Retirement Range Explorer
Explore how savings, time, retirement spending, and adjustable assumptions can shape a range of potential retirement outcomes.
This calculator provides deterministic educational illustrations based solely on the information and assumptions you enter. It does not evaluate your complete financial circumstances and does not provide financial, investment, tax, legal, insurance, or Social Security advice. Results are hypothetical, may differ materially from actual outcomes, and are not guarantees.
Three illustrative scenarios
Projected balance versus illustrative need
Each scenario compares the projected retirement balance with the illustrative balance needed. The table below provides the same information without relying on the visualization.
| Scenario | Projected balance | Illustrative balance needed | Gap or surplus | Illustrative annual contribution needed | Real accumulation return | Real retirement return |
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How this calculation works
- Today’s dollars: Spending, other retirement income, and balances are modeled in today’s purchasing power.
- Nominal versus real returns: Each nominal return is converted using real return = (1 + nominal return) / (1 + inflation) - 1.
- End-of-year contributions: Annual contributions are treated as occurring at the end of each accumulation year.
- End-of-year withdrawals: The illustrative retirement need uses an annuity calculation with withdrawals at the end of each retirement year and no terminal legacy value.
- Three scenarios: Conservative subtracts the scenario adjustment from both return assumptions, Baseline uses the assumptions as entered, and Optimistic adds the adjustment to both. Inflation is unchanged across scenarios.
- Why a range: The three deterministic scenarios show how different assumptions change the mathematical illustration. They are not forecasts or probabilities of success.
- Exclusions: Taxes, fees, account types, benefit changes, healthcare costs, irregular cash flows, sequence-of-returns risk, longevity beyond the selected planning age, and terminal legacy value are outside this model.
Methodology version: 1.0.0 · Last updated: August 31, 2026
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Put the illustration in context
Retirement decisions involve more than a single projection. Explore related planning education and the broader financial-planning process.