Run your numbers across three market scenarios, weak, expected, and strong, with required minimum distributions built in. Plain-English results. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Fill in what you know. Estimates are fine, you can refine them anytime.
A plain-English projection across three market scenarios. Nothing you type leaves this page.
How this works: taxable accounts are spent first, then traditional, then Roth. Traditional withdrawals are increased to cover income tax, required minimum distributions follow the IRS schedule, and Social Security grows 2% a year. This is an educational estimate, not financial advice. From ClearWise Tech.
Want the full spreadsheet model? It’s free.
The calculator above is deliberately simple. Behind it sits the complete spreadsheet I built first: every year visible, every withdrawal traceable, all three account buckets broken out, the full RMD table, and every assumption editable. If you like seeing the math, this is the version for you.
How to use this calculator (short how-to video)
How to read your results
The three cards above the chart are the whole story. Each one answers the same question under a different market assumption: at what age does the money run out?
If all three say "Beyond 102," you're in strong shape. Spend some time enjoying that.
If the weak-markets number lands somewhere in your 80s or low 90s, that's not a failure. That's normal, and it's exactly the kind of thing better to know at 55 than to discover at 78. The gap between your weak-markets age and your expected age is your real planning question. It tells you how much your plan depends on markets cooperating.
If even the expected scenario runs dry early, the levers that move the number most are retirement age, yearly spending, and part-time income in the first few years. Small changes to those three do more than almost anything else. Test it yourself: add $15,000 of part-time income for your first five retirement years and watch what happens to the weak-markets card.
What makes this one different
A fair question, since retirement calculators are everywhere. Three things, and they're all visible in the results.
It runs three scenarios instead of one. A single projection with a single return assumption is a guess wearing a lab coat. Showing weak, expected, and strong outcomes side by side is more honest about what anyone can actually know regarding future markets, which is not much.
It knows about RMDs (Required Minimum Distributions). Starting at 73, the IRS requires you to withdraw from a 401(k) or traditional IRA whether you need the money or not. These required minimum distributions change the math in later years, and most free calculators simply ignore them. This one follows the actual IRS schedule.
It treats your accounts differently, because the IRS does. Money in a savings account, money in a 401(k), and money in a Roth IRA are not the same dollars. Pulling $50,000 of spending money from a 401(k) means withdrawing more than $50,000, because income tax comes out first. The calculator models that, along with a sensible withdrawal order: taxable accounts first, then traditional, then Roth last.
That withdrawal order matters more than people expect. Roth money grows tax-free forever, so it's usually the account you want to drain last. Watching the chart, you may notice your traditional account balloons before 73 and then drops fast once RMDs kick in. That's not a bug. That's the tax code, and seeing it is the first step in planning around it.
What this calculator won't tell you
A truly helpful tool should be clear about its edges, so here are ours.
It uses steady returns within each scenario. Real markets lurch. A bad crash in your first two retirement years hurts far more than the same crash ten years in (planners call this sequence-of-returns risk), and a steady-return model can't show it. The weak-markets scenario is our stand-in for bad luck, and it's a reasonable one, but it's an approximation.
It uses one tax rate for 401(k) withdrawals rather than full tax brackets, which is good enough for planning, but not good enough for filing.
It doesn't model a spouse's separate Social Security benefit, pension income, or Roth conversions. For most people, the three-scenario answer is still the right starting point. For complicated situations, it's the conversation starter you bring to a professional, not the final word.
Roth conversions involve moving funds from a tax-deferred account (like a traditional IRA or 401k) to a Roth IRA, paying taxes now to enjoy tax-free growth and withdrawals later. The optimal window to do this is after retiring but before RMDs begin. During these years, your income is often lower, allowing you to convert funds at a lower marginal tax rate.
None of this is financial advice, and we'd say that even if the lawyers didn't want us to. It's an educational estimate built to help you ask better questions.
Run it more than once
The best use of this tool isn't a single session. Run your real numbers today. Save a note of the three ages it gives you. Then come back after your next annual statement and run it again. The direction those three numbers move over time tells you more than any single projection ever will.
And if the numbers surprised you (in either direction), that's the tool working. Better a surprise on a webpage at 55 than at a bank counter at 80.
Common questions
Should I claim Social Security at 62 or wait until 67 or 70?
There's no universal answer, which is exactly why this calculator lets you test your own numbers. Claiming early means smaller checks for more years. Waiting means bigger checks later, funded by heavier withdrawals from savings in the gap years. Change the Social Security starting age and monthly amount above and watch how all three scenarios shift. Your health, other income, and family longevity matter more than any rule of thumb.
How much can I safely spend each year in retirement?
The old rule of thumb is 4% of your starting balance, adjusted for inflation. It's a reasonable starting point and a poor final answer, because it ignores your actual mix of taxable, traditional, and Roth accounts, your Social Security timing, and how markets behave early in your retirement. Enter your real spending above and let the three scenarios show you the range instead.
What are RMDs and when do they start?
Required minimum distributions are withdrawals the IRS makes you take from a traditional 401(k) or IRA starting at age 73 for most people, whether you need the money or not. They change the math in later years, which is why this calculator follows the actual IRS schedule rather than ignoring RMDs the way most free calculators do.
What return assumptions does the calculator use?
Three steady-return scenarios: weak markets at 3% before retirement and 2% after, expected at 5% and 4%, strong at 7% and 6%, with your spending adjusted for the inflation rate you set. Real markets lurch rather than glide, so treat the weak-markets line as your stand-in for bad luck. You can change every one of these assumptions right in the calculator above, and the full spreadsheet gives you the same control with every year of the projection laid out.
Is my information stored anywhere?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to me or anyone else, there's no account, and if you refresh the page your numbers are gone. That's by design.
About the author
Will Swanepoel spent over thirty years as an IT architect evaluating systems and software before building ClearWise Tech, a site about technology for an independent, active life after 50. Every tool and recommendation here is something he has tested himself. More about the site →
What this calculator usually leads to
A projection to age 102 tends to raise two follow-up questions. If yours is "what happens to all this when I'm gone," start with the guide to digital estate planning. If it's "how do I keep what I have safe," the guide to spotting phone scams targeting retirees covers the threat that costs older Americans the most.
This calculator is an educational estimate, not financial advice. It uses simplified assumptions, described honestly above, and it can't know your full situation. For decisions involving taxes, Roth conversions, or pensions, bring these numbers to a fee-only financial planner as a conversation starter. ClearWise Tech is reader-supported; this page contains no sponsored recommendations, and your inputs never leave your browser.