Is $250,000 enough to retire?
$250,000 produces $10,000 in year one at 4.0%. Against $20,000 of spending that is 50% coverage — the spend is larger than a 4% (or chosen) withdrawal. A constant 5.0% return exhausts the portfolio in year 16. Across 1,000 seeded paths the spend lasts the full horizon in 2% of worlds; the 10th-to-90th ending range is $0 to $0. To see how long $250,000 lasts at other spending levels, with Social Security and taxes, use the how long will my money last calculator.
How much income will $250,000 generate?
A withdrawal rate turns a nest egg into income. The higher the rate, the more you spend now and the sooner the money can run out. Years shown at a steady 5% return, with the withdrawal raised 2.0% a year for inflation.
| Withdrawal rate | A year | A month | Lasts at a 5% return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0% | $7,500 | $625 | more than 60 years |
| 3.5% | $8,750 | $729 | 59 years |
| 4.0% | $10,000 | $833 | 44 years |
| 4.5% | $11,250 | $938 | 35 years |
| 5.0% | $12,500 | $1,042 | 30 years |
$250,000 plus Social Security
Social Security pays beside the portfolio, so the nest egg only has to cover the gap. Monthly income with a 4% withdrawal and benefits claimed at 67, using the estimates from Social Security’s own formula for a steady career:
| Household | Social Security | From $250,000 | Total a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single, $50,000 career | $2,054 | $833 | $2,887 |
| Single, $75,000 career | $2,694 | $833 | $3,527 |
| Couple, one $100,000 career and a spousal benefit | $4,998 | $833 | $5,831 |
| Couple, two $60,000 careers | $4,620 | $833 | $5,453 |
Withdrawals from a traditional IRA or 401(k) are taxable income, so the spendable amount is lower: see the tax on a $25,000 401(k) withdrawal or the retirement taxes pages for your state.
How long will $250,000 last in retirement?
Years $250,000 lasts at a steady return, with the withdrawal raised 2.0% a year for inflation. Taking 4%, $10,000 a year, at a 5% return lasts 44 years. Social Security or a pension lowers what the portfolio has to pay, so only the gap counts.
| Withdrawal a year | 4% return | 5% return | 6% return | 7% return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $7,500 (3%) | 53 years | 60+ years | 60+ years | 60+ years |
| $10,000 (4%) | 34 years | 44 years | 60+ years | 60+ years |
| $12,500 (5%) | 26 years | 30 years | 37 years | 57 years |
| $15,000 (6%) | 20 years | 23 years | 26 years | 32 years |
$250,000 by retirement age
Funding $20,000 a year from age 60, $250,000 lasts to 95 in 2% of paths on cautious returns and 3% on Trinity-style returns. Waiting until 70 raises that to 9% and 11%; starting at 50 drops it to 2% and 2%. For 9 in 10 paths to last from 65, spending has to stay near $5,500 to $7,500 a year, which is $458 to $625 a month.
| Retire at | Years funded | Lasts: cautious | Lasts: Trinity-style | 9-in-10 spend: cautious | 9-in-10 spend: Trinity-style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 50 | 1% | 1% | $3,000 | $5,500 |
| 50 | 45 | 2% | 2% | $3,500 | $5,500 |
| 55 | 40 | 2% | 3% | $4,000 | $6,500 |
| 60 | 35 | 2% | 3% | $5,000 | $7,000 |
| 65 | 30 | 4% | 5% | $5,500 | $7,500 |
| 70 | 25 | 9% | 11% | $6,500 | $9,000 |
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%.
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Other nest eggs
From 65 on Trinity-style returns, $250,000 holds about $7,500 a year in 9 of 10 paths. $300,000 holds $9,500. Is it enough to retire on $300,000, $500,000, $750,000, $1 million, $1.5 million, $2 million, $2.5 million, $3 million, $4 million, $5 million?