Retirement Calculator for Couples

Couple's Retirement Planner

Plan your financial future together with our Couple's Retirement Planner. This tool helps you estimate the nest egg you'll need and how your current savings trajectory aligns with your retirement goals, considering both partners' timelines and inflation.

Partner 1 Current Age (Years):

Partner 1 Desired Retirement Age (Years):

Partner 1 Life Expectancy (Years):

Partner 2 Current Age (Years):

Partner 2 Desired Retirement Age (Years):

Partner 2 Life Expectancy (Years):

Combined Current Retirement Savings ($):

Combined Annual Retirement Savings ($):

Desired Annual Retirement Income (in today's $):

Expected Annual Investment Return (Pre-Retirement, %):

Expected Annual Investment Return (Post-Retirement, %):

Expected Annual Inflation Rate (%):

Understanding Your Couple's Retirement Plan

Planning for retirement as a couple involves unique considerations. Unlike individual planning, you need to synchronize timelines, combine resources, and account for potentially different life expectancies. This calculator helps you visualize your shared financial journey towards retirement.

Key Factors in Couple's Retirement Planning

Combined Ages and Retirement Timelines: Your individual current ages, desired retirement ages, and life expectancies are crucial. The calculator uses the earliest retirement age to determine the accumulation phase and the longest life expectancy to determine how long your funds need to last.
Current and Future Savings: Your combined current savings provide a foundation, while your annual contributions are the engine of growth. Consistency in saving is key.
Desired Retirement Income: This is your target annual spending in retirement, expressed in today's dollars. The calculator adjusts this for inflation to give you a realistic figure for your retirement start date.
Investment Returns: The expected annual return on your investments, both before and during retirement, significantly impacts how quickly your nest egg grows and how long it lasts. Higher returns can accelerate your savings, but also come with higher risk.
Inflation: The silent wealth killer. Inflation erodes purchasing power over time. Our calculator factors in an expected inflation rate to ensure your desired retirement income is realistic for the future.

How the Calculator Works

This tool performs several key calculations:

Years to First Retirement: It identifies the number of years until the first partner reaches their desired retirement age. This period is used for projecting your savings growth.
Total Retirement Duration: It determines the maximum number of years your combined nest egg will need to support both partners, based on the longest life expectancy.
Inflation-Adjusted Income: Your desired annual retirement income is adjusted for inflation from today until the first partner's retirement date.
Projected Nest Egg: It calculates the future value of your current savings and your annual contributions, assuming your specified pre-retirement investment return.
Required Nest Egg: This is the lump sum you'll need at the start of retirement to generate your inflation-adjusted desired income throughout your retirement duration, considering your post-retirement investment return and inflation.
Retirement Gap/Surplus: The difference between your projected nest egg and your required nest egg. A positive number indicates a surplus, while a negative number indicates a gap.

Example Scenario: John and Jane

Let's consider John (40) and Jane (42). John wants to retire at 65, Jane at 67. They expect to live until 90 and 92 respectively. They currently have $200,000 saved and contribute $15,000 annually. Their desired retirement income is $80,000 per year (in today's dollars). They anticipate a 7% pre-retirement return, 5% post-retirement return, and 3% inflation.

Years to First Retirement: John retires first, so 65 – 40 = 25 years.
Total Retirement Duration: Jane lives longest, so 92 – 67 = 25 years (from her retirement). The nest egg needs to last until Jane's age 92, which is 27 years from John's retirement (92 – 65).
Desired Annual Income at Retirement: $80,000 adjusted for 25 years of 3% inflation becomes approximately $167,500 per year.
Projected Nest Egg: After 25 years, their $200,000 grows to over $1 million, and their $15,000 annual contributions grow to over $1.1 million. Total projected nest egg: approximately $2.2 million.
Required Nest Egg: To provide $167,500 annually for 27 years with a 5% return and 3% inflation (a real return of ~1.94%), they would need approximately $3.7 million.
Retirement Gap: In this scenario, they would have a significant gap of about $1.5 million. This indicates they need to save more, invest more aggressively, or adjust their retirement expectations.

This example highlights the importance of starting early and regularly reviewing your plan. Use the calculator above with your own numbers to get a personalized projection!