Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Years to reach $1 million
23.9
Total months
287
Psst — share this and help Rex grow
One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter current savings/investments ($).
- 2Enter monthly contribution ($).
- 3Enter expected annual return (%).
- 4Read your years to reach $1 million on the right — it updates as you type.
- 5Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
This calculator solves for how many years it takes your current savings plus ongoing monthly contributions to grow to a million dollars at a given annual return, using the future value of a lump sum plus an annuity, solved iteratively month by month.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Current savings/investments: 50000 $
- Monthly contribution: 1000 $
- Expected annual return: 7 %
Results
- Years to reach $1 million: 23.9
- Total months: 287
What each field means
Inputs
- Current savings/investments ($)
- The current savings/investments used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 50000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Monthly contribution ($)
- The monthly contribution used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 1000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Expected annual return (%)
- The expected annual return used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 7 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–15 %.
Results
- Years to reach $1 million
- Returned as a decimal number and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total months
- Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
How long until I hit a million dollars?
Starting with $50,000 and investing $1,000/month at a 7% average annual return, you'll cross $1 million in about 22.4 years (269 months).
How much does the return rate change the timeline?
At the same contributions, dropping the return from 7% to 5% stretches the timeline by roughly 4-5 years, while pushing it to 9% shaves off a similar amount — return rate compounds heavily over long horizons.
Does starting balance matter as much as monthly contributions?
Early on, monthly contributions matter more; later in the timeline, the starting balance's compounding dominates growth, which is why starting to invest even small amounts early has an outsized long-term effect.
Is $1 million still 'enough' for retirement?
It depends heavily on withdrawal needs and other income sources — at a 4% withdrawal rate, $1 million supports $40,000/year, which may or may not match your target retirement lifestyle.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). How Long Until I Hit a Million Dollars?. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/how-long-until-i-hit-a-million
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/how-long-until-i-hit-a-million" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How Long Until I Hit a Million Dollars? — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [How Long Until I Hit a Million Dollars? — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/how-long-until-i-hit-a-million) (2026).