Can I retire on $1 million?

$1 million at 4.0% is $40,000 in year one. This page answers whether that covers a specific spend and how often 1,000 paths last 35 years.

The answer on these inputs

$1 million produces $40,000 in year one at 4.0%. Against $50,000 of spending that is 80% coverage — the spend is larger than a 4% (or chosen) withdrawal. A constant 5.0% return exhausts the portfolio in year 30. Across 1,000 seeded paths the spend lasts the full horizon in 23% of worlds; the 10th-to-90th ending range is $0 to $1,704,117.

$1 million by retirement age

Funding $50,000 a year from age 60, $1 million lasts to 95 in 23% of paths on cautious returns and 38% on Trinity-style returns. Waiting until 70 raises that to 48% and 66%; starting at 50 drops it to 16% and 25%. For 9 in 10 paths to last from 65, spending has to stay near $23,000 to $32,500 a year, which is $1,917 to $2,708 a month.

$1 million spending $50,000 a year, planned to age 95 across 1,000 simulated paths
Retire atYears fundedLasts: cautiousLasts: Trinity-style9-in-10 spend: cautious9-in-10 spend: Trinity-style
455012%22%$13,500$22,500
504516%25%$15,000$24,000
554018%32%$17,000$26,000
603523%38%$20,000$29,500
653034%49%$23,000$32,500
702548%66%$27,500$37,500

Cautious is 5% return, 15% volatility and 2% inflation, a stress case below long-run market history. Trinity-style is the Trinity study calculator's 7%, 12% and 3%.

Change the inputs

First-year income at the rate$40,000
Coverage of the spend80%
Years the spend lasts30
1,000-path success23%

Other nest eggs

From 65 on Trinity-style returns, $1 million holds about $32,500 a year in 9 of 10 paths. $750,000 holds $24,500; $1.5 million holds $47,000. Can I retire on $500,000, $750,000, $1.5 million, $2 million, $3 million, $5 million?

Frequently asked questions

Can I retire on $1 million?
At 4%, $1 million produces a first-year withdrawal of about $40,000. In this page’s 1,000 simulated paths, $50,000 a year from age 65 lasts to 95 in 49% of them on Trinity-style returns (7% return, 12% volatility) and 34% on cautious ones (5%, 15%).