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There's a nest-egg size that lets you retire. We solve for the shortfall (or cushion) given your current savings, monthly contribution, age, and expected returns.
Your contribution rate and horizon are the two levers. Retiring sooner means fewer years of contributions and compounding, so the nest egg is smaller; starting earlier (or waiting) shifts it the other way.
A classic starting frame: you can retire when your portfolio is 25× your annual spending. The 4% safe-withdrawal rate (SWR) is the inverse — you can safely withdraw 4% of your portfolio per year.
nestEgg = annualSpend × 25 → withdraw 4%/yrThe 4% rule came from the Trinity study — a 30-year retirement survived most historical sequences at 4% withdrawal. Longer retirements (FIRE) often use 3-3.5% for safety.
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