How long a pot lasts calculator

Withdrawal rate against real return.

Interactive: how long a pot lastsEasy

A constant real withdrawal against a constant real return — the deterministic skeleton of the question.

Starting pot $ Initial withdrawal rate % Nominal return % p.a. Inflation % p.a.

First-year withdrawal: —
Real return: —
Pot lasts: —
Perpetual draw: —
Verdict: —
Health warning: —

This model assumes every year delivers the average — the one assumption reality never honours. Its value is the boundary it draws: if the draw exceeds the real return even in this friendliest possible world, no sequence of returns will rescue it. Costs come straight off the return input; take 1% off and watch the horizon shorten. This is arithmetic, not retirement planning.

The idea behind it

This calculator belongs to Portfolio Practice, where the mechanism it computes is explained step by step, with the formula, what each input means and where the simple model stops being right. Everything is computed in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.

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Not advice. This explains how something works; it is not a recommendation, and nothing here is tailored to you. You can lose everything you put in — with leveraged instruments, considerably more. StrikeAndYield is not a regulated firm and provides no financial services.

The same in full — six points, and why each one matters

No advice, no recommendation. Nothing on this page constitutes investment, financial, legal, tax or accounting advice, a personal recommendation, or an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any financial instrument.
Nothing here is tailored to you. This is written for a general audience. It does not consider your objectives, financial situation, knowledge, time horizon or tolerance for loss.
The examples are simplified. Worked examples use round numbers and leave out costs, spreads, taxes, collateral, settlement and market conventions that materially change real outcomes.
The models are teaching models. Formulas shown are standard textbook formulations. Institutions add calibration, live market data and credit, funding and capital adjustments — nothing here will reproduce a dealer’s quote or produce a valuation you can rely on.
These instruments carry risk. You can lose your entire investment. Leveraged instruments — futures, options, CFDs, perpetual futures and similar — can cost you considerably more than you originally deposited.
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