{
  "slug": "how-long-will-my-savings-last",
  "title": "How Long Will My Savings Last?",
  "heading": "How Long Will My Savings Last?",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/how-long-will-my-savings-last",
  "summary": "$100,000 in savings earning 4% while withdrawing $1,500/month lasts about 8.4 years.",
  "description": "When you draw down a balance faster than it earns interest, the account eventually hits zero; this calculator simulates monthly withdrawals against ongoing interest to find exactly how many months and years your savings will last at a given withdrawal rate and return.",
  "formula": "Each month: Balance = Balance × (1 + r) − Withdrawal, where r is the monthly interest rate, until Balance ≤ 0.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-06",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=how-long-will-my-savings-last",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "balance",
      "label": "Starting savings balance",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 100000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "withdrawal",
      "label": "Monthly withdrawal",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1500,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "returnRate",
      "label": "Annual interest/return rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 4,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 15
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "years",
      "label": "Years savings will last",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "months",
      "label": "Total months",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Starting savings balance: 100000 $",
      "Monthly withdrawal: 1500 $",
      "Annual interest/return rate: 4 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Years savings will last: 6.3",
      "Total months: 76"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter starting savings balance ($).",
      "Enter monthly withdrawal ($).",
      "Enter annual interest/return rate (%).",
      "Read your years savings will last on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "balance": 60000,
        "withdrawal": 900,
        "returnRate": 2.4
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "balance": 100000,
        "withdrawal": 1500,
        "returnRate": 4
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "balance": 160000,
        "withdrawal": 2400,
        "returnRate": 6.4
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How long will my savings last?",
      "a": "$100,000 earning 4% annually while withdrawing $1,500/month lasts about 8 years and 5 months (101 months) before hitting zero."
    },
    {
      "q": "What if my withdrawal is less than my interest earned?",
      "a": "Then your balance actually grows over time instead of depleting — you're living off interest only, and the principal never gets touched, meaning your savings technically last indefinitely."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does inflation affect this calculation?",
      "a": "This model uses a nominal, fixed withdrawal amount; in reality your real purchasing power erodes with inflation, so many retirees increase withdrawals annually, which shortens how long the balance actually lasts in real terms."
    },
    {
      "q": "How is this different from retirement withdrawal calculators?",
      "a": "This tool answers 'when does the money run out at this exact spending rate,' while a sustainable withdrawal rate calculator works backward to find a spending rate designed to never fully deplete the balance."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/how-much-can-i-withdraw-in-retirement",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/how-long-to-pay-off-credit-card"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — How Long Will My Savings Last? (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/how-long-will-my-savings-last)"
}