Retirement Calculator

What is Retirement?

To retire is to withdraw from active working life, and for most retirees, retirement lasts the rest of their lives.

Why Retire?

There are many factors at play that ultimately affect a person’s decision to retire. Physical or mental health can affect a person’s decision to retire; if a worker is not physically strong enough, succumbs to a disability, or has mentally declined too much to perform the duties of their job, they should probably consider retiring, or at the very least try to find a new occupation that better accommodates their health.

Also, stressors associated with an occupation can become too unbearable, leading to a decline in satisfaction with work. Age is also a factor that affects a person’s decision to retire. Theoretically, retirement can happen during any normal working year. Some may choose to “semi-retire” by gradually decreasing their work hours as they approach retirement. Some announce retirement and enter it short-term, just to rejoin the workforce again. However, it generally occurs between the ages of 55 and 70.

How Much to Save for Retirement

Naturally, the next question becomes: how much should a person save for retirement? Simply put, it’s an extremely loaded question with very few definite answers. Similar to the answer to the question of whether to retire or not, it will depend on each person, and factors such as how much income will be needed, entitlement for Social Security retirement benefits, health and life expectancy, personal preferences regarding inheritances, and many other things.

10% Rule

This rule suggests that a person save 10% to 15% of their pre-tax income per year during their working years. For instance, a person who makes $50,000 a year would put away anywhere from $5,000 to $7,500 for that year. Roughly speaking, by saving 10% starting at age 25, a $1 million nest egg by the time of retirement is possible.

80% Rule

Another popular rule suggests that an income of 70% to 80% of a worker’s pre-retirement income can maintain a retiree’s standard of living after retirement. For example, if a person made roughly $100,000 a year on average during his working life, this person can have a similar standard of living with $70,000 – $80,000 a year of income after retirement.

4% Rule

People who have a good estimate of how much they will require a year in retirement can divide this number by 4% to determine the nest egg required to enable their lifestyle. For instance, if a retiree estimates they need $100,000 a year, according to the 4% rule, the nest egg required is $100,000 / 4% = $2.5 million.

Impact of Inflation on Retirement Savings

Inflation is the general increase in prices and a fall in the purchasing power of money over time. The average inflation rate in the United States for the past 30 years has been around 2.6% per year, which means that the purchasing power of one dollar now is not only less than one dollar 30 years ago but less than 50 cents!

Inflation is one of the reasons why people tend to underestimate how much they need to save for retirement. Although inflation does have an impact on retirement savings, it is unpredictable and mostly out of a person’s control.

Common Sources of Retirement Funds

Social Security

Social Security is a social insurance program run by the government to provide protection against poverty, old age, and disability. People in the U.S. who have contributed to the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax as withholdings from payroll will receive some of their income in the form of Social Security benefits during retirement.

Pensions, 401(k)s, IRAs, and Other Savings Plans

In the U.S., two of the most popular ways to save for retirement include Employer Matching Programs such as the 401(k) and their offshoot, the 403(b). 401(k)s vary from company to company, but many employers offer a matching contribution up to a certain percentage of the gross income of the employee.

In the U.S., the traditional IRA (Individual Retirement Account) and Roth IRA are also popular forms of retirement savings. Just like 401(k)s and other employer matching programs, there are specific tax shields in place that make them both appealing.