Retirement Withdrawal Calculator

About this calculator

This calculator estimates how many years a retirement balance will last under a fixed annual withdrawal, factoring in the return the remaining balance keeps earning each year. Unlike the popular "4% rule," which sets the withdrawal as a percentage of the starting balance and adjusts it for inflation, this model lets you specify any fixed dollar withdrawal and any expected return, then depletes the balance year by year until it runs out.

This distinction matters because a withdrawal rate that looks sustainable in isolation can drain savings far faster than expected if the expected return is too optimistic or if the withdrawal doesn't shrink when the market underperforms — sequence-of-returns risk is one of the biggest threats to a retirement plan's longevity. This calculator takes your savings balance, annual withdrawal amount, and expected annual return to project how long the money will last.