After decades of saving, the question flips: how do you spend the nest egg without running dry? This calculator turns a lump sum — your 401(k), IRA, or brokerage balance — into a monthly retirement paycheck. Each month you withdraw a fixed amount while the remaining balance keeps compounding, and the race between withdrawals and growth determines how long the money lasts.

Hold a $1,000,000 balance, withdraw $5,000 monthly, and earn 7%. The math says the money lasts roughly 32 years — and total withdrawals exceed $1.9 million, because growth funds most of the payouts. Raise the withdrawal to $8,000 and longevity collapses toward 16 years.

The golden rule of decumulation is the 4% rule: withdraw about 4% of the initial balance yearly, adjusted for inflation — a pace that has survived most historical US market scenarios over 30 years. Cross that line without higher returns and the depletion curve turns exponential — slowly at first, then all at once.

With the pre-filled defaults — Retirement Savings ($) 500,000, Monthly Withdrawal ($) 2,000, Expected Annual Return (%) 6 — the Retirement Withdrawal Calculator returns Annual Growth on Savings ($) 30,000. Change any input and those results update instantly, so you can see exactly how each number you enter moves the answer.