How to Use the Retirement Calculator
Enter your current age, target retirement age, current retirement savings, monthly contribution (including any employer match), and an expected annual return — the calculator projects your balance at retirement and, if you enter a target annual spending amount, shows whether that projected balance is on track to support it.
The Retirement Calculator projects your savings forward and compares it against a target — here's what to enter for a realistic result.
Entering current savings and contributions
Include your current balance across all retirement accounts, your monthly contribution amount, and any employer match separately if the calculator supports it — leaving out the match understates the real growth trajectory significantly, since it's effectively free additional contribution.
Setting a realistic target and return rate
Enter an expected annual retirement spending figure (or let the calculator estimate one from current income) and a reasonably conservative return rate — using an overly optimistic rate makes the projection look more comfortable than it may realistically be.