How this calculator works
Each month your savings earn your expected return and your withdrawal comes out. Once a year the withdrawal rises with inflation. The calculator counts the months until the balance runs out.
Worked example
With the example values below: Your money lasts, 21 yrs 9 mos (withdrawing $4,000 a month to start). Change any number above to run your own.
What you enter
| Input | Example |
|---|---|
| Savings | $800,000 |
| Monthly withdrawal | $4,000 |
| Annual return | 5% |
| Raise withdrawals for inflation | 2.5% |
What determines how long savings last
The calculator uses a steady average return, so treat the result as a baseline and test lower returns too.
- Withdrawal rate: yearly withdrawals as a share of savings. Below about 4% tends to last 30 years or more.
- Investment return: higher returns stretch savings, but they come with more volatility.
- Inflation: rising withdrawals drain savings faster than flat ones.
- Sequence of returns: big losses early in retirement do far more damage than the same losses later.
Sequence-of-returns risk
If the market falls sharply in your first few years of withdrawals, you sell more shares at low prices, leaving less to recover. Two retirees with the same average return can end up with very different outcomes depending on the order of returns.
Common defenses: keep one to two years of spending in cash or short-term bonds, cut withdrawals slightly after bad years, and delay large discretionary purchases during downturns.
Making money last longer
Delay Social Security to get a larger inflation-adjusted check; see the Social Security calculator. Consider annuitizing part of your savings for guaranteed income, keep a balanced allocation rather than all cash, and withdraw from accounts in a tax-efficient order. The RMD calculator shows required withdrawals from age 73.
Frequently asked questions
How long will $1 million last in retirement?
Withdrawing $4,000 a month, raised 2.5% a year for inflation, with a 5% annual return, $1 million lasts about 29 years and 7 months. Withdrawing less, or earning more, stretches it further; at about $4,070 a month with no inflation raises, the principal is never touched.
What is the 4% rule?
A guideline that withdrawing 4% of your savings in the first year of retirement, then raising that amount with inflation each year, has historically lasted at least 30 years in most market conditions. On $1 million that's $40,000 in the first year.
Why does inflation matter for how long my money lasts?
Your withdrawals have to rise over time to buy the same things. At 2.5% inflation, a $4,000 monthly budget needs about $5,120 a month after 10 years, which drains savings faster than a flat withdrawal would.
How long will $500,000 last in retirement?
Withdrawing $2,500 a month, raised 2.5% a year for inflation, with a 5% return, $500,000 lasts about 22 years. At $3,500 a month it lasts about 14 years.
What is a safe withdrawal rate in retirement?
About 4% of savings in the first year, then adjusted for inflation, has historically lasted 30 years in most markets. Longer retirements or cautious planners often use 3% to 3.5%.
Grow what this calculator projects.
TruthSayer AI sends quantitative stock signals across valuations, earnings and dark-pool activity, each one traded in its own funded account first.
Estimates for planning only, not financial, tax or legal advice. Tax tools use 2026 federal figures (brackets, $16,100 / $32,200 standard deduction, $19,000 gift exclusion, $15M lifetime exemption). Rates shown as defaults are examples; replace them with quotes you actually receive.