WILL YOUR 401(k) send you to the Bahamas or the poorhouse? Our graphical calculator will help you figure that out — before it's too late. First tell us how much income you'd like each year in retirement and then fill in the particulars of your family's savings program — tax-deferred accounts and otherwise. A graph will pop up showing you how much your savings will grow and how long they'll last after you retire. Want to know if you could retire early? Ratchet back the retirement-age variable. Curious what would happen if inflation took off again or if you could squeeze a little more out of your investments? You can play with those assumptions too. Also, keep in mind, while you might get big raises during your younger years, they may stop altogether in your 50s, so be conservative in your estimate below.
Good news or bad, it's better to know now than later.
*Going forward, this figure is increased to reflect inflation.
