A financial tool designed to project the duration of an investment or savings based on factors such as initial amount, recurring contributions or withdrawals, and assumed rate of return. For instance, one can input a starting balance, a consistent monthly withdrawal amount, and an anticipated annual return to estimate how many months or years the funds will last.
This tool provides individuals and financial planners with valuable insights for retirement planning, budget management, and assessing the sustainability of various financial strategies. Its importance lies in its ability to facilitate informed decision-making, mitigating the risk of outliving one’s assets. Historically, these calculations were performed manually, but modern online calculators offer streamlined, automated projections.