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TheCalcuLab

Retirement calculatorRetirement calculator: project savings with inflation

Project savings from your current age to retirement, using an initial balance and fixed end-of-month contributions. Compare the future balance with its purchasing power after the inflation rate you choose. For example, starting at age 35 with $50,000 and adding $800 monthly until 65 at a 7% nominal annual rate produces about $1,381,802. At 3% annual inflation, that is about $569,284 in today's money. These are assumptions, not forecasts.

Projected nest egg — today’s money

$569,284

after 30 years at 7% return

In future dollars

$1,381,802

Total invested

$338,000

How to use

  1. 1

    Enter your current age and the age you want to retire — the gap sets your time horizon.

  2. 2

    Add your current retirement savings and what you contribute each month.

  3. 3

    Set a nominal annual return assumption and a separate annual inflation assumption.

  4. 4

    Toggle "Show primary figure in" between future dollars and today's money to feel what the number really buys.

  5. 5

    Adjust your monthly contribution to find the savings rate that closes any gap.

Benefits

Think in today's money

The inflation-adjusted figure translates a far-off million into what it actually buys — the number that matters.

Test your retirement age

Move the retirement age and see exactly how each extra working year changes the outcome.

Compare monthly contributions

Adjust contributions to see their effect on the modeled balance.

No account required

Use the public tool without signing up. Shared URLs can include your inputs.

How to read your retirement projection

The calculator shows projected savings in future dollars and, when selected, their estimated purchasing power in today?s dollars. Compare the inflation-adjusted result with a target expressed in today?s dollars. Total invested is the starting savings plus modeled monthly contributions; the balance above it reflects the assumed growth.

Keep rate assumptions consistent

Enter a nominal annual return and a separate inflation assumption. The model discounts the nominal projection by inflation; do not enter an already inflation-adjusted return and then subtract inflation again.

Treat the balance as a scenario

Monthly contributions are added at the end of each month. The projection assumes a steady return and inflation rate; it does not simulate market fluctuations or guarantee a balance.

What this calculator does not estimate

It does not model retirement withdrawals, taxes, investment fees, Social Security, pensions, or changing contribution amounts. Those factors affect how much income savings may support. Use the result to compare assumptions, not as a retirement-income plan.

How it works

FV=P(1+r12)12t+PMT×(1+r12)12t−1r/12Vreal=FV(1+i)tFV = P\left(1 + \frac{r}{12}\right)^{12t} + \mathrm{PMT} \times \frac{\left(1 + \frac{r}{12}\right)^{12t} - 1}{r/12} \qquad V_{\text{real}} = \frac{FV}{(1+i)^t}
FV
Future value — your projected nest egg in future dollars
P
Current savings — what you have invested today
PMT
Monthly contribution — added at the end of each month
r
Expected annual return, as a decimal (7% = 0.07)
t
Years until retirement
i
Annual inflation rate, as a decimal (3% = 0.03)

The annual return input is a nominal rate divided by 12 for monthly compounding. A 7% input therefore produces about 7.23% effective annual growth before contributions. Inflation is an effective annual rate: today's purchasing power = projected balance / (1 + inflation)^years. Contributions stay fixed in nominal dollars. Taxes, fees, withdrawals, pensions, and market volatility are not modeled.

Worked example

At 35 with $50,000 saved, adding $800 a month at 7% until 65, the projection reaches $1,381,802 in future dollars. At 3% inflation, that buys what $569,284 buys today. You put in $338,000 — compounding contributes the other $1,043,802.

Understanding your results

The projected balance is shown in today’s dollars using the inflation assumption, so compare it with a spending target expressed in today’s dollars too. The result does not determine whether a withdrawal plan will last; taxes, fees, market variation, and retirement length are outside this projection.

✓

Sources and methodology

These resources explain related concepts. They do not certify or endorse this calculator. See the assumptions and worked example above.

Frequently asked questions

A dollar in 30 years buys less than a dollar today. If your projection shows $1,381,802 in future dollars with 3% inflation over 30 years, that balance has the buying power of about $569,284 in today’s money (1,381,802 ÷ 1.03^30). “Today’s money” answers the question that actually matters: what will this feel like when you spend it?

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Figures are estimates for education only — not financial advice. Results depend on the assumptions you enter. Read the full disclaimer.