Articles

What will your paycheck look like in retirement?

Your retirement paycheck is the amount you can withdraw from your savings every month with a low risk of running out. Run the numbers below with your own age, savings, and contribution to see your figure in about a minute, no account needed.

How is my retirement paycheck calculated?

We run 5,000 simulations of your entire retirement, each one built by randomly drawing a U.S. market year (going back to 1928) for every year of your plan, rather than applying an average return in a straight line or fitting a statistical curve to it. We then find the highest monthly amount that would have lasted in at least 90% of those 5,000 simulated paths, which is 9 in 10 odds. Every figure is in today's dollars, already adjusted for inflation, so none of it looks bigger simply because prices went up.

Markets don't return the same amount every year, and a few bad years early in retirement can hurt far more than the same bad years spread out evenly. That is called sequence-of-returns risk, and a back-of-envelope number built on one smoothed-out average can't see it. Drawing from historical years thousands of times can.

Why is this different from a simple 4% rule calculation?

The 4% rule is a rough starting point: withdraw 4% of your starting balance each year, adjusted for inflation, and it historically held up over 30-year retirements. It's a reasonable rule of thumb, but it doesn't know your retirement age, planning horizon, tax situation, or Social Security. It is the same 4% whether you retire at 55 or 68. Our number is built from your own inputs and reports what you would get to spend after tax, rather than a gross withdrawal percentage you still have to do more math on.

How do I know if my retirement paycheck is enough?

Compare it to what you spend. The estimate asks for your monthly spending and shows the gap directly: covered by a margin, or short by a specific amount. If you spend $5,000 a month and your savings can safely produce $4,100, you are $900 short, and the estimate shows the smallest change that closes it. If you'd like a floor, the full calculator also shows what your savings would produce if you stopped contributing today. For why a lump-sum target like “$1 million” doesn't answer this on its own, see how much you need to retire.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to link my bank account?

No. Every number in the estimate is one you type in yourself, and nothing connects to your accounts.

Is it free?

The estimate above, your chance-of-success percentage, and the full calculator (accounts, Social Security, spending, household support) are free, with no account needed to see a result. The Compare tools, which rank choices like withdrawal order and claiming age against your own plan, are part of Plus.

How accurate is this compared to a financial advisor's plan?

It is a Monte Carlo estimate rather than a rule of thumb, but it is only as detailed as what you enter. The quick version above is a starting point; adding your accounts, Social Security benefit, and a full spending breakdown in the full calculator makes it much more accurate.

What does "chance of success" mean?

It's the percentage of those 5,000 simulated market histories in which your money lasted through your whole planning horizon without running out. A higher percentage means the number held up across more of the historical scenarios we tested it against. It is not a guarantee about the future.

What if I'm married or already have a Social Security estimate?

The full calculator supports household mode: independent Social Security for both spouses, per-spouse required minimum distributions, and a survivor-benefit preview, plus your own claiming age instead of assuming it matches your retirement age.

MangoDime · Last updated October 5, 2026
MangoDime is built and written by Northstar Digital LLC, Laguna Beach, California.