Plan your retirement with employer match, tax savings, and realistic income projections.
Retirement Plan
Pre-tax contributions โ tax deferred growth
Personal Details
Must be less than retirement age
Your Contributions
Exceeds 2025 IRS limit ($23,500)
They match 50% of the first 6% of salary
Growth Assumptions
โ Advanced Settings
Index funds: ~0.03โ0.20% ยท Active funds: ~0.5โ1.5%
Retirement Dashboard
At age 65, you will have:
--
Est. Monthly Income
$0 / mo
Based on 4% Safe Withdrawal Rule
IRS Contribution Room$0 / $23,500
You Contributed
--
Employer Match
--
Investment Growth
--
Years Investing
--
Annual Tax Savings
--
Match ROI
--
Contrib: --+Match: --+Growth: --=Total: --
๐กEnter your details above to see personalized retirement insights.
Showing nominal values
Yr
Age
Salary
Contrib.
Match
Interest
Balance
Net Paycheck Cost
Your contribution costs less than you think after tax savings.
Gross per paycheck--
Tax savings per paycheck-- saved
Your actual net cost--
Enter your details in Tab 1 to see your net cost.
Contribution Ladder
See what each extra percent is worth at retirement.
Contrib %
Annual $
Match Captured
Balance at Ret.
Monthly Income
Net/Paycheck
Calculate Tab 1 first to see the contribution ladder.
Roth vs. Traditional Comparison
Same inputs โ two very different tax outcomes.
Traditional
Balance at Retirement
--
After-Tax Value (est.)
--
Lifetime Tax Savings Now
--
Lower paycheck hit today. Pay taxes on withdrawal at 22% est.
VS
Roth
Balance at Retirement
--
After-Tax Value (tax-free)
--
Lifetime Tax Cost Now
--
Higher paycheck hit today. Zero taxes on qualified withdrawals.
Fee Impact Analysis
See how expense ratios compound against your long-term balance.
Expense Ratio Applied
0.50% / yr
Balance (No Fees)
--
Balance (With Fees)
--
Fee Drag (Lost Growth)
--
-- of total
Change the expense ratio in โ Advanced Settings (input card) to model different fund choices. Index funds at 0.05% vs. active funds at 1.0% can cost you hundreds of thousands over a career.
Goal Seeker
How much do you need to save to hit your income goal?
Required Contribution %--
Additional Annual Savings--
Net Paycheck Impact--
Market Scenarios
Bear, base, and bull โ see your range of outcomes.
Scenario
Return
Balance
Monthly Income
Calculate Tab 1 first.
Monte Carlo Simulation200 simulations ยท ฯ=12% annual volatility
Success Rate (est.)--
Median Balance--
Retirement Readiness Score
Enter your details in Tab 1
๐ฏYour readiness score will appear after calculation.
Portfolio Longevity
How long will your savings last?
Funds Last Until Age--
Years of Income--
Sensitivity Analysis
How your balance changes across contribution rates and return assumptions. Your current scenario is highlighted.
Calculate Tab 1 first to see the sensitivity matrix.
HOW TO USE
01
Personal Details
Enter your current salary, existing savings balance, and your current age to establish your starting point.
02
Contributions
Set your contribution percentage and your employer's match rules. This is the 'engine' of your growth.
03
Optimize
Use the Optimizer and Retirement Planner tabs to find your ideal contribution and set income goals.
FAQ
How exactly does the Employer Match work?
The employer match is essentially 'free money' added to your retirement account. Typically, an employer will match a percentage of your contribution up to a specific limit of your salary. For example, a '50% match up to 6%' means if you contribute 6%, your employer adds another 3%. Always contribute at least enough to get the full match.
What is the '4% Safe Withdrawal Rule'?
The 4% rule is a guideline suggesting that if you withdraw 4% of your total balance in the first year of retirement and adjust for inflation thereafter, your money should last for at least 30 years with a high probability of success.
What are the 2025 401(k) contribution limits?
For 2025, the standard employee contribution limit is $23,500. Individuals age 50 or older can make additional 'catch-up' contributions of $7,500, for a total possible contribution of $31,000.
Should I choose Roth or Traditional 401(k)?
Traditional 401(k) contributions are made pre-tax, reducing your current taxable income. Roth 401(k) contributions are made with after-tax dollars, but qualified withdrawals in retirement are tax-free. Generally, Roth is better if you expect to be in a higher tax bracket later. Use the Optimizer tab to compare both side by side.
How do catch-up contributions help older workers?
Catch-up contributions allow workers age 50+ to save significantly more than the standard limit. In 2025, that's an extra $7,500/year. This is critical for those who started saving later or want to maximize tax-advantaged growth before retirement.
How do management fees impact my long-term balance?
Even a seemingly small 1% fee can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost compounding over 30 years. Always look for low-cost index funds within your plan and compare expense ratios carefully.
What are the immediate tax benefits of contributing?
Traditional 401(k) contributions are deducted from your gross income, lowering your taxable income for the year. This effectively means the government subsidizes your savings by reducing your current tax bill โ the higher your bracket, the bigger the benefit.
What is a 401(k) vesting schedule?
Vesting refers to your ownership of employer-matched funds. While your own contributions are always 100% yours, employer matches may follow a schedule (e.g., 20% per year) where you must stay with the company for a certain time before the full match is yours to keep.
How much should I contribute to my 401(k)?
Financial experts recommend contributing at least enough to capture your full employer match (typically 3-6% of salary). The 2025 employee limit is $23,500 ($31,000 if age 50+). Maximizing contributions provides tax-deferred growth and reduces your current taxable income.
Formula & Methodology
This calculator projects your 401(k) balance at retirement using compound growth with annual salary increases and employer matching.
Profile: Age 50, $80,000 salary, $31,000/year (max + catch-up), 50% match on 6%, 7% return
Annual match: $2,400 | After 15 years: ~$840,000 | Starting 20 years earlier would have yielded ~$3.2M
Maximizing Your 401(k): A Complete Guide
Your employer-sponsored 401(k) is one of the most powerful wealth-building tools available to American workers. The combination of tax-deferred growth, employer matching contributions, and high annual contribution limits makes it the cornerstone of most retirement plans.
Never Leave Free Money on the Table
The employer match is the closest thing to a guaranteed return on investment you will find anywhere. If your employer matches 50% of contributions up to 6% of salary, contributing at least 6% earns you an immediate 50% return before any market gains.
The Power of Starting Early
A 25-year-old contributing $6,000 per year at 7% growth will accumulate roughly $1.2 million by age 65. A 35-year-old contributing the same amount reaches only about $567,000. That extra decade of compounding nearly doubles the final balance despite identical contributions.
Traditional vs. Roth 401(k)
Traditional contributions reduce your taxable income today but are taxed as ordinary income in retirement. Roth contributions are made with after-tax dollars but grow and are withdrawn completely tax-free. Use the Optimizer tab in this calculator to compare both side by side with your exact numbers.
Watch Your Fees
The expense ratios of the funds inside your 401(k) plan directly reduce your returns. Over a 30-year career, the difference between a 0.1% index fund and a 1.0% actively managed fund can exceed $200,000 in lost growth.
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