Free retirement longevity calculator — see how long your retirement savings will last by modeling nest egg, annual withdrawals, inflation and Social Security year by year with Scripture-rooted stewardship guidance.
Your savings will last
Assumes withdrawals at the start of each year, then growth on the remainder. Inflation increases the withdrawal each year; Social Security offsets it.
Bar length = remaining portfolio at end of that year, scaled to your starting balance.
How long will my retirement savings last?
The honest answer is: it depends on three variables. Your starting balance, the dollar amount you withdraw each year (which usually rises with inflation), and the real rate of return your portfolio earns after fees. Change any one of those and the answer moves by years.
A simple benchmark: $1,000,000 at a 6% nominal return with 3% inflation, withdrawing $40,000 in year one, lasts about 34 years. Drop the return to 5% and the same plan lasts roughly 29 years. Raise the withdrawal to $50,000 and you fall to 23 years. Small inputs, big consequences.
The 4% rule explained
The 4% rule was published in 1994 by financial planner William Bengen, who studied every 30-year retirement window from 1926 onward and found that withdrawing 4% of the starting balance, adjusted for inflation each year, survived even the worst historical sequences. So a $1,000,000 portfolio supports about $40,000 of year-one spending.
Modern researchers — Morningstar, Vanguard, Wade Pfau — generally land between 3.7% and 4.0% as the safe range for today's lower-yield environment. The rule is a planning anchor, not a guarantee. Real retirees adjust spending in down markets rather than mechanically following a formula.
Sequence of returns risk
Two retirees can earn the exact same average return over 30 years and end with wildly different balances depending on when the bad years hit. A market crash in the first five years of retirement is far more damaging than the same crash 20 years in, because you are simultaneously withdrawing and watching the balance fall.
This is why financial planners recommend holding 1–3 years of expenses in cash or short-term bonds at retirement — so you do not sell stocks at a loss during a downturn.
What the Bible says about planning for old age
Scripture never speaks of a 30-year non-working retirement; that is a modern phenomenon. But it speaks clearly about diligent planning. Proverbs 21:5: "The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty." Proverbs 6:6–8 commends the ant who "stores her provisions in summer and gathers her food at harvest."
1 Timothy 5:8 goes further: "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." Saving enough that you will not be a burden on your adult children or your local church in your final decade is not faithless self-reliance. It is biblical love.
And Psalm 90:12: "Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom." Running this calculator is, in a literal sense, numbering your days. Then trust God with whatever season He grants.
Related calculators & guides
- Compound Interest Calculator — model the accumulation years before retirement
- Net Worth Calculator — measure what you have today
- Why IUL is a bad investment — what NOT to put your retirement money in
- The parable of the talents — the biblical case for investing
- 10 biblical money management principles
Frequently asked questions
Does the Bible support retirement?
Numbers 8:24-26 describes Levitical priests stepping back from heavy service at age 50 but continuing to assist their brothers. Scripture supports a transition out of vocational intensity — never a withdrawal from kingdom usefulness. Plan financially, but plan for assignment, not retreat.
What is the 4% rule?
The 4% safe withdrawal rate (Trinity Study) says you can draw 4% of your starting portfolio annually, adjusted for inflation, with a high probability of not outliving the money over 30 years. Our calculator lets you stress-test this with your specific balance and return assumptions.
How long will my retirement savings last?
It depends on three variables: starting balance, withdrawal rate, and real return after inflation. Use the calculator above for your projection. The Solomon Wealth Code app updates the projection monthly as your balance shifts.
Should I delay Social Security?
Each year you delay past full retirement age (up to 70) raises your benefit by ~8% — a guaranteed, government-backed return that beats most fixed income. If you are healthy and have other assets, delaying is often the wise stewardship move (Proverbs 13:11).