How Long Will My Savings Last

It depends on your starting balance, monthly withdrawal amount, expected investment return, and whether your withdrawals increase over time. Use the calculator above to get a personalized estimate. Generally, the lower your withdrawal rate relative to your balance, the longer your money will last.

A commonly cited guideline is the '4% rule,' which suggests withdrawing 4% of your savings in the first year and adjusting for inflation each year after. For a $500,000 portfolio, that's $20,000 per year or roughly $1,667 per month. However, actual safe rates depend on your investment returns, time horizon, and spending needs.

If you increase your withdrawals each year — for example, to keep pace with inflation — your savings will be depleted faster. A 2–3% annual increase is common to account for rising living costs. The calculator lets you model different annual increase rates to see the impact.

Your tax bracket reduces the effective return on your savings. For example, if your savings earn 6% before taxes and you're in the 22% bracket, your after-tax return is approximately 4.68%. This lower net return means your balance grows more slowly, which shortens how long your savings last.

If you withdraw more than your savings earn each month, your balance will decline over time and eventually run out. The calculator will show you exactly when that happens and how much you'll have withdrawn in total. Reducing withdrawals or increasing your return rate can significantly extend the life of your savings.

Yes — if your after-tax investment return is high enough to cover your withdrawals, your balance will remain stable or even grow over time. This is sometimes called living off the interest. The calculator will indicate if your inputs result in savings that don't deplete within a 100-year horizon.

Yes. You can model inflation by entering an annual withdrawal increase that matches your expected inflation rate (typically 2–3%). This means your monthly withdrawal grows each year, which more accurately reflects real-world spending over a long retirement.

The yearly view shows your balance, withdrawal, and interest earned as annual totals — easier to read at a glance. The monthly view shows the same data broken down month by month, which is more detailed and useful if you want to track short-term changes in your balance.