Can I retire on $500,000?

$500,000 at 4.0% is $20,000 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

$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.

$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.

$500,000 spending $32,000 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
45504%5%$6,500$11,000
50455%8%$7,500$12,000
55406%9%$8,000$12,500
60359%13%$9,500$14,000
653014%20%$11,500$16,000
702523%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%.

Change the inputs

First-year income at the rate$20,000
Coverage of the spend63%
Years the spend lasts21
1,000-path success9%

Other nest eggs

From 65 on Trinity-style returns, $500,000 holds about $16,000 a year in 9 of 10 paths. $750,000 holds $24,500. Can I retire on $750,000, $1 million, $1.5 million, $2 million, $3 million, $5 million?

Frequently asked questions

Can I retire on $500,000?
At 4%, $500,000 produces a first-year withdrawal of about $20,000. In this page’s 1,000 simulated paths, $32,000 a year from age 65 lasts to 95 in 20% of them on Trinity-style returns (7% return, 12% volatility) and 14% on cautious ones (5%, 15%).