Net Worth Projection Calculator
Model your net worth to age 90 — including a layoff gap and the pay change that often follows one — starting from real Washington wage data.
This is an illustration, not financial advice. It shows the arithmetic of the numbers you enter under one fixed return and one fixed inflation rate. It excludes Social Security, pensions, taxes, and home equity, and it cannot account for market volatility or your circumstances.
How this projection works
Each year the balance grows by the return rate, then savings are added (working years) or spending is withdrawn (retirement years). Spending rises with inflation every year. The dashed line restates the same balance in today's dollars, which is what it will actually buy.
The layoff scenario removes income for the months you specify and draws your retirement spending figure from savings during that time. When income resumes, it resumes at the adjusted level — a pay cut on re-employment compounds for the rest of your career, which is usually the larger long-term effect.
One fixed return every year is the model's biggest simplification. Real markets deliver returns in a sequence, and a downturn in the first years of retirement does far more damage than the same downturn later. Treat a single line as one scenario among many, not a forecast.
Projection Calculator Questions
How long would my savings last if I were laid off?
The runway figure divides your current net worth by your spending, compounding returns monthly and inflating spending as it goes. It assumes no income at all and no severance or unemployment benefits, so it is a floor rather than a forecast. Washington unemployment insurance replaces part of prior wages for a limited number of weeks, which would extend it.
Where does the income figure come from?
Median annual wages come from the 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, the same source behind this site's wage pages. Selecting an occupation and county fills in the local median for that job. OEWS reports by metropolitan area, so counties in the same area share a figure.
What return rate should I use?
The calculator defaults to 6% nominal, below the long-run average for a diversified stock portfolio and well above cash. It applies one flat rate every year, so it cannot show sequence-of-returns risk — the real danger that a market drop early in retirement hurts far more than the same drop later.
Does this account for Social Security, pensions, or taxes?
No. There is no Social Security, no pension income, no taxes, and no home equity drawdown. Retirement spending is withdrawn entirely from the projected balance, which makes the projection conservative for most households that will receive Social Security and optimistic for anyone ignoring taxes on withdrawals.
Is this financial advice?
No. It is an arithmetic illustration of the inputs you enter, published for general information. It does not know your circumstances and is not a recommendation to save, spend, invest, or retire in any particular way. For decisions that matter, talk to a licensed financial professional.
About This Data
Wage seeds come from the 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, the same data behind our Washington wage pages. OEWS publishes by metropolitan area, so counties inside one area share a median. The starting net worth default is the Washington median from our household net worth analysis of Census SIPP microdata.
Projections are generated in your browser. Nothing you enter is transmitted to us or stored on our servers.