Is $500,000 enough to retire?
$500,000 produces $20,000 in year one at 4.0%. Against $32,000 of spending that is 63% coverage — the spend is larger than a 4% (or chosen) withdrawal. A constant 5.0% return exhausts the portfolio in year 21. Across 1,000 seeded paths the spend lasts the full horizon in 9% of worlds; the 10th-to-90th ending range is $0 to $0. To see how long $500,000 lasts at other spending levels, with Social Security and taxes, use the how long will my money last calculator.
How much income will $500,000 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% | $15,000 | $1,250 | more than 60 years |
| 3.5% | $17,500 | $1,458 | 59 years |
| 4.0% | $20,000 | $1,667 | 44 years |
| 4.5% | $22,500 | $1,875 | 35 years |
| 5.0% | $25,000 | $2,083 | 30 years |
$500,000 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 $500,000 | Total a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single, $50,000 career | $2,054 | $1,667 | $3,721 |
| Single, $75,000 career | $2,694 | $1,667 | $4,361 |
| Couple, one $100,000 career and a spousal benefit | $4,998 | $1,667 | $6,665 |
| Couple, two $60,000 careers | $4,620 | $1,667 | $6,287 |
Withdrawals from a traditional IRA or 401(k) are taxable income, so the spendable amount is lower: see the tax on a $20,000 401(k) withdrawal or the retirement taxes pages for your state.
How long will $500,000 last in retirement?
Years $500,000 lasts at a steady return, with the withdrawal raised 2.0% a year for inflation. Taking 4%, $20,000 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15,000 (3%) | 53 years | 60+ years | 60+ years | 60+ years |
| $20,000 (4%) | 34 years | 44 years | 60+ years | 60+ years |
| $25,000 (5%) | 26 years | 30 years | 37 years | 57 years |
| $30,000 (6%) | 20 years | 23 years | 26 years | 32 years |
Every round withdrawal, with the balance year by year and the odds in 1,000 simulated markets: how long $500,000 lasts.
$500,000 by retirement age
Funding $32,000 a year from age 60, $500,000 lasts to 95 in 9% of paths on cautious returns and 13% on Trinity-style returns. Waiting until 70 raises that to 23% and 31%; starting at 50 drops it to 5% and 8%. For 9 in 10 paths to last from 65, spending has to stay near $11,500 to $16,000 a year, which is $958 to $1,333 a month.
| Retire at | Years funded | Lasts: cautious | Lasts: Trinity-style | 9-in-10 spend: cautious | 9-in-10 spend: Trinity-style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 50 | 4% | 5% | $6,500 | $11,000 |
| 50 | 45 | 5% | 8% | $7,500 | $12,000 |
| 55 | 40 | 6% | 9% | $8,000 | $12,500 |
| 60 | 35 | 9% | 13% | $9,500 | $14,000 |
| 65 | 30 | 14% | 20% | $11,500 | $16,000 |
| 70 | 25 | 23% | 31% | $14,000 | $19,000 |
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%.
Retiring with $500,000 at a set age, with Social Security, access before 59½ and health cover before Medicare: at 40, at 45, at 50, at 55, at 58, at 60, at 62, at 65, at 67, at 70.
Change the inputs
Other nest eggs
From 65 on Trinity-style returns, $500,000 holds about $16,000 a year in 9 of 10 paths. $450,000 holds $14,500; $600,000 holds $19,500. Is it enough to retire on $100,000, $150,000, $200,000, $250,000, $300,000, $350,000, $400,000, $450,000, $600,000, $650,000, $700,000, $750,000, $800,000, $850,000, $900,000, $1 million, $1.1 million, $1.2 million, $1.25 million, $1.3 million, $1.4 million, $1.5 million, $1.6 million, $1.75 million, $1.8 million, $2 million, $2.2 million, $2.5 million, $3 million, $3.5 million, $4 million, $4.5 million, $5 million, $6 million, $7 million, $8 million, $10 million?