Turning "someday" into a number
Retirement feels impossibly abstract until you attach a figure to it. The 4% rule gives you that figure fast: multiply the annual spending you want by 25, and you have a target to aim at. It reframes the question from the unanswerable "am I saving enough?" into the concrete "how do I get from here to there?"
The gap between your projection and your target is the most valuable output here. If you're short, the three levers are simple — save more each month, work a little longer, or earn a higher return — and this calculator lets you test each one instantly. Small, early changes matter most, because they have the longest to compound.
