Definitions

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 after taxes. The actual rate of return is largely dependant on the type of investments you select.  From January 1970 to December 2005, the average compounded rate of return for the S&P 500, including reinvestment of dividends, was approximately 11.4% per year. During this period, the highest 12-month return was 61%, 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.  It is not possible to invest directly in an index and the compounded rate of return noted above does not reflect additional sales charges and fees that funds may charge.

Rate of return during retirement

This is the annual rate of return you expect from your investments during retirement, after taxes. 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 2005, the average compounded rate of return for the S&P 500, including reinvestment of dividends, was approximately 11.4% per year. During this period, the highest 12-month return was 61%, 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.  It is not possible to invest directly in an index and the compounded rate of return noted above does not reflect additional sales charges and fees that funds may charge.

Percent of income to contribute

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 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. You can change this amount to be as low as 50% and as high as 150%.

Expected rate of inflation

What you expect for the average long-term inflation rate.  A common measure of inflation in the U.S. is the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which has a long-term average of 3.1% annually, from 1925 through 2005.

If you are married checkbox

Check this box if you are married. Married couples have a higher maximum social security benefit than single wage earners.

To include Social Security checkbox

Check this box if you wish to include social security benefits in your retirement planning.  Please note that the Social Security benefits could be different if your spouse worked and earned a benefit higher than one half of your benefit.