Knowing you should save for retirement is easy. Knowing exactly how much to put in each year — and replanning when life happens — is where most plans drift. The Retirement Saver gives you a year-by-year savings plan that lands at your target nest egg by the year you turn your retirement age, then lets you log actual balances to keep the trajectory honest.
Enter your age now, your retirement age, and a target. We solve the contribution that — applied each year and compounded at your expected return — lands you exactly on target at year-end of the year you turn 65 (or whatever age you pick). Record your actual portfolio balance any time and the plan replans forward from there. Sit above the grey reference curve to know you're ahead of plan; below it, you're behind.
Need more depth? The Retirement Calculator over in the Financial Suite adds Monte Carlo, sequence-of-returns risk, withdrawal strategies, and Social Security timing. The Saver is the day-to-day sister — simpler inputs, same compounding math, designed for "am I still on track?" check-ins.
What you can do
- Year-by-year contribution plan from now to retirement
- Compound forward at your expected blended return
- Optional contribution growth rate (raises and lifestyle creep)
- Multiple accounts: 401(k), IRA, Roth, brokerage, HSA, cash
- Per-account balance breakdown when recording actuals
- Above/below the grey reference line shows ahead vs behind plan
- Annual flow chart: contributions vs projected gains, year by year
- Save scenarios and share plan links
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from the Retirement Calculator?
The Retirement Calculator is the deep modeling tool — Monte Carlo, withdrawal strategies, life events, Social Security claim timing. The Retirement Saver is the day-to-day check-in: enter your age and target, get a yearly contribution number, record actuals as you go. Many users start in the Saver to set a target, then jump to the Calculator when they want sequence-of-returns confidence.
What return assumption should I use?
The default 7% nominal blended return reflects a 80/15/5 stocks/bonds/cash mix at historical averages. Switch to Detailed mode to set per-asset returns and adjust your allocation. Real (after-inflation) returns are typically 2-3 percentage points lower.
What if I can't hit the suggested contribution?
Override any year's contribution to a number you can actually save. The plan replans from the next year forward — sometimes the answer is a later retirement date, not a higher contribution.
Can I track multiple accounts?
Yes — switch Starting Savings to Detailed and add each account (401(k), IRA, brokerage, etc.). When you record actuals on a tracker row, a per-account breakdown dialog opens so you can capture what each account is worth that day.
Ready to plan?
The Retirement Savings Calculator runs entirely in your browser. Free, no sign-up required to use it.
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