Does this calculator include taxes on withdrawals?

No. Withdrawals are treated as cash flows from the portfolio without modeling IRA vs taxable accounts, basis, or brackets.

What does “expected real return” mean here?

A single average annual return after inflation applied uniformly each year before subtracting the withdrawal—an educational simplification, not a backtest.

Why is there an 80-year horizon cap?

The simulation stops at 80 years to keep the UI responsive and to avoid implying precision far beyond plausible planning horizons.

What are the sensitivity charts for?

They show how estimated years-to-depletion moves when real return or initial spending shifts slightly—similar to stress rows on other calculators here.

No. It is deterministic. Randomized paths require different software and assumptions.

Is this investment advice?

No. Consult a licensed professional for personalized planning.

How Long Will My Money Last in Retirement? | Withdrawal Sandbox

How Long Will My Money Last in Retirement Calculator

Sequence risk is missing: This is a smooth deterministic year-step model—same real return every year, withdrawals that rise smoothly. Real markets jump, taxes change, and healthcare shocks exist. Use the output to ask better questions of a fiduciary planner, not to pick a retirement date alone.

Summary: Enter starting portfolio, first-year withdrawal, an annual COLA on withdrawals (%), and a single expected real return (% per year after inflation, simplified). The tool simulates year-end balances until funds are depleted or an 80-year horizon cap—then shows how many full years the plan lasted, a balance-by-year bar trail, sensitivity charts, and scenario rows.

Mechanics (short)

Each year: balance grows by the real return, then the year’s withdrawal is subtracted.
Withdrawals grow by the COLA percent before the next year.
Depletion = first year-end where balance ≤ 0 (partial-year interpolation is not applied; see guide).
If balance never falls to zero within 80 years, the chart shows the trail and the headline reads 80+ (not depleted in window).

How long will my money last in retirement? (constant-real-return sandbox)

This is the spreadsheet column your robo-advisor hides behind Monte Carlo—useful for order-of-magnitude and sensitivity, dangerous as a promise.

Plan inputs

Starting portfolio ($)

First-year annual withdrawal ($)

Withdrawal COLA (% / year)

Cost-of-living increases applied to the withdrawal line.

Expected real return (% / year)

Single average after inflation—educationally simple, not historical backtest.

Years lasted, ending balance trail, and charts will appear here.

For Social Security timing, RMDs, and why bear markets hate new retirees, read Longevity math without the cruise brochure certainty below.

Longevity math without the cruise brochure certainty

People search for a how long will my money last in retirement calculator because fear loves a single number. Honest tools admit the number is conditional: returns wiggle, spending shocks arrive, and tax law rewrites itself. This page explains what the embedded simulator assumes so you can use it as a sensitivity sandbox, not a destiny machine.

Why constant real return is both useful and wrong

Academics debate mean reversion; retirees debate property taxes. A flat average real return keeps the arithmetic transparent—you can see how fragile decades are to a point or two of return or spending. It is still wrong in the statistical sense: portfolios are not dice with stable faces year after year.

COLA on withdrawals is not the same as CPI

The tool grows withdrawals by your typed percent. That might approximate inflation-linked spending, healthcare stair-steps, or lifestyle creep—your story picks the interpretation. If your story is “we spend flat nominal dollars,” set COLA near zero and accept that real spending falls unless you adjust manually.

Sequence risk in one sentence

Bad returns early in retirement hurt more than the same bad returns later because there is less balance left to recover. Year-step models without distributions understate that pain unless you deliberately stress early returns outside this widget.

What belongs in a fiduciary meeting instead

Social Security claiming, qualified dividend taxation, RMD schedules, annuities, long-term care insurance, geographic arbitrage, and estate goals all move the feasible spending line. This calculator is intentionally narrower: starting balance, withdrawal path, one average return.

SEO without promising prophecy

Good pages name the horizon cap (here, 80 years), name the depletion rule, and warn about taxes and fees. That clarity helps humans and search engines alike without pretending a browser tab is a Monte Carlo engine.

Closing reminder

Use the charts to rehearse conversations. Update assumptions after major life events. Keep a paper trail when you change spending because nostalgia is not a withdrawal strategy.

Comments

No ratings yet—your vote helps others gauge usefulness.

No comments yet—be the first to share your perspective.

How Long Will My Money Last in Retirement Calculator

How long will my money last in retirement? (constant-real-return sandbox)

Balance trail (year-end, first years shown)

Years until depletion if real return shifts

Years until depletion if initial withdrawal shifts

Embed this calculator on your site

1) Responsive iframe embed

2) Minimal calculator + backlink

Longevity math without the cruise brochure certainty

Why constant real return is both useful and wrong