{
  "slug": "millionaire-timeline",
  "title": "How Long to a Million Calculator",
  "heading": "How Long Until You Have $1 Million",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/millionaire-timeline",
  "summary": "Years to your first million at your savings rate.",
  "description": "Set a monthly investment and a return, and this finds the year you cross seven figures. Small increases to the monthly number move the date a lot.",
  "formula": "Solve FV = target for n",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=millionaire-timeline",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "start",
      "label": "Current invested",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 25000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "monthly",
      "label": "Monthly investment",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1500,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "rate",
      "label": "Annual return",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 25
    },
    {
      "id": "target",
      "label": "Target",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1000000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 1000,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "years",
      "label": "Years to target",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "months",
      "label": "Months to target",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "contributed",
      "label": "Total you contribute",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "growth",
      "label": "Growth from returns",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Current invested: 25000 $",
      "Monthly investment: 1500 $",
      "Annual return: 8 %",
      "Target: 1000000 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Years to target: 20",
      "Months to target: 240",
      "Total you contribute: $385,000",
      "Growth from returns: $621,701"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter current invested ($).",
      "Enter monthly investment ($).",
      "Enter annual return (%).",
      "Enter target ($).",
      "Read your years to target 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": {
        "start": 15000,
        "monthly": 900,
        "rate": 8,
        "target": 600000
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "start": 25000,
        "monthly": 1500,
        "rate": 8,
        "target": 1000000
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "start": 40000,
        "monthly": 2400,
        "rate": 8,
        "target": 1600000
      }
    }
  ],
  "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 does the how long until you have $1 million work?",
      "a": "Set a monthly investment and a return, and this finds the year you cross seven figures. Small increases to the monthly number move the date a lot. The underlying maths is: Solve FV = target for n"
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "4 values: current invested, monthly investment, annual return, and target. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the years to target result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a decimal number and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — How Long to a Million Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/millionaire-timeline)"
}