Retirement Withdrawal Calculator
A retirement number is not complete until it is paired with a spending number. This calculator models a simple withdrawal path: the starting portfolio, the first annual withdrawal, the return assumption, inflation on future withdrawals, and the number of years to test.
Starting withdrawal rate
4.00%
30 years
Modeled years funded
30+ years
Not depleted in model
Final balance
$584,993
Total withdrawals
$1,756,108
Lowest ending balance
$584,993
Planning model only. Withdrawals happen at the start of each year, grow with inflation, and the remaining balance compounds at a constant nominal return. It ignores taxes, fees, sequence risk, required minimum distributions, account rules, and market volatility.
Stress-test the spending number
The first useful output is the starting withdrawal rate. It shows the first annual withdrawal as a percentage of the portfolio, before any market path or tax issue is considered. Rerun the model with a lower return assumption, higher inflation, or a longer horizon to see how fragile the plan becomes.
Separate withdrawal rate from market path
This model uses the same return every year, so it does not prove a withdrawal plan is safe. Real retirement risk often comes from the order of returns: weak early years can damage a plan even if the long-run average return looks reasonable. Use this page as a quick planning screen, not as a historical simulation.
What this model intentionally leaves out
The calculator does not include taxes, fund fees, account rules, required minimum distributions, Social Security, pension income, cash buckets, or sequence-of-return simulation. Before using a withdrawal number for a real retirement decision, replace this simplified estimate with a full plan.
FAQ
What is the starting withdrawal rate?
It is the first annual withdrawal divided by the starting portfolio value. A $40,000 withdrawal from a $1,000,000 portfolio is a 4.00% starting withdrawal rate.
Is this a safe withdrawal rate calculator?
No. It is a planning calculator with a constant-return assumption. It does not run historical market sequences or Monte Carlo simulations, so it cannot prove that a withdrawal rate is safe.
Why do withdrawals happen at the start of each year?
That sequence is intentionally conservative for a simple model because the withdrawn amount stops compounding immediately. Real cash-flow timing can differ by household and account type.
Evidence to read next
Use the calculator output with source-backed research, not as a standalone signal.
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