Current age
Your current age. |
Age of retirement
Age you wish to retire. This calculator assumes that the year you
retire, you do not make any contributions to your retirement savings.
So if you retire at age 65, your last contribution happened when you
were actually age 64. This calculator also assumes that you make your
entire contribution at the end of each year. |
Household income
Your total household income. If you are married, this should include
your spouse's income. |
Current retirement savings
Total amount that you currently have saved toward your retirement.
Include all sources of retirement savings such as 401(k)s, IRAs and
Annuities. |
Rate of return before retirement
This is the annual rate of return you expect from your investments
before taxes. The actual rate of return is largely dependant on the
type of investments you select. From January 1970 to December 2003,
the average compounded rate of return for the S&P 500, including
reinvestment of dividends, was approximately 11.7% per year. During
this period, the highest 12-month return was 64%, and the lowest was
-39%. Savings accounts at a bank pay as little as 1% or less. It is
important to remember that future rates of return can't be predicted
with certainty and that investments that pay higher rates of return
are subject to higher risk and volatility. The actual rate of return
on investments can vary widely over time, especially for long-term
investments. This includes the potential loss of principal on your
investment. |
Rate of return during retirement
This is the annual rate of return you expect from your investments
during retirement. It is often lower than the return earned before
retirement due to more conservative investment choices to help insure
a steady flow of income. The actual rate of return is largely dependant
on the type of investments you select. From January 1970 to December
2003, the average compounded rate of return for the S&P 500, including
reinvestment of dividends, was approximately 11.7% per year. During
this period, the highest 12-month return was 64%, and the lowest was
-39%. Savings accounts at a bank pay as little as 1% or less. It is
important to remember that future rates of return can't be predicted
with certainty and that investments that pay higher rates of return
are subject to higher risk and volatility. The actual rate of return
on investments can vary widely over time, especially for long-term
investments. This includes the potential loss of principal on your
investment. |
|
Percent of income to save
The percentage of your annual income you will save for your retirement
goals.
|
| |
Expected salary increase
Annual percent increase you expect in your household income. |
Years until retirement
Number of years before retirement. |
Years of retirement income
Total number of years you expect to use your retirement income. |
|
Percent of income at retirement
The percent of your working year's household income you think you
will need to have in retirement. This amount is based on your income
earned during the last year you will work. The default is 70%. You
can change this amount to be as low as 50% and as high as 150%.
|
Are you married?
Check this box if you are married. Married couples have a higher maximum
social security benefit than single wage earners. |
Include social security?
Check this box if you wish to include social security benefits in
your retirement planning. |
Expected rate of inflation
What you expect for the average long-term inflation rate. This has
been calculated by the Consumer Price Index from 1925 to 2002 to be
3.1%. |