Portfolio Assumptions
Need to project this first? Use the Simple Investment Calculator.
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How long will your retirement savings last?
Estimate how long a starting retirement portfolio may last under an initial withdrawal, a fixed return, and your chosen inflation treatment.
Fixed return. Adjustable withdrawals. Year-by-year drawdown results.
Need to project this first? Use the Simple Investment Calculator.
Shows results in today's dollars using the inflation rate above.
Starting portfolio
$—
Estimated time until depleted
—
Initial annual withdrawal
$—
Starting withdrawal rate
—
Ending balance
$—
Ending balance in today's dollars
$—
Each retirement year is a rollup of the selected withdrawal frequency. Withdrawals are the actual nominal cash amounts modelled; the optional real-dollar column applies only to ending balances.
| Year | Starting balance | Nominal withdrawals | Investment growth | Ending balance | Inflation-adjusted ending balance |
|---|
This calculator models a deterministic retirement drawdown. It applies a constant expected return, subtracts withdrawals at the selected frequency, and shows year-by-year balances, depletion timing, and ending value.
A withdrawal rate establishes the initial withdrawal from the starting portfolio. The initial dollar amount can then adjust annually with inflation or remain fixed in nominal dollars. Separately, the display control can show future balances in today's dollars.
This is not a full retirement income planner. It does not model taxes, CPP, OAS, pensions, RRIF minimums, account sequencing, market volatility, or sequence-of-returns risk.
The result should be read as arithmetic under fixed assumptions, not as financial advice or a guaranteed safe withdrawal rate.
Inspect the arithmetic · Sequence of returns risk · Inflation-Adjusted Investment Calculator
Not exactly. This calculator can show the result of a withdrawal rate, but it does not prove that the rate is safe. A true safe-withdrawal analysis would need to account for market volatility, sequence-of-returns risk, inflation-indexed spending, taxes, and other income sources.
Yes. Withdrawals can adjust annually with inflation or remain fixed in nominal dollars. Separately, the display control can show projected balances in today’s dollars.
Rate mode rejects an initial annual withdrawal rate above 50%. That cap is a model bound, not a claim about a safe or typical rate. Dollar-amount mode has no percentage cap.
Nominal dollars are future dollars without adjusting for inflation. A portfolio balance of $500,000 twenty years from now may not have the same purchasing power as $500,000 today.
No. This version only models withdrawals from a portfolio. It does not include government benefits, pension income, RRSP or RRIF rules, TFSA withdrawals, non-registered investment taxes, or personal income tax.
Withdrawal frequency matters because investment growth and withdrawals occur over time. Monthly withdrawals produce a slightly different result than annual withdrawals because money is removed from the portfolio at different points during the year.
Disclaimer: This calculator is for educational and informational purposes only. It uses simplified assumptions and does not provide financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. Results depend entirely on the inputs provided and may not reflect real-world outcomes.
Disclaimer: All content on The Long Math — including articles, essays, calculators, tools, or any other material — is provided solely for educational and informational purposes and does not constitute financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. Any results or projections are based on simplified models, assumptions, and user-supplied inputs and may not reflect real-world outcomes. You are responsible for evaluating the accuracy and applicability of the information provided and for conducting your own due diligence. Before making financial decisions, consult a qualified professional.