CalcKitHow to Use the Retirement Calculator
Retirement feels far away until you see what compounding does with time. This calculator projects your nest egg — the total you'll have at retirement — from your current savings, monthly contributions and expected annual return, compounded monthly.
Enter your current age, target retirement age, what you've saved so far, what you can invest monthly, and an expected return (7% is the classic long-term stock market assumption; use 3–4% for conservative savings). Press Project My Nest Egg to see your projected total, how much of it you actually contributed, and how much came from growth.
The breakdown is the motivating part: over 30 years, growth usually dwarfs contributions. Someone saving $500/month from age 30 to 60 at 7% puts in $180,000 but ends with over $600,000 — compounding did most of the work. Starting ten years earlier often beats saving twice as much later.
Remember this is a projection, not a promise — real returns bounce around, inflation eats purchasing power, and fees matter. Revisit yearly, increase contributions with each raise, and treat the result as a planning guide. To understand the engine behind it, play with our Compound Interest Calculator.