Use this calculator to determine how much monthly income your
retirement savings may provide you in your retirement. Your annual
savings, expected rate of return and your current age all have an
impact on your retirement's monthly income. View the full report to
see a year-by-year break down of your retirement savings.
Definitions
Starting balance
Initial balance that you have in your retirement accounts.
Annual contributions
The amount you will contribute to your retirement savings each
year. This calculator assumes that you make your contribution at
the beginning of each year. This should reflect the total you save
toward your retirement. This should include any 403(b), 401(k), or
457(b) plans and your employer contributions to these plans. It
should also include any other retirement accounts such as an IRA or
a Roth IRA and any retirement savings in non-retirement accounts.
This calculator assumes that you make one annual contribution at
the start of each year, and any withdrawals happen once per month
at the beginning of each month.
Current age
Your current age.
Age of retirement
Age you wish to retire. This calculator assumes that the year
you retire, you do not make any contributions to your retirement
savings. So if you retire at age 65, your last contribution
happened when you were actually age 64.
Rate of return before retirement
This is the annual rate of return you expect from your
investments before taxes. The actual rate of return is largely
dependent on the type of investments you select. From January 1970
to December 2008, the average annual compounded rate of return for
the S&P 500, including reinvestment of dividends, was
approximately 9.7% (source: www.standardandpoors.com). During this
period, the highest 12-month return was 61%, from June 1982 through
June 1983. The lowest 12-month return was -39%, which happened
twice, once from September 1973 to September 1974 and again from
November 2007 to November 2008. Savings accounts at a bank may pay
as little as 1% or less but carry significantly lower risk of loss
of principal balances.
It is important to remember that these scenarios are
hypothetical and that future rates of return can't be predicted
with certainty and that investments that pay higher rates of return
are generally subject to higher risk and volatility. The actual
rate of return on investments can vary widely over time, especially
for long-term investments. This includes the potential loss of
principal on your investment. It is not possible to invest directly
in an index and the compounded rate of return noted above does not
reflect sales charges and other fees that funds and/or investment
companies may charge.
Rate of return during retirement
This is the annual rate of return you expect from your
investments during retirement. It is often lower than the return
earned before retirement due to more conservative investment
choices to help insure a steady flow of income. The actual rate of
return is largely dependent on the type of investments you select.
From January 1970 to December 2008, the average annual compounded
rate of return for the S&P 500, including reinvestment of
dividends, was approximately 9.7% (source:
www.standardandpoors.com). During this period, the highest 12-month
return was 61%, from June 1982 through June 1983. The lowest
12-month return was -39%, which happened twice, once from September
1973 to September 1974 and again from November 2007 to November
2008. Savings accounts at a bank may pay as little as 1% or less
but carry significantly lower risk of loss of principal balances.
It is important to remember that these scenarios are
hypothetical and that future rates of return can't be predicted
with certainty and that investments that pay higher rates of return
are generally subject to higher risk and volatility. The actual
rate of return on investments can vary widely over time, especially
for long-term investments. This includes the potential loss of
principal on your investment. It is not possible to invest directly
in an index and the compounded rate of return noted above does not
reflect sales charges and other fees that funds and/or investment
companies may charge.
Current tax rate
Your current marginal tax rate you expect to pay on your
taxable investments.
Retirement tax rate
The marginal tax rate you expect to pay on your investments at
retirement.
Expected inflation rate
What you expect for the average long-term inflation rate. A
common measure of inflation in the U.S. is the Consumer Price Index
(CPI), which has a long-term average of 3.1% annually, from 1925
through 2008. The CPI for 2008 was 4.0%, as reported by the
Minneapolis Federal Reserve.
Years of retirement
Number of years you expect to live in retirement.
To increase deposits with inflation checkbox
Check this box if wish to have your annual contribution
increased each year to keep up with inflation.
If savings is tax deferred checkbox
Check this box if your retirement savings is being deposited
into a tax deferred account. This includes an IRA, 401(k), 403(b),
governmental 457(b), variable annuity or other tax deferred
investment.
Information and interactive calculators are made
available to you as self-help tools for your independent use and
are not intended to provide investment advice. We can not and do
not guarantee their applicability or accuracy in regards to your
individual circumstances. All examples are hypothetical and are for
illustrative purposes. We encourage you to seek personalized advice
from qualified professionals regarding all personal finance
issues.