ToolFeather
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How Long Will My Money Last?

See how many years your retirement savings will last, given your monthly withdrawals, expected return, and rising costs over time.

Quick presets

Retirement Drawdown Calculator

$
$ / month
% a year
% a year
Sequence-of-returns risk: a bad market early hurts far more than the same drop later.
Your money lasts
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Total withdrawn
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Last full year's withdrawal
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Balance through retirement
Safe-ish monthly withdrawal for…

The 4% rule (Bengen, 1994) found a 4% first-year withdrawal, raised with inflation, survived every 30-year US period studied. Lower expected returns argue for 3.5–4%.

Educational estimate, not financial or tax advice. Returns are never guaranteed. Everything is calculated in your browser.

Runs in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded or stored.

ToolFeather · How long it lasts
Scratchpad auto-saved
Stored in this browser (localStorage)
Step-by-step~40s read

How it works — in four simple steps

No signup and nothing to install — it all runs in your browser.

1

Enter your savings

Add the total you're retiring with, and your monthly withdrawal.

2

Set return and increase

Enter the expected annual return on the remaining balance and how much your withdrawal rises each year.

3

Calculate

See how many years and months the money lasts — or whether it's sustainable.

4

Adjust and compare

Change the withdrawal or return to see how much longer your savings would stretch.

Pro tip

The classic 4% rule withdraws 4% in year one, then adjusts for inflation — historically lasting about 30 years.

Features

Answers “how long will it last”

Enter your savings, monthly withdrawal and expected return to see how many years and months your money is projected to last.

Rising-cost aware

Increase your withdrawal each year to reflect inflation, so the projection matches how spending really grows.

Flags a sustainable pot

If your return outpaces your withdrawals, it tells you the balance is likely to last indefinitely.

Private and instant

All the month-by-month math runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded or stored.

About the Retirement Drawdown Calculator

One of the biggest retirement questions is simply: how long will my money last? The answer depends on three things — how much you've saved, how much you withdraw each month, and what return your remaining balance earns while you spend it down.

This calculator steps through month by month: your balance earns a share of the annual return, your withdrawal comes out, and each year your withdrawal rises by the increase you set to reflect inflation. It reports how many years and months the savings last — or tells you the balance is sustainable if your return outpaces your withdrawals.

It's a planning estimate, not a guarantee — real returns vary year to year, and a bad early stretch hurts more than a late one. Everything is computed in your browser and never uploaded.

Examples

$500,000 · $3,000/mo · 5% return · 2% annual increase → a projection of how many years the pot lasts before it runs dry.

Frequently asked questions

4 answers
How does it work out how long my money lasts?
It simulates each month: the balance earns part of the annual return, your withdrawal is taken out, and the withdrawal rises yearly by your inflation figure. It counts the months until the balance hits zero.
What if my money never runs out?
If your expected return is high enough that growth outpaces withdrawals, the balance is sustainable and the tool reports 100+ years — meaning it's unlikely to deplete on those inputs.
Is the 4% rule built in?
No — you set your own withdrawal, so you can model the 4% rule or any amount. For a $500,000 pot, 4% a year is about $1,666 a month before increases.
Does it guarantee my savings will last?
No. Real returns vary, and a poor run of early returns (sequence-of-returns risk) can shorten how long money lasts. Treat this as an educational estimate, not financial advice.