Project your nest egg at retirement from current savings, yearly contributions and expected returns.
| Input | Result |
|---|---|
| Age 30→65, $25k, $6k/yr, 7% | ≈ $1,096,000 |
| Age 25→65, $0, $6k/yr, 7% | ≈ $1,198,000 |
| Age 40→65, $100k, $10k/yr, 5% | ≈ $816,000 |
Each year the balance grows by the return rate, then the yearly contribution is added; this repeats until your retirement age.
No, 7% is a long-run stock-market-style assumption. Use lower rates for conservative planning and remember inflation reduces purchasing power.
No. Add those income sources separately when planning your retirement budget.
If part of your yearly contribution goes to a workplace plan, the ceiling moved for 2026: $24,500 elective deferrals to a 401(k)/403(b)/457, plus an $8,000 catch-up from age 50 (and $11,250 for the ages 60–63 window that SECURE 2.0 created). IRAs take $7,500 plus a $1,100 catch-up. These come from IRS Notice 2025-67, and the same release governs the income phase-outs for Roth contributions.
Seven percent is a common long-run assumption for a stock-heavy portfolio before inflation. Over 35 years it is plausible; over any single 5-year window it is a coin toss. The disciplined way to use this calculator is to bracket: run 5% and run 8%, and treat the difference between the two nest eggs as the honest error bar on the projection. If the 5% run still clears your target, the plan is robust; if only the 8% run does, the plan is a hope.
Priya, 30, has $25,000 saved, contributes $6,000 a year, and runs the default 7%: about $1.1 million at 65. Two notes the raw number hides: first, in today's purchasing power that is materially less — pair this projection with the inflation calculator before quoting the figure to yourself. Second, traditional-account balances are pre-tax: with a $16,100 standard deduction and 2026 brackets (12% to $50,400 of taxable income, 22% beyond), a steady withdrawal strategy typically realises an effective federal rate well below the marginal rates that scared you during accumulation.
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