what history actually did

Your balance can keep growing for fifteen years after you stop working.

This plan retires at 70 with $1.62M, spends $80,000 a year, and still peaks at $1.67M around 85. Growth on the part you have not spent yet outruns the spending.

You asked for the link. It is below: the slides from the post, the move if there is one, and the planner the chart came from.

Slide 1 of 6: Your balance can keep growing for fifteen years after you stop working.

Slide 2 of 6: Retire at 70, spend $80,000 a year, and the balance still rises to 85.

Slide 3 of 6: Total balance, in today's dollars.

Slide 4 of 6: Growth on the unspent part outruns the spending, for a while.

Slide 5 of 6: It can feel like spending down is the only direction, and it is not.

Slide 6 of 6: Save this for the day you start to wonder if you can spend.

Where to go next

Retire Plan

Type in one paycheck and it runs your plan through every year of market history since 1871, with the taxes worked out. About three minutes, in the browser.

Open it

Sources: Expected path at 7% return and 3% inflation. Plan: age 65, $1.2M saved, retiring at 70 on $80,000 a year with $2,400 a month of Social Security.; Engine output, expected path. 7% is an assumption, not a forecast..

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