253,689.46
2033	41.3	42.3	Accumulation	$296,633.53	$13,604.04	$3,600.00	$21,307.48	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$335,145.05	$279,634.74
2034	42.3	43.3	Accumulation	$335,145.05	$13,876.12	$3,600.00	$24,011.87	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$376,633.04	$306,586.39
2035	43.3	44.3	Accumulation	$376,633.04	$14,153.65	$3,600.00	$26,924.78	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$421,311.46	$334,590.70
2036	44.3	45.3	Accumulation	$421,311.46	$14,436.72	$3,600.00	$30,061.20	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$469,409.37	$363,695.96
2037	45.3	46.3	Accumulation	$469,409.37	$14,725.45	$3,600.00	$33,437.16	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$521,171.98	$393,952.55
2038	46.3	47.3	Accumulation	$521,171.98	$15,019.96	$3,600.00	$37,069.83	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$576,861.77	$425,413.00
2039	47.3	48.3	Accumulation	$576,861.77	$15,320.36	$3,600.00	$40,977.59	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$636,759.72	$458,132.09
2040	48.3	49.3	Accumulation	$636,759.72	$15,626.77	$3,600.00	$45,180.11	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$701,166.59	$492,166.98
2041	49.3	50.3	Accumulation	$701,166.59	$15,939.30	$3,600.00	$49,698.44	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$770,404.34	$527,577.32
2042	50.3	51.3	Accumulation	$770,404.34	$16,258.09	$3,600.00	$54,555.14	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$844,817.57	$564,425.29
2043	51.3	52.3	Accumulation	$844,817.57	$16,583.25	$3,600.00	$59,774.32	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$924,775.14	$602,775.81
2044	52.3	53.3	Accumulation	$924,775.14	$16,914.92	$3,600.00	$65,381.81	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$1,010,671.86	$642,696.56
2045	53.3	54.3	Accumulation	$1,010,671.86	$17,253.21	$3,600.00	$71,405.25	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$1,102,930.33	$684,258.21
2046	54.3	55.3	Accumulation	$1,102,930.33	$17,598.28	$3,600.00	$77,874.23	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$1,202,002.83	$727,534.45
2047	55.3	56.3	Accumulation	$1,202,002.83	$17,950.24	$3,600.00	$84,820.40	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$1,308,373.48	$772,602.19
2048	56.3	57.3	Accumulation	$1,308,373.48	$18,309.25	$3,600.00	$92,277.67	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$1,422,560.40	$819,541.70
2049	57.3	58.3	Accumulation	$1,422,560.40	$18,675.43	$3,600.00	$100,282.30	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$1,545,118.13	$868,436.69
2050	58.3	59.3	Accumulation	$1,545,118.13	$19,048.94	$3,600.00	$108,873.12	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$1,676,640.20	$919,374.56
2051	59.3	60.3	Accumulation	$1,676,640.20	$19,429.92	$3,600.00	$118,091.68	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$1,817,761.80	$972,446.50
2052	60.3	61.3	Accumulation	$1,817,761.80	$19,818.52	$3,600.00	$127,982.45	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$1,969,162.77	$1,027,747.66
2053	61.3	62.3	Accumulation	$1,969,162.77	$20,214.89	$3,600.00	$138,593.02	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$2,131,570.68	$1,085,377.34
2054	62.3	63.3	Accumulation	$2,131,570.68	$20,619.19	$3,600.00	$149,974.32	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$2,305,764.20	$1,145,439.19
2055	63.3	64.3	Accumulation	$2,305,764.20	$21,031.57	$3,600.00	$162,180.88	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$2,492,576.64	$1,208,041.36
2056	64.3	65.3	Accumulation	$2,492,576.64	$21,452.20	$3,600.00	$175,271.01	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$2,692,899.86	$1,273,296.72
2057	65.3	66.3	Accumulation	$2,692,899.86	$21,881.25	$3,600.00	$189,307.17	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$2,907,688.28	$1,341,323.08
Jan–Aug 2058	66.3	67	Accumulation	$2,907,688.28	$14,780.71	$2,400.00	$134,500.24	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$3,059,369.23	$1,388,251.66
Sep–Dec 2058	67	67.3	Retirement	$3,059,369.23	$0.00	$0.00	$49,999.90	$44,302.58	$17,721.03	$26,581.55	$0.00	$3,082,787.59	$1,387,411.49
2059	67.3	68.3	Retirement	$3,082,787.59	$0.00	$0.00	$152,306.16	$135,116.78	$54,046.71	$81,070.07	$0.00	$3,154,023.68	$1,384,850.11
2060	68.3	69.3	Retirement	$3,154,023.68	$0.00	$0.00	$155,822.13	$138,494.70	$55,397.88	$83,096.82	$0.00	$3,226,748.99	$1,382,226.25
2061	69.3	70.3	Retirement	$3,226,748.99	$0.00	$0.00	$159,411.42	$141,957.07	$56,782.83	$85,174.24	$0.00	$3,300,986.17	$1,379,538.40
2062	70.3	71.3	Retirement	$3,300,986.17	$0.00	$0.00	$163,075.13	$145,505.99	$58,202.40	$87,303.60	$0.00	$3,376,757.70	$1,376,784.99
2063	71.3	72.3	Retirement	$3,376,757.70	$0.00	$0.00	$166,814.35	$149,143.64	$59,657.46	$89,486.19	$0.00	$3,454,085.86	$1,373,964.42
2064	72.3	73.3	Retirement	$3,454,085.86	$0.00	$0.00	$170,630.17	$152,872.23	$61,148.89	$91,723.34	$0.00	$3,532,992.69	$1,371,075.06
2065	73.3	74.3	Retirement	$3,532,992.69	$0.00	$0.00	$174,523.66	$156,694.04	$62,677.62	$94,016.42	$0.00	$3,613,499.92	$1,368,115.23
2066	74.3	75.3	Retirement	$3,613,499.92	$0.00	$0.00	$178,495.87	$160,611.39	$64,244.56	$96,366.83	$0.00	$3,695,628.96	$1,365,083.21
2067	75.3	76.3	Retirement	$3,695,628.96	$0.00	$0.00	$182,547.84	$164,626.67	$65,850.67	$98,776.00	$0.00	$3,779,400.79	$1,361,977.23
2068	76.3	77.3	Retirement	$3,779,400.79	$0.00	$0.00	$186,680.59	$168,742.34	$67,496.94	$101,245.40	$0.00	$3,864,835.98	$1,358,795.50
2069	77.3	78.3	Retirement	$3,864,835.98	$0.00	$0.00	$190,895.12	$172,960.90	$69,184.36	$103,776.54	$0.00	$3,951,954.56	$1,355,536.17
2070	78.3	79.3	Retirement	$3,951,954.56	$0.00	$0.00	$195,192.38	$177,284.92	$70,913.97	$106,370.95	$0.00	$4,040,775.99	$1,352,197.33
2071	79.3	80.3	Retirement	$4,040,775.99	$0.00	$0.00	$199,573.32	$181,717.05	$72,686.82	$109,030.23	$0.00	$4,131,319.08	$1,348,777.07
2072	80.3	81.3	Retirement	$4,131,319.08	$0.00	$0.00	$204,038.83	$186,259.97	$74,503.99	$111,755.98	$0.00	$4,223,601.93	$1,345,273.38
2073	81.3	82.3	Retirement	$4,223,601.93	$0.00	$0.00	$208,589.80	$190,916.47	$76,366.59	$114,549.88	$0.00	$4,317,641.84	$1,341,684.24
2074	82.3	83.3	Retirement	$4,317,641.84	$0.00	$0.00	$213,227.04	$195,689.38	$78,275.75	$117,413.63	$0.00	$4,413,455.25	$1,338,007.56
2075	83.3	84.3	Retirement	$4,413,455.25	$0.00	$0.00	$217,951.33	$200,581.62	$80,232.65	$120,348.97	$0.00	$4,511,057.61	$1,334,241.20
2076	84.3	85.3	Retirement	$4,511,057.61	$0.00	$0.00	$222,763.41	$205,596.16	$82,238.46	$123,357.69	$0.00	$4,610,463.33	$1,330,382.98
2077	85.3	86.3	Retirement	$4,610,463.33	$0.00	$0.00	$227,663.96	$210,736.06	$84,294.42	$126,441.64	$0.00	$4,711,685.66	$1,326,430.66
2078	86.3	87.3	Retirement	$4,711,685.66	$0.00	$0.00	$232,653.60	$216,004.46	$86,401.79	$129,602.68	$0.00	$4,814,736.58	$1,322,381.94
2079	87.3	88.3	Retirement	$4,814,736.58	$0.00	$0.00	$237,732.88	$221,404.57	$88,561.83	$132,842.74	$0.00	$4,919,626.71	$1,318,234.47
2080	88.3	89.3	Retirement	$4,919,626.71	$0.00	$0.00	$242,902.29	$226,939.69	$90,775.88	$136,163.81	$0.00	$5,026,365.18	$1,313,985.84
Jan–Aug 2081	89.3	90	Retirement	$5,026,365.18	$0.00	$0.00	$164,851.45	$154,436.38	$61,774.55	$92,661.83	$0.00	$5,098,554.80	$1,311,096.01

Scenario comparison table

Base is explicitly labeled and uses entered assumptions. Alternative cases are sensitivity estimates, not promises or guarantees.

Scenario	Pre-return adj.	Post-return adj.	Personal contrib. adj.	At retirement	Required portfolio	Surplus / gap	Funding ratio	Additional / mo	Ending portfolio	Depletion date	Unfunded income	Status
Conservative	-2 pts	-1 pts	-20%	$1,744,041.93	$1,550,210.68	+$193,831.25	112.5%	$0.00	$477,738.89	N/A	$0.00	Projected surplus
Base (entered assumptions)	0 pts	0 pts	0%	$3,059,369.23	$1,399,426.09	+$1,659,943.14	218.62%	$0.00	$5,098,554.80	N/A	$0.00	Projected surplus
Optimistic	+2 pts	+1 pts	+20%	$5,319,483.98	$1,269,497.89	+$4,049,986.09	419.02%	$0.00	$15,469,932.98	N/A	$0.00	Projected surplus

Portfolio projection

Base nominal portfolio (solid), purchasing power in today's dollars (dashed), retirement, and harmful depletion.

Text alternative: the base portfolio is projected at $3,059,369.23 when retirement begins and $5,098,554.80 at the selected life expectancy.

Scenario comparison

Conservative (dotted), Base (solid), and Optimistic (dashed) portfolio paths across both phases.

Conservative: $1,744,041.93 at retirement; Projected surplus.

Base (entered assumptions): $3,059,369.23 at retirement; Projected surplus.

Optimistic: $5,319,483.98 at retirement; Projected surplus.

Retirement income coverage

Annual retirement target compared with other income, actual portfolio withdrawals, and any unfunded income.

Text alternative: first-year target is $134,009.21, including $53,603.69 from other sources and $80,405.53 in required portfolio withdrawals.

Contribution and growth composition

Base retirement-date portfolio reconciled from current balance, personal contributions, employer contributions, and accumulation growth.

Text alternative: $110,000.00 current balance plus $530,724.36 personal, $115,200.00 employer, and $2,303,444.88 growth equals the projected retirement portfolio.

Understanding retirement readiness

What retirement readiness means

Readiness is the relationship between your projected portfolio at the planned retirement age and the portfolio required to fill your modeled retirement income gap. It is an estimate tied to the ages and assumptions you enter.

Projected vs required portfolio

Projected portfolio comes from current balances, contributions, employer contributions, and account returns. Required portfolio is independently solved so monthly withdrawals can cover the target through the selected horizon.

Replacement rate and the target

The replacement rate multiplies current gross income to create a gross retirement income target in today's dollars. It is not a spending budget and does not assume all current income is spent.

Employer contributions

Employer contributions are recorded separately because they add to the portfolio without being personal savings. Scenario contribution adjustments change personal contributions only.

Annual contribution increases

Personal and employer contribution levels step up once every 12 projection months, not a little each month. Contributions are added after monthly return and stop when retirement begins.

Nominal and today's dollars

Nominal dollars show future amounts. Today's dollars divide those values by cumulative inflation to provide a purchasing-power comparison without subtracting inflation directly from investment return.

Social Security, pensions, and COLA

Active retirement income sources reduce the withdrawal required from the portfolio. Each source follows its entered COLA, which may be higher or lower than the inflation rate applied to the target.

Returns before and after retirement

Each account uses its own return while accumulating. After retirement, the accounts form one portfolio and use the entered retirement return while account balances continue to be tracked proportionally.

Monthly withdrawal order

Investment growth or loss is applied to the beginning portfolio first. Other income then reduces the target gap, and the available portfolio funds the remaining withdrawal at month end.

Funding gaps and additional contributions

A funding gap means the projected retirement-date portfolio is below the solved requirement. The additional contribution result is a binary-searched mathematical estimate distributed across accounts; it is not a personal recommendation.

Projected depletion

Harmful depletion begins only when the portfolio is exhausted and required income is unfunded. A portfolio at zero remains covered when Social Security, pensions, or other sources meet the target.

Life expectancy assumption

Life expectancy sets the end of the planning horizon. It is not a prediction, and changing it can materially change the required portfolio and funding status.

Why compare scenarios

Conservative and optimistic cases show sensitivity to return and personal contribution assumptions. Neither case captures the full range of possible market or life outcomes.

Why there is no 4% rule

The model does not multiply spending by 25 or assume a fixed withdrawal percentage. It simulates the entered income gap, inflation, other income, returns, and withdrawals month by month.

Limits of a deterministic model

Constant assumptions make comparisons transparent, but they cannot represent market volatility, sequence-of-returns risk, job changes, irregular spending, or changes in laws and benefits.

Frequently asked questions

What does retirement readiness mean in this calculator?

It compares the portfolio projected at your planned retirement age with the portfolio required by the same monthly model to cover your income target through the selected life expectancy.

Does this calculator use the 4% rule?

No. It finds the required retirement-date portfolio with a bounded binary search over monthly income targets, other retirement income, investment returns, and end-of-month withdrawals.

How are Social Security and pensions treated?

Each entered source begins at its starting age, grows by its own cost-of-living adjustment, and reduces the portfolio withdrawal required to meet the monthly gross income target.

Why are nominal dollars different from today's dollars?

Nominal values are future dollar amounts. Today's-dollar values divide nominal balances by cumulative inflation to estimate their purchasing power relative to today.

What does a projected portfolio depletion date mean?

It is the first modeled retirement month when the portfolio ends near zero and some required income remains unfunded. A zero portfolio is not harmful depletion when other income still covers the target.

Are conservative and optimistic scenarios forecasts?

No. They are deterministic sensitivity cases that adjust returns and personal contributions. Optimistic results are not promises, and conservative results are not guarantees.