Do you dream of being one of the ‘lucky’ few who retire early in their forties or fifties? Now you don’t have to wonder and dream any more – our Early Retirement Calculator allows you to create a precise savings plan to achieve your goal.
Use our calculator to get a realistic idea of how much longer you would need to work before you can live off your savings interest? Or alternatively, how much you would need to earn in order to retire in a set amount of time, say 10 or 20 years? Our retirement calculator can help you work our when you will be able to retire and live off your passive income.
Get started on your retirement plan today by comparing Kiwisaver Funds and comparing Savings Accounts.
Early Retirement Calculator
How to use the Early Retirement Calculator
- Begin by determining your net income. This is the amount of money you make every year after all deductions (for example, taxes)
- The next step is to determine your monthly expenses. The calculator assumes that your lifestyle won’t change significantly during your lifetime. This means that your expenses will be kept at the same level before and during your retirement. If you don’t know your expense level, our budget calculator might be useful.
- Enter your initial investment. This is the amount of money you can put into your savings account today. Remember this should be savings that you won’t take out before you retire. The calculator has this value set to $0 by default, but if you have some savings already, you can include them in your calculations.
- Monthly deposit – the calculator works this out automatically. It is the amount of money you would need to add to your savings every month
- Choose the return on investment. It is the percentage interest rate of your account. The interest rate will depend on the type of account you are investing your savings in. By default, it is set to 5%.
- You also have to decide on the withdrawal rate. This is the percentage of the sum accumulated on your account that you plan to withdraw on an annual basis. As a default, we have assumed this is 4%, a bit less than the default return on investment to cushion any fluctuations on the market that may cause temporary decreases in your interest rate.
- After you decide all these values, the early retirement calculator will show you the required final balance of your account and the amount of time you will need to achieve this goal. If you start saving today, you will reach your goal in that timeframe.
Start saving for your retirement today
The main way to contribute to your retirement savings in New Zealand is through the Kiwisaver scheme.
A KiwiSaver Fund is made up of contributions from you, your employer and the government during your working life, and invested by a KiwiSaver Provider. As with all financial decisions, it is important to choose the best KiwiSaver Fund for you.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to choosing which type KiwiSaver Fund to invest in. You will need to consider your age, how much risk you want to take, and when you plan to withdraw your KiwiSaver fund. Whilst fees are an important part of the decision, there are a number of factors that help build a picture of the best KiwiSaver fund for you.
Money Compare can help you compare Kiwisavers to find the best Kiwisaver provider and the best Kiwisaver fund for you. Learn about the different Kiwisaver fund types, how to change Kiwisaver providers and how to get the most from Kiwisaver by making the minimum contributions.
If you are thinking about joining KiwiSaver or thinking about switching your KiwiSaver Provider, our KiwiSaver Comparison Tool to compare KiwiSaver Funds, to help you choose the KiwiSaver Fund that suits you best.