Retirement Planning Tool
Project your retirement date, model your savings trajectory, and see exactly what changes to your savings rate, return, or expenses mean for your financial independence timeline.
Written by Mike Starr
Founder, StackedTomorrow · M.S. Organizational Management
Last Reviewed: August 2026
Educational Content Only. All content on this page is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, legal, tax, or retirement advice. The calculators and projections shown are illustrative models — not predictions or guarantees of future performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always consult a qualified financial professional before making investment or retirement decisions.
Find your number and your date — the day you walk away from work, forever.
FIRE formula: 25× annual expenses. Withdraw 4% per year.
🎯 Your future self retires at age 52 — 22 years from now.
Potential for financial independence — your money works for you.
The green line is your FIRE target. Once your portfolio crosses it, you're financially free — your investments generate more than you spend, forever.
The foundation of retirement planning is knowing your target number. The most widely used methodology is the 4% Rule — based on William Bengen's 1994 research and the 1998 Trinity Study by Cooley, Hubbard, and Walz. These studies analyzed historical market data and found that a 4% annual withdrawal from a diversified portfolio has historically been sustainable across 30-year retirement periods in nearly all market scenarios tested.
The practical formula: Retirement Number = Annual Expenses × 25. Annual expenses of $50,000 require $1,250,000. Expenses of $80,000 require $2,000,000. This number represents full financial independence — when investment returns can fund your lifestyle indefinitely without depleting the portfolio.
For traditional retirement (age 65+, 25–30 year horizon), 4% is a well-supported standard. For early retirement (40–60 year horizon), many planners recommend 3–3.5% (multiply annual expenses by 28.5–33) to account for the extended time horizon and increased uncertainty. Our full guide on how much you need to retire covers this in detail.
Source: Cooley, Hubbard, Walz, "Retirement Savings: Choosing a Withdrawal Rate That Is Sustainable," American Association of Individual Investors Journal, 1998 (Trinity Study)
How does your current savings stack up? The table below shows Fidelity's widely cited savings benchmarks alongside illustrative ranges for $50,000–$75,000 and $100,000–$150,000 income earners assuming consistent investing since age 22.
| Age | Fidelity Benchmark |
|---|---|
| 30 | 1× salary |
| 35 | 2× salary |
| 40 | 3× salary |
| 45 | 4× salary |
| 50 | 6× salary |
| 55 | 7× salary |
| 60 | 8× salary |
Source: Fidelity Investments savings benchmarks. Income range figures are illustrative estimates based on 15% savings rate from age 22 with 7% average annual return.
Behind on the benchmarks? See starting over financially at 50 and our age-specific guides for 30 and 40.
Every retirement calculator has three primary input variables. Understanding how each one affects your outcome lets you make strategic tradeoffs:
Savings Rate
Highest impact — affects both accumulation speed and target numberIncreasing savings rate from 15% to 25% can cut retirement timeline by 5–8 years. It simultaneously grows your portfolio faster AND demonstrates lower lifestyle spending (reducing your FIRE number). The compound effect of this dual action is why savings rate improvements are the most powerful lever in retirement planning.
Investment Return Rate
High impact — affects every year of compoundingEach 1% improvement in annual return meaningfully accelerates timelines over 20–30 years. The most reliable way to improve returns is not stock selection — it's minimizing costs (index funds vs. high-fee active funds), maximizing tax-advantaged accounts, and maintaining a high equity allocation during accumulation years.
Retirement Age / Time Horizon
Direct — more years = exponentially more compoundingWorking 3–5 extra years adds both more contributions AND more compounding time, while also reducing the length of retirement you need to fund. Working 5 extra years from 55 to 60 might eliminate the need for $200,000–$400,000 in additional savings while also reducing portfolio withdrawal period by 5 years.
Investors aged 50+ receive higher IRS contribution limits — specifically designed to accelerate retirement savings for late starters and those who want to maximize contributions in peak earning years. For 2024:
401(k)
Standard limit: $23,000
50+ limit: $30,500
+$7,500/year
IRA / Roth IRA
Standard limit: $7,000
50+ limit: $8,000
+$1,000/year
HSA
Standard limit: $4,150 single
50+ limit: $5,150 single
+$1,000/year
Maxing 401(k) catch-up contributions from age 50–65 at 7% return adds approximately $240,000 in additional retirement savings compared to the standard limit alone — a meaningful accelerant for late starters.