Retirement / 401(k) Calculator
Project your retirement balance from contributions, employer match and compounding growth.
Your Plan
Balance at Retirement
$1,488,814
≈ $4,963/mo with the 4% rule
≈ $1,764/mo in today's dollars · 20 yrs in retirement
You Contributed
$210,000
Employer Match
$93,146
Investment Growth
$1,165,668
Inflation-adjusted balance: $529,100 in today's dollars. Salary grows 3%/yr, inflation 3%/yr. Assumes monthly compounding and constant contributions. Employer match is 50% of your contribution up to 6% of salary. Not financial advice.
History of Retirement Saving
Retirement provision moved from family support and private pensions to employer plans and the modern 401(k).
From Pensions to Self-Funding
Before the 20th century, retirement was rare; the elderly relied on family or continued work. Germany introduced the first state pension in 1889, and employer pensions spread in the early 1900s.
As life expectancy rose, the burden of providing for old age shifted toward the individual.
The 401(k) Era
In the United States, the 401(k) plan was created in 1978, letting employees save pre-tax salary with employer matching, shifting from defined-benefit pensions to defined-contribution accounts.
Similar systems exist worldwide, such as the UK's workplace pensions and Australia's superannuation.
Compounding and Matching
The power of these accounts comes from compounding growth over decades plus free employer match money, modeled month by month here.
This calculator projects your balance from savings, contributions, match, and return, with the 4% rule as a retirement-income guide.
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